Innehållsförteckning för February 2024 från High Times

WHEN ABSTRAX STARTED ITS RECENT RESEARCH PROJECT, I DOUBT anyone could have imagined it would discover a whole new universe beneath our still-evolving knowledge of cannabis compounds. Now, they’ve released research suggesting how we understand how weed tastes or smells might just be the tip of the iceberg. Working with 710 Labs, SepSolve Analytical, and Markes International, the research team opened a portal into a world of rare and unseen flavor and aroma compounds in cannabis. Founded in California in 2017, the Abstrax team calls themselves pioneers in botanical flavor technology. Its main business is to provide terpene-driven flavor solutions for industries such as cannabis, beverage, and fragrance. By studying the complete chemical makeup of a cultivar, Abstrax goes through a rigorous process to map out, select, analyze, refine, formulate,…

Our conversation moved on to discuss how far out we are from actually being able to test any cannabis material and have a deep genetic understanding of precisely what it is. LeafWorks recently received funding from the state of California to lay the groundwork for more in-depth genetic testing. They are working with Cal Poly Humboldt and the Origins Council on the Canndor Herbarium, a project that seeks to preserve the records of cannabis plants. “It’s really focusing on community-led research, and whereby legacy communities are bringing forward these important plants in our community. These are the definitions and the boundaries of these plants,” Kuntz said. “These are the breeding histories, and then we’re doing the work to do the botanical portions of those definitions so that the community itself…

“THERE WASN’T MUCH COMPETITION BACK THEN. IT WAS ONLY ROLLING PAPERS AND CORNCOB PIPES AND NOBODY WAS DOING MACHINING ON THE LEVEL WE WERE, CERTAINLY NOT IN THE UNITED STATES.” - RICHARD JERGENSON If anything good came out of the Vietnam War, it was the evolution of modern bongs, shotgun hits, and Thai sticks. When the Vietnam War officially ended on April 30, 1975, High Times had only published its fourth issue. In the war, American soldiers scored pot overseas and blew smoke into a fellow soldier’s mouth through a shotgun barrel. A 1973 soldier sesh in Vietnam was documented in the 1999 documentary Grass. The war also introduced American soldiers, specifically the ones stationed in Thailand, to bamboo bongs—technology that they’d bring back with them to the U.S. The…

From a young age, Chef Joseph Paire III knew he had a love for cooking. With a large extended family, even the smallest holiday became a huge gathering with every relative helping to craft magic in the kitchen. While the seed was planted early on, it wasn’t until the world-shifting events of 2020 that Paire decided to combine his culinary passions with cannabis. Paire moved across the country from Washington, D.C. for his new role as executive chef of the Limewood Bar & Restaurant inside Berkeley, California’s historic Claremont Club & Spa. He had only been in town for a week when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down operations, leaving him furloughed for five months. During the second shutdown in late 2020 and the start of 2021, Paire decided the restaurant…

Musician, author, and longtime stoner Willie Nelson celebrated the end of last year with a few historic milestones. In late October 2023, he launched his cannabis line Willie’s Reserve in Michigan, in partnership with local cannabis producer Aardvark Industrees. At age 90, Nelson released his newest book, Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs, which surveys the lyrics and inspiration of 160 of his songs from his decades-long career. In November 2023, Nelson was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. At the ceremony, fellow musician Dave Matthews spoke about Nelson’s historic career, and joked about his many cannabis-related moments, such as smoking in the White House. Nelson kept his own acceptance speech short and thankful. “Thank all y’all for this great honor. I appreciate the…

Real Estate Witch published a report last fall and found that houses in states that have legalized recreational cannabis are valued higher than homes in non-legal states. Since 2014, property values have increased by $185,075 in legal adult-use cannabis states, and only $136,092 in states without legal cannabis. Even homes in states with just medical cannabis have increased by $166,609. As a comparison, the report stated that the average value of homes in recreational states is approximately $417,625, and $337,360 in medical cannabis states. “This report stands as a testament to what insiders in the cannabis community have long known to be true: The presence of legal cannabis in cities and states does not diminish property values. In fact, it’s quite the opposite,” said Leafly Vice President of Brand and…

