Vermont Senate Passes Legislation To Establish Psychedelic Working Group

Vermont is the latest state looking to further examine and embrace the potential of psychedelics, as the state Senate recently passed a measure to establish a working group to research psychedelics and confirm whether, and to what extent, they may be used in therapeutic settings.

Senators approved the legislation, S. 114, on March 27, and it now heads to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

Vermont Senators Recognize Psychedelic Potential

Sen. Martine Gulick spoke to the potential of this research, given the growing body of literature finding that psychedelic compounds like psilocybin, found in “magic” mushrooms, could help to ease an array of mental health symptoms and conditions, including bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress and other trauma-related disorders and more.

Americans appear to be growing more supportive of psilocybin use for therapy as well, with nine in 10 finding its use to be “morally positive” in a recent survey. Additionally, other compounds like MDMA, LSD and ketamine have been shown to offer a number of potential mental health benefits.

“Many would argue that these particular substances never should have been designated as Class One drugs to begin with because their power to heal far outweighs their ability to harm, especially when taken therapeutically with a doctor or health care practitioner,” Gulick said.

Ahead of the bill’s second reading, Gulcik added that the legislation “will start the state of Vermont on a journey to explore other possibilities and other options to treating mental illness.”

A Potential Psychedelic Advisory Group in The Green Mountain State

As it is currently written, the proposal would allow Vermont to establish an eight-member Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group to examine psychedelic use as a means to improve physical and mental health. 

The group would also make findings and recommendations “regarding the advisability of the establishment of a State program similar to other jurisdictions” allowing healthcare providers to  administer psychedelics in a therapeutic setting. The working group would also examine how legal access to psychedelics would impact public health.

The working group would review current research on therapeutic use of psychedelic compounds, along with laws and programs introduced by other jurisdictions. Additionally, the group would be directed to seek out perspectives from individuals with lived experience on the therapeutic use of psychedelics and to provide “potential timelines for universal and equitable access to psychedelic assisted treatments.”

The bill was originally introduced with provisions that would legalize use and possession of psilocybin, though the Senate Health and Welfare Committee decided to eliminate that section in March to focus on the working group explicitly.

Sen. Ginny Lyons (D) suggested that decriminalization could “get in the way” of therapeutic use at the time, adding, “What we’re looking for is the value of therapeutic use.”

Riding the Wave of Psychedelic Research and Reform

While it’s still uncertain if the bill will ultimately pass, the effort represents a growing number of states looking to embrace new wave of psychedelic research and reform, largely with a focus on psilocybin.

Denver, Colorado became the first city to decriminalize psilocybin in 2019, with the entire state of Colorado following suit in 2022. Oregon became the first state to both decriminalize psilocybin and legalize its supervised use in 2020. A number of U.S. cities including Oakland and Santa Cruz, California; Washington D.C.; Somerville, Cambridge and Northampton, Massachusetts; Seattle, Washington and Detroit, Michigan have similarly moved to decriminalize psilocybin in recent years.

Looking at the current legislative session, psychedelic research and reform continues to be a popular focus. 

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb recently signed a measure including provisions to fund clinical trials on the clinical benefits of psilocybin, while Utah Gov. Spencer Cox recently authorized a program allowing hospitals to administer psilocybin and MDMA as an alternative treatment option.

Mirroring Vermont’s current effort, Maryland’s Senate and House of Delegates also enacted a measure that would create a task force to study possible regulatory frameworks for therapeutic access to psychedelic substances. Lawmakers in Vermont’s neighboring Connecticut are also considering legislation that would decriminalize psilocybin. 

And this list is far from exhaustive, with plenty more efforts happening nationwide to continue exploring the potential of psychedelic compounds, lessen or eliminate criminal penalties and possibly increase accessibility. 

Of course, it’s unclear what the road ahead holds, but if these trends persist, it’s likely to include increasingly more psychedelic research and reform across the nation.

The post Vermont Senate Passes Legislation To Establish Psychedelic Working Group appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/news/vermont-senate-passes-legislation-to-establish-psychedelic-working-group/

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians To Open First Dispensary in North Carolina

North Carolina-based Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) will officially be opening its cannabis dispensary on tribal land, effective as of April 20. This will also mark the opening of North Carolina’s first dispensary, since state legislators have not legalized medical cannabis.

