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Valentine’s Day is upon us. Here are some gift ideas, from chocolate boxes to fun and relaxing cannabis products.

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and while you won’t be able to comfortably dine out in a restaurant along with other mushy couples, you may still be able to get something good out of Cupid’s day.

February 14 is not really a holiday; it’s more of a glorified occasion where you can have a high stakes date, eat good food, go HAM on a lot of chocolate and spend some time with your partner. Recently, Valentine’s Day has expanded itself; it’s now nice to give gifts to friends and family members, who may be feeling especially more lonely this year. While presents aren’t expected, they’re a thoughtful gesture that can range in price and functionality since V-Day is pretty loose in terms of expectations.

You could go the traditional route with chocolates and flowers, or you could try something new. Here are just a few ideas.

For those who want something relaxing

Everyone wants to relax right now, but sadly it’s becoming increasingly difficult, so we need all the help we can get. There’s tons of stuff that can help you feel relaxed, at least, momentarily. You can gift some regular bath bombs or some with CBD if you want your gift to be extra relaxing, like Vertly’s bath salts. Nourish Mantra makes some great mud masks that contain different products and that feel thick and pleasant on your skin, resulting in a face that feels and looks smooth and clear. Products like Saint Jane look and feel fancy, and can help treat eye bags and while reviving your skin. Before you use, remember to test the product in a small patch of skin.

For those who are all about food

Valentine’s Day is a great day to indulge in your oral senses, whether someone’s cooking for you, take-out is ordered in, or chocolates is consumed. Cookbooks make for great gifts, provided that you don’t imply that your significant other should cook more or cook better, because then you’re just asking for a fight. If you’re interested in wine pairings and food recipes, you can try Washington Wine + Food. If you want something sweeter, you can try Dessert Person. You can also try meal prep kits, such as Hello Fresh and Blue Apron.

Marijuana’s slow but steady movement towards federal legalization has been heavily documented, gaining support across the nation and with more and more medical and recreational programs gaining approval. But there remains a lot of mystery in the purchase process, with many turning to black market marijuana because it seems simpler and less intimidating than legal weed.

Legal marijuana still has some growing pains, but it has slowly become a simple and more intuitive process. Now, depending on the state where you live, you’re able to purchase marijuana online, at times having it delivered or scheduled for pick-up. Here’s how to buy weed on the web.

Do Your Research

When ordering marijuana flower and marijuana products, it’s important to account for where you live, since you won’t have access to these services if you live in an illegal state.

Your second step is to get very informed and to be sure that you’re not falling for any scams or sketchy websites. The website you’re ordering from should look legitimate, like it was designed in this century, and should also have recommendations from publications and reviews from different customers. When scrolling through these reviews, make sure they use different words and ways of expressing themselves; this suggests they’re not a bot.

While there are websites out there where you can purchase marijuana products directly, there are others that can connect you with dispensaries. This latter option might be better for someone who wants to talk to a budtender regarding their marijuana purchase, who can make recommendations on the types of products that work best for them.

The last few years have been a wild ride for the United States’ hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) industry. Ever since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took the position that CBD is unlawful in many consumer products, the industry has faced many questions about what it can and cannot do. To add fuel to this fire, many states have adopted laws and regulations that are different from, more complicated than, and/or inconsistent with the FDA’s position. To say the least, things are complex.

Life is particularly challenging for smokable CBD products. The FDA’s initial positions on CBD failed to address smokable products, and as we noted a few years ago and again last year, it didn’t appear that the FDA would expressly try to regulate smokable products.

Many states nevertheless decided to ban smokable hemp and even smokable products like CBD vapes. For example, last year, Iowa made the sale of smokable hemp products a serious offense. As another example, a ban on smokable hemp was upheld by a federal appellate court for the state of Indiana last year.

On top of that, during the vape crisis over the last few years, many states and municipalities began proposing and even passing laws that restrict flavored vape products. While many of these efforts were limited to nicotine-bearing products, not all were, further restricting how CBD vapes could be sold in some cases.