I remember when you wrote a column years ago mentioning how judges used to send teens to inpatient treatment if they got busted with an eighth. Does that still happen or are those days finally gone for good? -James C. I’m happy to say that the practice has decreased! Even though most legal age limits are 21, we don’t seem to see this “treatment or jail” stuff thrown around as much, thank goodness. Pound for pound, aren’t dogs lightweights compared to cats when it comes to cannabis? -Dana No one has done the head-to-head randomized clinical trial. I’ve seen a cat as small as 5 pounds and a dog pushing 200 pounds, so I’m reluctant to generalize. Dogs are markedly more sensitive to THC than humans. Cats are pickier eaters,…

Major Drug Test Supplier to Stop Testing for Cannabis The winds of change are finally in the air. Massachusetts-based Psychemedics, which has produced drug testing kits for decades, announced in October 2023 that the company is launching a new five-panel drug screen which will shift the focus of drug tests from detecting cannabis to “the paramount threat of fentanyl.” The new drug screening panels are 25 times more effective at detecting opioids, 23 times more accurate in identifying cocaine, and 13 times more effective at detecting meth use. The national landscape is transforming rapidly in regard to the way both cannabis and opioids are perceived. Psychemedics, which manufactured the first commercially viable hair test for the presence of drugs in 1986, said that the way drug tests are currently used…

Kale, the photographer and co-founder behind Farmhouse Studio Genetics, has evolved his company to apply the information he gains by zooming in on trichomes to create new cannabis cultivars. Better known as Shwale, Kale and his partner Daisy are based in Portland, Oregon and utilize photographic technology to craft strains with resin production in mind. Through up-close images of the buds they are developing, they are able to easily count the number of trichomes and breed their strains with a trait that helps ensure trichome glands can be more easily collected. “With my photography and using microscopes and stuff like that I realized, ‘Hey, I can measure and selectively breed for gland size and different traits like abscission and weak necks that are good for hash,’” Kale said. Abscission, or…

Breeding is a fascinating subject to examine as it is the backbone of commercial agriculture and is crucial to the success of the farmers’ crops. Without stable and vigorous genetics, a farmer could have massive issues with their crop, leading to a huge loss of revenue. Due to the cannabis industry living in the shadows for so long, breeding was largely relegated to closets and amateur “pollen chuckers,” people crossing random plants in the hope of getting something new and desirable. This is where the term phenohunting comes from. By crossing heterozygous parent stock, the genetics of the progeny, or phenotypes, would be filled with variance. As a result, the progeny would have variants that expressed recessive genes, as well as plants with genetic mutations. This might be desirable when…

Snoop Dogg was one of the performers at Will Ferrell’s Best Night of Your Life 2 music and comedy benefit concert, which provides funds to the nonprofit organization Cancer for College, in October 2023. Actors Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly graced the stage with a performance of “Boats ‘N Hoes” from their 2008 film, Step Brothers. However, Ferrell interrupted the track saying it needed a little extra “Kush Factor,” and brought Snoop Dogg on stage to finish the song, and followed up with a collaborated performance of Snoop’s 1994 hit, “Gin and Juice.” The concert was held just one day after Snoop Dogg’s 52nd birthday, and while Reilly rallied the audience to sing “Happy Birthday” to the singer, Ferrell went backstage and wheeled out a three-tier cake featuring a…

Support for cannabis in Kansas is growing, according to the results from the annual Kansas Speaks Survey, which is prepared by the Fort Hays State University’s Docking Institute of Public Affairs. The survey collected public opinion responses from 485 residents about a wide variety of topics from quality of life to politicians and education in the state. When participants were asked about recreational cannabis legalization for adults over 21 as well as state taxes on cannabis products, 67.2% said they supported it while only 16.9% were opposed. Overall, Kansans from every age group were supportive of recreational legalization, including ages 18-34 (51.9% in support of legalization), 35-44 (63.2%), 45-64 (51.5%), and 65 years and older (28.6%). In relation to Kansas legislative candidates, 63.6% of survey participants said they were “highly”…

An article published in the Journal of Neuroscience Research in November analyzed how cannabis affects the anterior cingulate cortex in the human brain, which is often associated with feelings of empathy. Researchers compared the brain scans of 85 cannabis users and 51 non-consumers, and found that the cannabis users had “…a greater emotional comprehension, a cognitive empathy trait involving the understanding of the ‘other’ emotional state.” Specifically, study authors explained that cannabis consumers “have more empathic comprehension,” and suggested that they can sense other people’s feelings as well. According to study co-author Víctor Olalde-Mathieu, Ph.D., of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, evidence of increased empathy could lead to more new discoveries in the future. “Although further research is needed, these results open an exciting new window for exploring the…