The EBCI tribe lies on 57,000 acres, called the Qualla Boundary. According to a press release published on March 25 by Qualla Enterprises, LLC, the company clarified that only medical cannabis patients will be able to purchase from the dispensary, called Great Smoky Cannabis Company. “With a commitment to quality, compassion, and education, Great Smoky Cannabis Co. aims to provide patients with safe and regulated access to medicinal cannabis products,” Qualla Enterprises wrote. “The new dispensary will open with high-quality tested products—including flower, vape products, edibles, topicals, and more—carefully curated to meet the diverse needs of patients. Product selection will continue to grow and evolve each month.”

Only current medical cannabis cardholders (issued directly by the EBCI Cannabis Control Board) over 21 are permitted to purchase products once the dispensary opens. Qualla Enterprises added that out-of-state patients are welcome as well. “We will also extend reciprocity to individuals with out-of-state medical cards, or other tribal medical cannabis cards,” the press release stated. Medical cannabis card registration opened up in June 2023, and the first cards were issued starting in October 2023. At that time, 1,005 card applications were received, and the board had approved 817 of them.

Great Smoky Cannabis Company is opening in a building that was once a bingo hall, not far from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. Currently, the product lineup includes dried flower, vape-related items, edibles, and topicals, although they plan to increase the selection over time.

The Charlotte Observer was invited for a private tour of the dispensary in March 2023. At the time, Qualla Enterprises said that the dispensary would only be accessible to EBCI tribe members with approved medical cannabis cards. Eventually, patients throughout North Carolina with medical cannabis cards will be invited to shop at the dispensary.

Qualla Enterprises’ early projections show that the Great Smoky Cannabis Company could collect up to $206 million in gross sales revenue during the first year of operation if they only limit sales to medical cannabis cardholders. If, or when, cannabis becomes available to adult-use consumers as well, the dispensary could collect an estimated $385 million.

Projections from HedgeRow Analysis state that by the dispensary’s fifth year of operation, it could collect $578 million from medical cannabis patients, or $843 million if adult-use consumers are allowed to purchase.

At a tribal council meeting, EBCI stated that approximately 1,400 people had applied for cannabis-related jobs (while only 350 openings were available at the time). Currently, the Great Smoky Cannabis Company only employs 69 people.

In September 2023, the EBCI passed an adult-use cannabis referendum. Qualla Enterprises told The Charlotte Observer more recently that once the dispensary opens on April 20, it will only be available to those who hold patient cards first. Sometime in the near future, the dispensary will open up sales to more adult-use consumers.

During that same month, the EBCI held a limited time three-hour open house, inviting tribe members to get a sneak peak of the dispensary. “It’s definitely surpassed what we were expecting,” said the dispensary’s plant health specialist, Jared Panther. “A lot of people are curious about what we’re doing, and a lot of people are coming out to show support for what we’re doing, what we love to do. We’re creating opportunity in a lot of ways.”

Quall Enterprises chairperson, Carolyn West (who attended the dispensary sneak peak last year with her dog, Mr. Daniels), was thrilled about the tribe’s movement into the cannabis industry. “Qualla Enterprises acknowledges the Cherokee core values of maintaining their strong connection with the land and honoring their past,” West told The Charlotte Observer.

She added the importance of honoring the Cherokee people’s use of cannabis as ancient medicine, and its inherent matrilineal society. “We have many females who work on the farm,” West explained. “They trim, they do production, they’re doing amazing work. I think they’re excited that we can possibly be making history, being the first tribe [and government] in North Carolina to legalize marijuana. And this product is safe, it’s tested, it’s going to be in child-proof containers, the safest means possible is what we’re doing here.”

The EBCI legalized medical cannabis cultivation, sales, and consumption in August 2021. At the time, former EBCI principal Chief, Richard Sneed, explained the importance of providing tribe access to medical cannabis to treat conditions like cancer or chronic pain. “The Council’s approval of a medical marijuana ordinance is a testament to the changing attitudes toward legal marijuana and a recognition of the growing body of evidence that supports cannabis as medicine, particularly for those with debilitating conditions like cancer and chronic pain,” Sneed said.

The post Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians To Open First Dispensary in North Carolina appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/news/eastern-band-of-cherokee-indians-to-open-first-dispensary-in-north-carolina/

A Cultural Love Story

For Alessandro Zecca and Danielle Duran-Zecca, a husband-and-wife team of culinary dynamos, the concept of romance language takes on many forms. It’s in their signature cuisine, “Mexitalian,” which merges Zecca’s Italian heritage with Danielle’s upbringing in Los Angeles as the child of Guadalajaran immigrants. It’s in their buzzy new LA restaurant, Amiga Amore, which serves up Mexitalian dishes in a cozy space created by the couple themselves. And it’s also in their shared love of cannabis and its incorporation into their fine-dining pop-ups. 