Recently, there have been a few developments that place the smokable hemp industry in even more jeopardy. First, the FDA issued warning letters to CBD product sellers, including the seller of an inhalable product. While, to be fair, it wasn’t a smokable product, the FDA in 2019 issued a warning letter for the seller of CBD vapes. So even though the agency hasn’t taken the most clear position on smokable CBD in its policy documents, it has taken action against sellers of inhalable products and it appears that will continue.

Cannabis legitimization has demonstrated several advantages for some reasons – pot’s remedial worth improves lives and decreases compulsion and the business development and potential is useful for the economy.

However, there are as yet the individuals who demand that ongoing cannabis utilization, such as using phoenix tears Canada, simply makes individuals more dumb.

To exacerbate the situation, a recent report has as far as anyone knows discovered confirmation that pot use diminishes an individual’s IQ after some time. 

This deception has fanned out quickly among against pot distributions throughout the previous five years, prompting expanded disarray on the issue. 

There are a ton of elements that go into play when considering these patterns – and making these cases – and considerably more that specialists deliberately forget about. 

Mexico is one of the most exciting emerging cannabis markets in the world and we expect to see increased interest in the market from leading cannabis companies. A few months ago, we published an article on the Mexican cannabis market and received a lot of positive feedback from our readers.

After noticing the amount of interest in the Mexican cannabis market, we conducted due diligence on the operators that are focused on the emerging market. Based on our analysis, we determined that the market is wide open for companies to come in and grab market share and will monitor how the industry evolves over the next year.

Many analysts expected the Mexican cannabis industry to be a major market after former President Enrique Peña Nieto signed legislation to legalize medical cannabis in 2017. Since then, the government has failed to advance the industry and medical cannabis remains out of reach for many patients.

Although we are surprised with the amount of time it has taken for the Mexican cannabis market to advance, we believe the industry is reaching an inflection point. Last year, legislation was introduced that would allow private companies to sell cannabis to the public and the bill is expected to be implemented in the near future.

During the last two years, we have noticed a substantial increase in the number of companies that are focused on the Mexican cannabis market. A few years ago, Aurora Cannabis Inc. (ACB.TO) (ACB) announced plans to enter the Mexican cannabis market and this aspect of the business seems to have stalled. We do not blame Aurora Cannabis for the lack of execution and believe that the Mexican government is making the legalization of cannabis more challenging than it needs to be.

The Arizona Department of Health Services has issued its end-of-year report for 2020, and to the surprise of virtually no one, medical marijuana sales increased year-over-year, for the eighth year in a row.

Arizonans purchased 106 tons of cannabis products from dispensaries in 2020, according to the report, and all signs point to much higher numbers in 2021.

That's due largely to the fact that recreational cannabis is now legal for adults to buy as of January 22, 2021. 

Between MMJ and recreational pot, dispensary companies in the state are planning to grow two-to-three times as much marijuana in 2021, but the reality of recreational in the state remains to be seen, said Sam Richard, executive director of the Arizona Dispensaries Association. Some of the revenue growth will be due to higher prices in the initial months of recreational sales, he added.

"Largely, the trajectory of the growth in medical sales will likely taper off" while the new combined industry reaches new frontiers, he said. Last year's 106 tons in sales is close to the weight of a fully loaded space shuttle on its way to the space station, and while the medical program is "approaching cruising altitude," the industry as a whole is set to travel much further.

In a move that gave local cannabis watchers—and many dispensary owners—a serious case of whiplash, the Arizona Department of Health Services gave the green-light to recreational pot sales late last month, catching a lot of people in the industry off guard.

Harvest Enterprises, Inc., founded by CEO and Tempe native Steve White, had the first-ever Arizona adult use sale in its Scottsdale location and Harvest became the first Tucson-area dispensary to sell recreational marijuana, with patients waiting in line for hours outside the midtown outlet at 2734 E. Grant Road, on opening weekend.