Sticky fingers are often the result of a hard day’s work under the sun on the farm as resin begins to build up. This Glazed Lemon Thai was grown outdoors in native soil by @fullmoonfarms707, with genetics from @happydreamgenetics. Full Moon Farms produces eco-friendly cannabis and supports its fellow cannafamily in Humboldt County, California. The photo was posted with audio of “Greasy Groceries,” a song by Dumpstaphunk. Don’t waste all that finger hash; scrape it off to smoke later.…

MOST OF THE TIME, WHEN WE HEAR SOMEONE TALK ABOUT cannabis genetics, the first thing that comes to mind is a pack of seeds. But it goes a lot deeper than that, and as cannabis continues to get more and more normalized across America, scientists are beginning to dive even further into the genetic traits that make the heat the heat. We sat down with LeafWorks to hear the latest in cannabis genomics and how they’re using science to create value for the industry. Ph.D.s Eleanor Kuntz and Kerin Law originally founded the company on the eve of California’s Proposition 64 vote that legalized cannabis for adult use in the Golden State. Kuntz brought the market experience from her work with natural product companies with a global footprint, while Law…

“EVERYBODY’S A REVOLUTIONARY IF YOU JUST DON’T ACCEPT WHAT CAME BEFORE YOU JUST BECAUSE.”-ICE CUBE There’s a scene in Ice Cube’s cult classic film Friday (1995) when Smokey—played by Chris Tucker—says to Cube, “I’m gonna get you high today because it’s Friday. You ain’t got no job, and you ain’t got shit to do,” a line forever burned into pop culture’s ’90s lexicon. Although Cube had previously appeared in movies like Boyz N The Hood and CB4, the stoner flick launched Cube into another orbit and spawned two popular sequels, Next Friday and Friday After Next, and an animated series. It was the brilliant start to another colorful chapter. By the time he shot the film’s first installment, Cube was already a bona fide rap star, but after Friday, he…

1 ONE-HITTERS One-hitters designed for either tobacco or pot go way back and appear in various cultures as a calumet (Native American), kiseru (Japan), sebsi (Morocco), chillum (India, Nepal, and Jamaica), or midwakh (Middle East). Bamboo was commonly used as a chillum in the 1960s, but by the 1970s, people were smoking weed with metal one-hitter bats, which were sometimes disguised as socially acceptable cigarettes. Floyd Crow from Simple Pleasures Inc. filed for a patent in 1978 for a pocket dugout system, which was granted in 1980. Just push the one-hitter bat into the dugout, filled with ground-up weed, to pack a bowl. 2 VOLCANO This technology enabled hits to be stored for one to two hours, for the first time. In 1996, Markus Storz stumbled on an article that…

Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, recently became the first college to receive a Controlled Drugs and Substances Licence from Health Canada, which allows researchers to legally study psilocybin, among other drugs. “Loyalist College is thrilled to receive this certification from Health Canada, a significant milestone that highlights our commitment to excellence in the research and development of natural products,” said Mark Kirkpatrick, Loyalist College president and CEO. “The potential of psilocybin research to aid those struggling with mental illness aligns seamlessly with our long-term vision.” Loyalist College was also the first Canadian college to be permitted to study cannabis in 2017 through its Centre for Natural Products and Medical Cannabis (CNPMC) and has developed a strong reputation for its dedication to cannabis research. According to Jeremy Laurin, senior vice…

WEEDMILL BY MARY MILL marymill.amsterdam Perhaps you have a lot of weed to grind, especially when you’re on the go? A portable mill with a longer, more slender design that can fit inside your pocket might be the answer you’re looking for. Made in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, known for its windmills, the Weedmill is an intention-driven accessory, with a goal of streamlining and enhancing your grinding process. The Weedmill’s two lids combine to create a storage area large enough to survive until a journey’s end. Prices Vary TALKING TERPS SEED SACK V.01 talkingterps.com The Talking Terps Seed Sack has arrived, and we’re impressed. This zipper top bag has two heavy duty long straps, and three large outside pockets. The main compartment features one zipper pocket inside and an embroidered…