Like so many love stories, this one started in New York City.

“I went to culinary school in Pasadena at Le Cordon Bleu,” said Duran-Zecca. “The restaurant scene in LA wasn’t as booming as it is now, and I needed a change. I got an opportunity in New York City and bought a one-way ticket, sold everything but two suitcases, and went to go work at Le Bernardin to get Michelin star training.”

After working in the famed French eatery for one year as a line cook, learning and elevating through the ranks, she landed a sous chef position at The Modern restaurant in The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Through that position, she met Zecca.

“We had so much in common,” she said. “He was opening up a restaurant, and he was also on crutches. He had hurt himself and we ended up living like off of the same train. I helped him home… I was just a really nice girl.”

Originally from Italy, Zecca had been working in New York as a restaurant manager. Having grown up in the kitchen of the restaurant where his mother worked her way from server to owner, he was ready to open a spot of his own.

In 2009, he hired Duran-Zecca (at that time, just Duran) to be the chef of his first restaurant, Vespa, in New York. It thrived until an astronomical rent raise in 2017 forced the restaurant to close.

“We had gotten everything out of New York and we wanted to start a family,” said Duran-Zecca. “We wanted to have a restaurant again of our own, and we just didn’t feel like we could get it again there.”

The pair moved back to Duran-Zecca’s native Los Angeles and began hosting pop-ups around the city featuring a cuisine they dubbed “Mexitalian.”

With dishes like huitlacoche cacio e pepe and chile Colorado cavatelli, Mexitalian merges their respective lineages in an unexpected way that reflects their many years in fine dining. The food is chic and delicious, with an air of whimsy as opposed to the pretense that often makes fine dining feel inaccessible.

It was through these Mexitalian pop-ups that they linked up with Cannabis Supper Club, an LA-based cannabis dining collective, and started incorporating weed into their culinary experience. Before that, the frequent smokers had only dabbled with making edibles for friends, mainly using cannabis as medicine for themselves.

“My relationship with the cannabis plant is strong and passionate,” said Zecca. “It lets my creativity flow and helps me relax when I need it most.” 

“It’s my medicine,” said Duran-Zecca. “My family comes from a lot of mental health issues. They all have anxiety, bipolar, this and that. I just never wanted to take pills. But being a chef is a high-stress job. [Cannabis is] my relaxation.

“When I got in touch with the Cannabis Supper Club, it mashed what I love to do outside of work, which is smoke, with my love for fine dining. We were delivering a higher, no pun intended, experience.”

Their cannabis dinners are centered more on the idea of pairing cannabis with food, either with dabs and flower or by adding THC or CBD drops to dishes after they’re prepared, as opposed to infusing the food itself, which can be tricky when it comes to consistent dosing for large groups. 

“We weren’t necessarily infusing the food, but we were pairing it like you would with wine,” Duran-Zecca said. “It was beautiful. The care that went into growing that flower is the same care that went into growing the farmers’ market mushrooms that I used, you know? And it wasn’t about getting faded or anything like that. No alcohol was served. All guests can partake in the cannabis aspect of the experience as much or as little as they please, then take the goodie bag home and experiment.” 

After five years of running pop-ups around Los Angeles, gaining momentum behind their Mexitalian cuisine, the couple was able to open Amiga Amore, a brick-and-mortar Mexitalian restaurant, aptly near where Duran-Zecca grew up in Highland Park.

“The restaurant has been a labor of love,” she said. “It used to be a jewelry store, so there was no kitchen. There was no bar. There were no water lines. We did a lot of work, and we did a lot of it to ourselves.

“We’re really, really proud of it. It’s not the fanciest of restaurants, but it’s our aesthetic to feel like you’re in our home. The fancy part and the whole show come out on the plate. We want you to feel comfortable and homey and relaxed, then get wowed as the food starts to arrive.”

As for what they’re looking forward to next?

 “We’re just excited to keep being in our home, you know?” Duran-Zecca said. “I think we were a pop-up for so long that we got used to just always picking up and being on the move. It feels so nice that it is all here. I just come in and I turn on the lights.”