Harvest’s opening came after the AZDHS allowed recreational cannabis sales to begin, letting dispensary owners know adult-use recreational sales can move forward as soon as licenses are approved and dispensaries are set up to handle both aspects of the market.

“This has been really surprising and gives an opportunity for us to have a conversation about how we don’t say a lot of good things about government,” White said. “But this is really a bang-up job by the

department.”

It's funny to think back on the "reefer madness" era in the United States in the 1930s, a time when political leaders demonized cannabis and planted the seeds for the War on Drugs. After all, the U.S. had not yet existed even 200 years. Compare that to ancient Egypt, a weed-friendly civilization that flourished and dominated the known world for about 3,000 years.

Lawmakers in the United States and most of the western world are just now catching up with what leaders in that long-ago civilization knew to be true: medical marijuana has the potential for treating a variety of conditions. They also found uses for hemp that included making fabric, rope, and ship sails. 

And discoveries in burial chambers have led researchers to believe that Egyptians used cannabis during burial ceremonies, much like they did in ancient China. Reefer madness, indeed.

Ancient texts tell the tale

Ancient Egypt lasted for about 30 centuries. It started about 3,100 BCE when the different factions in Egypt united, ending when Alexander the Great conquered it around 332 BCE. During those thousands of years, Egypt reigned as the most powerful and influential civilization in the known world. 

During that time, they learned a thing or two. Some of those things involved marijuana. 

Every year, we all look ahead and try to guess what might become the biggest weed strains for the next 365 days. It's just the natural thing to do since we — as fellow consumers — are determined to stay on top of the freshest and hottest trends. For 2021, we scoped out which strains are sure to continue the momentum built in previous years, as well as some strains that are showing blow-up potential.

Here are 9 weed strains to look forward to in 2021.

Wedding Cake

In 2021, Wedding Cake is sure to remain one of the most popular strains in the world. 

Wedding Cake, also known as Pink Cookies, is an indica-dominant hybrid that was bred by Seed Junky Genetics. It's a phenotype of a cross between Triangle Kush and Animal Mints that produces a sweet, dougy, vanilla-like strain — and it's absolutely swept the cannabis world by storm over the past couple of years. 

It's showing the same potential as OG Kush and GSC, in terms of becoming the hybrid of its generation. Look out for it, and the many other strains that come from its genetics.

For some incoming city employees in Atlanta, a drug test will no longer be a prerequisite for the job.

That is thanks to an executive order issued earlier this month by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms that suspended physical examinations and drug screenings “prospective employees who are not applying for employment in safety sensitive positions.” 

The order “also grants the Commissioner of the Department of Human Resources the authority to administratively establish requirements for pre-employment physical examinations and drug testing for safety sensitive positions and may designate certain employment classifications which affect safety and /or security as safety sensitive positions.”

“The current pre-employment testing requirements for those seeking jobs, not related to safety and security, are outdated and costly barriers to onboarding new talent in the City of Atlanta,” Bottoms said in a press release earlier this month. “As we continue to reform our employment process, creating a positive employee experience is key to attracting and maintaining a top-tier workforce, while ensuring opportunities are accessible to all.”

The “safety sensitive” designation means the order will not extend to “police officers or people who drive sanitation trucks, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Americans purchased $17.9 billion in cannabis products over the past calendar year. That’s $7.2 billion more than the $10.7 billion in sales from 2019!

The pandemic helped vice businesses surge, or at least stave off the catastrophic downturns that other markets experienced.

With so many consumers staying home in accordance with social-distancing measures, they turned to new and familiar vices to cope. As a result, 2020’s market projections were thrown for a loop — setting the stage for a prosperous 2021.

Cannabis, Alcohol And Sex

Cannabis sales soared in 2020. According to Leafly, nationwide sales of medical and adult-use marijuana increased by 67% over 2019. That means Americans purchased $17.9 billion in cannabis products over the past calendar year. That’s $7.2 billion more than the $10.7 billion in sales from 2019!

