WeedLife News Network

DETROIT -  A Michigan cannabis chain is providing over a thousand free turkeys this Thanksgiving to families in need.

"It's that feeling that you get, knowing that you did a good deed, that you put a smile on somebody's face," says Nick Hannawa of Puff Cannabis

Happening over the next two weeks, Puff Cannabis is distributing over 1700 turkeys to those who simply may not be able to afford one come Thanksgiving. The locations and times are as follows:

Friday, November 18, 11am - 1pm. Puff Utica, 44825 Van Dyke Ave., Utica

Monday, November 21, 11am - 1pm. Puff Hamtramck, 11941 Joseph Campau Ave., Hamtramck

Tuesday, November 22, 11am to 1pm. Puff Madison Heights, 2 Ajax Dr., Madison Height

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the School of Pharmacy decided that informing students on the history of marijuana, a drug that is currently illegal in the state of Wisconsin, is valuable knowledge to educate students on before they enter the workforce

Lucas Richert, an associate professor at UW-Madison, as well as a historian of medicine and pharmacy, focuses on both legal and illegal drugs, and has been a proponent of educating UW Pharmacy students, specifically on the history of marijuana. 

Although educating future pharmacists and medical professionals on cannabis may be new to the Division of Pharmacy Professional Development (DPPD), according to Richert the study of cannabis for medicinal purposes is not. 

“It's important to remember that cannabis has been used within medical circles for centuries, to varying degrees of course,” Richert said. “Scholars in the School of Pharmacy and in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, for example, studied cannabis over a hundred years ago — just as they are now.”

Similarly, the debates around medical cannabis are long standing, according to Richert. 

“The debates we are having about medical cannabis now aren’t new,” Richert said in a DPPD article. “These debates have been waged all over the world, and some of the different therapeutic modalities we have now, and generally, the way cannabis is being used today, also has echoes in the past.”

'My own country had pardoned me but that didn’t matter. They told the federal government of the United States of America not to forget'

NORTH BRUNSWICK – The township's first medical marijuana dispensary will be opening on Route 1.

Garden State Botanicals' proposal to convert a 2,400-square-foot space at a shopping center at 1345-1471 Route 1 southbound was approved by the township's Zoning Board of Adjustment last month.

The dispensary will be in the North Oaks Plaza, commonly known as the Raymour & Flanigan shopping center, adjacent to North Oaks Boulevard.

The dispensary is expected to be between WindowRama and Dunkin’, in the space currently occupied by Halal Boys, according to the township.

Last year, the township established regulations for licensed marijuana facilities to operate in the strip mall. The ordinance established the Cannabis Route 1 Corridor Overlay Zone where Class 5 retail and Class 6 delivery cannabis establishments, without cannabis consumption areas, can open.

The dispensary was approved by a 6-1 vote. Board member Joe Policastro cast the lone dissenting vote.

“You all must be here for the free samples,” joked Ari Kirshenbaum, St. Michael’s professor of psychology.

Through Kirshenbaum’s research, he discovered that the effects of cannabis on a driver operating a vehicle is no laughing matter.

The McCarthy Arts Recital Hall was busy and lively, with over 40 attendees filling the auditorium for Kirshenbaum’s presentation of “Weed and the Wheel.” Among many notable awards and publications, he also receives funding from the National Health and Science Foundations for his research.

Throughout his presentation, Kirshenbaum explained how cannabis affects people, especially when driving cars. He also discussed the decriminalization of cannabis in Vermont, as recreational dispensaries in Vermont opened in the state on Oct. 1.

Kirshenbaum quotes the actor Bill Murray’s famous quote on the decriminalization of the drug, “I find it quite ironic that the most dangerous thing about weed is getting caught with it.” He noted that critical thinking is crucial when encountering quotes like these. Cannabis is dangerous, but there are legal drugs that are far more harmful. What Kirshenbaum believes is that there is a lack of knowledge of the addictive nature of weed. “People don’t have an accurate understanding of the risks. Many people misunderstand the differences between fact and opinion when dealing with the effects of cannabis,” Kirshenbaum said. He hopes that one day “smoking and driving becomes as taboo as drinking and driving.”

Kirshenbaum’s work focuses on the ability to detect if a driver is impaired after smoking weed. He created an app called Indicator. The app is a series of games, mainly reaction based, that determine how cannabis affects the user’s cognition.

Just days after Missouri approved recreational marijuana, some Kansas City area weed businesses say they are ramping up their facilities and preparing to cash in from increased sales.

Others, however, are more relieved than elated. They view legalized marijuana, which voters statewide approved Tuesday, as a lifeline in a medical industry that is oversupplied with too few customers to go around.

Businesses in the established medical marijuana industry were counting on Tuesday’s vote, which legalized recreational marijuana for adults over the age of 21. They hope recreational sales, expected to start in early February, will help their businesses stay afloat.

“I don’t know that too many people would have been able to survive had that ballot initiative not pass,” said Chris McHugh, CEO of Vertical, an indoor cultivation, manufacturing facility and dispensary in St. Joseph.