Mahi-Mahi Aguachile Infused With CBD or THC

Recipe by Amiga Amore
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

Broth:

2 apples (Granny Smith preferred)
2 cucumbers (either 2 Persian or ½ hothouse variety, sliced into half-circles)
1 serrano pepper
¼ cup water
½ cup lime juice

Aguachile:

1 pound mahi-mahi (or any other fish you like and can slice thin)
½ small red onion 
6 radishes, sliced thin
1 avocado, sliced thin
1 bunch of cilantro
1 jalapeño, sliced thin

Method:

1. Juice apples, cucumber, and serrano pepper together. Mix with lime juice and water. If you don’t have a juicer, place all ingredients in a blender and purée.
2. Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the contents from the blender into it.
3. Let this drain for 20 min. Do not push the mixture through as you want this liquid to be clear. Salt to taste and refrigerate.
4. Slice red onion, radish, avocado, and jalapeño thin, set aside. Chop cilantro. Put a little lime juice over red onion to remove the sharp raw taste.
5. Slice fish to ⅛ in. thick, not too thin.
6. Arrange mahi-mahi with the red onion, radish, avocado, jalapeno and cilantro. Place onto a plate and pour broth over fish with salt. 
7. Serve with saltine crackers, or chips of your choice.

To infuse, use a dropper to add CBD or THC to the liquid broth:

5 mg THC to start (add more if needed)
10 mg CBD to start (add more if needed)

This article was originally published in the March 2024 issue of High Times Magazine.

The post A Cultural Love Story appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/culture/a-cultural-love-story/

¿Por Qué Consumimos Cannabis? Un Cómic Uruguayo Explora Las Razones (Y Probablemente No Sean las que Pensás)

Nota por Hernán Panessi publicada originalmente en El Planteo. Más artículos por El Planteo en High Times en Español.

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A lo largo de la historia uruguaya, la marihuana ha sido prohibida, reverenciada, cultivada, traficada y, finalmente, legalizada en el 2013. Sin embargo, a pesar de haber dado un paso al frente, la planta del cannabis y sus usuarios siguen sufriendo estigmatizaciones.

Con frescura y sin solemnidades, el libro Cannabis democratiza la mirada del usuario, conversa sobre el tema sin demonios ni santitos y se yergue sobre historias de consumo cotidiano en formato cómic.

“Amén de la creación de un mercado informal interno, está claro que los uruguayos prefieren obtener cannabis de fuentes legales, ya sea a través del autocultivo, clubes de membresía o farmacias”, asegura Pablo “Roy” Leguísamo, guionista, escritor y autor de la historieta Cannabis, un compilado de pinceladas mitad humorísticas, mitad profundas, que orbitan el imaginario 420.

Viñetas sueltas

El trabajo de Roy vinculado con el cannabis nació del junte con Lento, revista de La Diaria de Montevideo, que convocó a Roy y a la ilustradora Maco con el objetivo de crear un cómic serializado. Después de presentarle algunas ideas al editor, la que más aceptación tuvo fue la de Cannabis, posiblemente por la sensibilidad del tema.

Y, tras ser publicadas en viñetas, las historias de Cannabis terminaron recopiladas en una antología en formato libro, publicado por la editora Dragon Comics.

Contenido relacionado: Conocé a Marijuanaman, el Superhéroe Cannábico de Ziggy Marley: Hablamos con Uno de sus Autores

Por lo demás, María Concepción “Maco” Algorta y Roy, sus autores, mantienen desde hace unos años una profunda relación como guionista y dibujante. De hecho, colaboraron juntos previamente en un tendal de historietas como, por ejemplo, “el libro titulado modestamente Greatest Hits” (el sic es de Roy), publicado en 2016.

Asimismo, Leguísamo es un autor reconocido por sus novelas relacionadas a temas políticos, como la que escribió sobre Los Tupamaros (Tupamaros, La Fuga) o la que trata sobre la visita del Che Guevara a Uruguay (Morir por el Che). “Son obras que han tenido una buena repercusión y popularidad”, sostiene.

Razones para fumar marihuana

Sin estigmatizar ni idolatrar el consumo, el cómic Cannabis, su último trabajo en papel, explora de una forma sencilla y cercana las razones por las cuales las personas consumen marihuana. No obstante, “no es posible que esas razones puedan comprenderse del todo”, avisa el autor.