The alcoholic beverage space outperformed 2020 expectations, but still saw global figures decline. Analysis firm IWSR reported that the market declined by 8% in 2020, less than the previously projected double-digit drop.Alcohol e-commerce surged in 2020 due to lockdown measures, increasing 40% across ten countries, including the U.S., U.K, Japan, Germany, Brazil and Australia.

At one time, cannabis culture was easy to define, found in the pages of High Times or a Cheech and Chong movie.

As the “man” himself, Tommy Chong, reminisces “Back in the day, there was no cannabis industry, there was just weed and we called it…weed. Now you have the technology to have the cleanest, healthiest product. It’s making a healthy industry healthier, it’s really impressive. More and more people are getting involved in cannabis and seeing the medical benefits.”

Innovation and acceptance of the cannabis industry is changing demographics and thus the culture of the cannabis community is changing at a rapid pace.   

A quick story

While killing time on Facebook, because you know, there is so much time now, a friend posted a video from an event called the Canna Culture Cup hosted outside Chicago. 

 The video was exciting and fun, featuring a DJ with crazy hair spinning live under neon lights, people dancing, and of course a big fat bong popping in and out of the frame.

Marijuana use fluctuates throughout the year. A new study shows why, when and how much.

For most people, marijuana use ebbs and flows. There are weeks were you smoke a lot and others where you’re busy doing other things. New research looking into drug use over the course of a year suggests that there’s some seasonal variation; while every person’s relationship with marijuana is personal and different, there’s an arc that a lot of us follow.

A study recently published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence found that marijuana use drops during the start of the year and increases periodically as the seasons pass by 13%. Researchers theorize that this fluctuation might be influenced by New Year’s resolutions.

“We found that marijuana use is consistently higher among those surveyed later in the year, peaking during late fall or early winter before dropping at the beginning of the following year. We think this may be due, in part, to a ‘Dry January’ in which some people stop drinking alcohol or even stop using marijuana as part of a New Year’s resolution,” said Joseph Palamar, associate professor at NYU’s School of Medicine and lead author of the study. “We’re now in the time of year when people are the least likely to use marijuana.”

Photo by rawpixel.com

Recreational marijuana sales in Arizona officially began Friday, after the state granted 73 dispensaries a license. However, it will still be some time before you're able to buy pot in Yuma County.

The Arizona Department of Health Services has now approved 90 recreational marijuana dispensaries in Arizona, including Jamestown Yuma, the only dispensary in the county.

But, Jamestown Yuma says its not selling recreationally just yet. Its management wants to make sure they have enough staff and are prepared for the large crowds.

Meanwhile, Robert Smith, director of sales and marketing at Territory Dispensary in Maricopa County had all its labeling done in advance.

"We had to prepare for it could be in a few days, it could be in a few weeks," Smith said. "One way or another we had to start preparing and right away."

Three pals out for a late-night, cannabis shopping spree had their fun cut short when police stopped them for breaching COVID-19 lockdown rules and then learned what they had been buying was a bit of weed.

The trio — all in the same vehicle, but all from different households — was busted on the night of Jan. 22, according to the Island Echo. All were fined for breaching health regulations and one man was also cited for possessing a controlled drug.

The wish-list purchase did nothing to convince the Hampshire Constabulary officers that the men needed to be outside during COVID-19. All three were ordered to pay £200 ($348).

The coronavirus “is spreading fast. Do not leave your home unless necessary. One in three people who have the virus have no symptoms, so you could be spreading it without knowing it,” notes information from the U.K. government, which has also issued video messages emphasizing the need to stay home.

“Robust enforcement action should be taken as required, where blatant breaches in public places or private premises are reported to us,” Maggie Blyth, assistant chief constable for the Hampshire Constabulary, said in a statement after the national restrictions were reintroduced.