While nearly two-thirds of Missouri voters approved legalizing medical marijuana in 2018, the state currently reports only about 200,000 active medical marijuana patients. Just more than 53% of voters approved recreational marijuana on Tuesday. Business owners like McHugh are cautiously optimistic that legalized recreational marijuana will increase the number of people willing to buy into the industry.

“There’s just not enough demand to keep the industry going and it’s slowly starving to death,” McHugh said.

AUSTIN - A topic seen as controversial to some is becoming a booming industry in the Lone Star State.

More Texans are turning to medical marijuana, and this is only the beginning.

“We’ve sold medicine to more than 25,000 Texans,” said Morris Denton, CEO of Texas Original.

Texas Original first opened its doors on Feb. 8, 2018, and has continued to grow. They are one of three licensed medical cannabis operators in the state. The company is based in Austin but saw an opportunity in the Piney Woods.

“In East Texas and Nacogdoches in particular, basically started to grow pretty quickly for us,” Denton said.

The owners say they are impressed with their dispensary’s performance in Nacogdoches, and now they are looking to expand.

Casey O’Neill is a cannabis and food farmer in Mendocino County who has been writing newsletters about his efforts to provide sustainable produce and marijuana.

Many people go to therapy wondering if they have an unhealthy relationship with marijuana. They ask questions like:

As of today, 19 U.S. states have legalized recreational marijuana and as many as half of all young adults in the country have used cannabis. With the stigma around recreational use crumbling, it’s important to talk about the mental-health consequences of marijuana use.

The main psychoactive cannabinoids found in marijuana, THC and CBD, are intoxicants. These compounds interact with your brain and body chemistry in complex ways to induce feelings of pleasure, relief, and well-being. Along with its positive effects, marijuana can also stir up negative feelings like anxiety and paranoia.

Moderation is the key to maintaining a healthy relationship with marijuana. Consider these 3 false but widely-held myths you need to stop believing to have a healthy relationship with marijuana.

1. "Marijuana is not harmful to your mental health."

The science is conclusive: The THC concentration in marijuana is on the rise. A recent study published in The Lancet found that this increase in potency brings a slew of serious mental health risks for marijuana users. The study revealed that high-potency cannabis use was associated with a fourfold increase in the likelihood of addiction when compared to low-potency cannabis use. The research is in line with real-world trends in cannabis addiction treatment, which, in the past decade, has seen a 76% increase. According to CDC estimates, around 30% of all marijuana users in the U.S. meet the criteria for cannabis use disorder.

In addition, those who use high-potency cannabis were found to be at higher risk for developing cannabis-induced psychosis, a serious mental health condition characterized by hallucinations and delusions.

P Diddy has recently turned into the most recent hip-hop billionaire. Now, the famous rapper wants to create turmoil in the cannabis world, announcing his plans to invest $185m in cannabis businesses.

Here’s why the cannabis industry is in the spotlight and why he might consider investing in BudBlockz.

P Diddy Wants to Create the Largest Cannabis Business

P Diddy’s planned deal for $185 million will turn into the largest cannabis business in the world, massively increasing Black participation in this industry. While 39 out of 50 states legalized weed for medicinal purposes and 19 for recreational use as well, the industry is still stained by social stigma.

The famous rapper’s initiative will further create opportunities in this field, especially as cannabis products represent the fastest-growing industry in the US. The acquired business is a multistate cannabis operator and owns the entire process, ranging from growing weed to manufacture and distribution.

BudBlockz – A Unique Player in the Global Marijuana Industry

Thanks to the large move into the cannabis world worth $185 million, BudBlockz may be next on the list. While large, established, brick-and-mortar companies are highly profitable in this industry, BudBlockz has the first-mover advantage. It combines the cannabis industry with the investment world and the booming crypto space, resulting in a win-win-win combo for consumers, businesses, and investors.

BudBlockz is a new project in this space, but it has created a massive buzz in the media thanks to its many use cases and benefits for the platform’s users. Perhaps one of the main disruptions is that BudBlockz will finally create a secure, transparent marketplace for marijuana transactions from all around the world.

The southwest side of Elgin may soon be home to a second cannabis-growing operation.

Grand Legacy Group LLC has partners who have ownership in both growing and dispensing facilities in New Mexico and New York. Now the group wants to open a growing operation in Elgin after first targeting Chicago Heights.

The group's Christine Johnson told the Elgin planning and zoning commission this week that it canceled plans to open in Chicago Heights after doing further research in Elgin and finding it to be a better fit.

The city council approved its first cannabis growing operation, at 1300 Abbott Drive, in February. That facility is still in the process of getting building permits and has not yet opened.

The Grand Legacy Group wants to move into the Burnidge Bros. Industrial Park at the northwest corner of Shepard Drive and Berkley Street.

"We can't say enough how excited we are to come to the city of Elgin," Johnson told the commission. "This property benefits us for multiple reasons. It's off the beaten path. It's more hidden."

ST. PAUL - Applications are now available online for anyone wishing to grow industrial hemp in Minnesota.

A license from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture is required for individuals and businesses to legally grow or process hemp in the state.

In order to get a permit, the grower must:

Minnesota ran a hemp pilot program from 2016 to 2020 before joining a federally regulated hemp production program in 2021.