A ver, ¿cómo sería eso? De su boca: “Creo que hay tantas razones como consumidores, y estas razones pueden cambiar a lo largo del tiempo. Lo importante es que el tema esté sobre la mesa para que se cuestione abiertamente”.

Contenido relacionado: ¿Un Cómic de Harley Quinn con Aroma a Marihuana? Hablamos con Jimmy Palmiotti, su Creador

Entretanto, para su trabajo en Cannabis, Roy dedicó tiempo a la lectura de papers y al visionado de documentales sobre el tema. En ese sentido, aquella investigación previa le aportó un contexto y una narrativa verosímil al asunto.

Por eso, muy probablemente, para su publicación en 2019, ese compromiso le haya servido a su obra para recibir una acogida muy favorable entre los sectores más cercanos al churro y, también, entre los lectores (fumones y de los otros) de historietas.

“Creo que en Uruguay hay un gran interés en abordar el tema de manera más abierta y honesta”, dice Roy.

Un empleo singular

Por caso, si bien el autor se asume a sí mismo como un usuario regular de marihuana, no ha vuelto a escribir sobre el tema desde aquel entonces.

“Probé el porro algunas veces durante la universidad y, luego de que el cannabis se legalizara en Uruguay, comencé a consumirlo de manera más regular con amigos. Hoy, hago mi propia manteca cannábica”.

Contenido relacionado: Grandes Autores del Cómic Mundial Dibujan Héroes Cannábicos para Banco Español: Conocé Hero Seeds

Así las cosas, mientras pasa sus días como guionista de un reality de cocina (el dato es real y es 100% alucinante), se encuentra adaptando una película de ciencia ficción distópica a formato novela. Y, además, trabaja en una adaptación de Los Viajes de Guillever a historieta, junto al artista argentino Juan Caminador.

“Tengo un proyecto con un director para escribir una película de ciencia ficción animada y trabajar en la segunda parte de una novela que escribí hace algún tiempo”, cierra Leguísamo, desde Montevideo.

The post ¿Por Qué Consumimos Cannabis? Un Cómic Uruguayo Explora Las Razones (Y Probablemente No Sean las que Pensás) appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/espanol/cannabis-comic-uruguay-historieta/

Prepared to Fail

Comedian Stavros Halkias is ready to chill the fuck out. After blazing through the comedy scene over the past year—self-producing his debut comedy special, Live At The Lodge Room, and recently dropping his first Netflix special, Fat Rascal, just over a year later—the New York-based comedian hailing from Baltimore is ready to finally rest for a minute.

“I’m tired of hotel rooms and Delta lounges,” Halkias said during a recent phone conversation. “I’m looking forward to sitting on my couch, smoking weed, and just zoning out for a couple of months.”

It’s a well-deserved respite for a man who’s been in the spotlight seemingly overnight. But a look under the hood reveals Halkias has been hitting the road hard in preparation for his first Netflix special—shooting it less than a year after Lodge Room dropped—while simultaneously continuing with his podcast Stavvy’s World and writing and shooting an indie movie Let’s Start A Cult which is expected to drop this year.

Throughout our conversation, Halkias opened up on his path to success, his relationship with weed, and how thinking he wasn’t going to “make it” helped his comedy career unfold in a fun, organic way that ultimately led to success.

High Times Magazine: Growing up in Baltimore, was pursuing comedy always the goal?

Stavros Halkias: It was a weird thing because, in the back of my head, I knew I always wanted to pursue comedy, but it was this forbidden thing because I’m the firstborn son in an immigrant family.

I was good at school. I went to school on scholarship, and everyone expected me to become a lawyer or something. Comedy was something I could never fully admit to openly but was something I knew I wanted to get into.

My freshman year of college, there was an open mic night in the basement of my dorm, so I decided to try stand-up for the first time. It was a very friendly crowd, and it became sort of this secret thing. I don’t want to equate it to being in the closet—obviously, being queer in the closet is much harder, and I’m not saying it affected my life in a negative way—but it did feel like I was living with a secret that I didn’t want my parents to find out about. I knew it had to come out eventually, and I was always trying to find acceptable ways to flex that funny talent and desire.

You knew innately your calling, but because of external factors—namely your parents—you were stuck in the comedy closet.

I was, man. I really was. I was a lot funnier to be around when I didn’t have comedy because you’re trying to prove you’re funny and flex that muscle. I was always joking around in school and fucking with people—which is also a product of going to Baltimore City Public Schools—where you kind of have to roast for your life. You have to roast to make sure you’re not getting mocked, especially when you’re a fat kid—which I’ve been my entire life and have been pretty comfortable with. Humor is also a classic deflecting device and is a good way to endear yourself to people, so while I couldn’t admit that comedy was what I wanted to pursue, it was my strongest social asset when I was a little kid.

What helped you eventually embrace comedy as part of your identity?

My buddy Eldis Sula—producer of my podcast Stavvy’s World and my tour manager—is my best friend, who I met in kindergarten. He’s a very funny guy—even though he’s not a performer—and I used to run all my jokes by him. I remember doing that first open mic and then crashing Eldis’s apartment to do open mics in College Park, D.C. It was literally freshman year of college when I was no longer in my family environment, away from those pressures and expectations. In the same way, kids experiment with all kinds of shit in college; it was the same for me and comedy. The second I stopped living with immigrant guilt, I was like, “Fuck it, let’s do this.”

Was the validation from friends and peers for being funny the thing that gave you the confidence to keep going?

It’s not even a matter of confidence. I just don’t feel I ever wanted to do anything else. I remember doing open mics, being like, “Hey, if nothing happens from this, I will do open mics my whole life.” That’s what I thought when I was 22. You can think that when you’re 22, but it’s a different story if you’re fucking 40 and you have kids, and you’re missing soccer practice because you’re bombing at an open mic.

I never thought about “what could go wrong,” and really, I was just prepared to fail. I just assumed it wasn’t going to work out. My craziest goals were to headline really shitty clubs—I just wanted to find really shitty places to perform.

I never really thought about my career, never cared about what was going to happen, and I got very lucky that when the time came to start thinking about that stuff, my career started to do well.

While I’ve never come face to face with some kind of “needing confidence” moment, I did quit comedy after doing it at 19 for two years. Two years after starting, all that immigrant guilt came back. I fully quit comedy for a year and a half and dedicated myself to studying. I was in the public policy scholarship program, and I interned in the Maryland House of Delegates and was getting my resume together. I even went to therapy to try and work through my guilt issues. But I was so miserable for those 18 months that it was so clear I had to do shitty open mics. I was so depressed from trying not to be a comedian that I committed myself to comedy—with the idea that if it ever made me as equally depressed—I’d find something else to do.

Now you’ve got your special Fat Rascal out on Netflix. How did your journey so far culminate with this material and what’s the inspiration behind it?

I’m really proud of the hour. I worked really hard on it, and it really is the culmination of all of these different things.

After going on tour with Bobby Kelly, I was doing a podcast with Adam Friedland and Nick Mullen called Cum Town, and we started making money on it, which is where I had my first taste of a fanbase. So, as that grew, I started to post videos online, which became an online fanbase. That then powered ticket sales, which then helped power my first self-produced special, Live At The Lodge Room, which got over six million views [on YouTube].

Suddenly, I had all this attention from all of these different sources. I had planned to take some time off, but for the first time, I had a real demand. So, instead of taking time off, I stayed on the road that entire year and ended up developing a new hour faster than I’d anticipated. I thought, “Could I potentially get a Netflix special?” It felt crazy and farfetched, but I wanted to try for it—and if it seemed possible—I’d do it. It was like, “Fuck taking a year off, this could change my life.” I felt I had the opportunity to work on some cool shit, and you don’t get a lot of those chances. We put the pedal to the medal, and to my surprise, everything worked out. The flipside to that, though, was that I then had to do everything.

The material for Fat Rascal was really forged in the chaos of things popping for me and me trying to seize the moment—doing eight-show weekends so I could really hammer the material home while also doing a bunch of other stuff. A lot of it is about me giving into my vices—the portrait of a guy who’s all over the place, a little scatter-brained, traveling constantly, disconnected emotionally—who’s not doing great but is still trying to keep it together and make the special. It’s like a child born out of a dysfunctional family that you’re really hoping will grow up to be an honors student. That’s what this special is. Having said that, I’m really proud of it and I think the kid’s really smart—I think he’s really got somethin’ [laughs].

What role—if any—did cannabis play in your process?

A very prominent one. I’m a huge edibles guy, with weed being my biggest issue. They say there’s no weed addicts, but it’s pretty fucking good as far as I’m concerned. I love getting high constantly, and it was the kind of thing where I was having too good a time.

Still, when I’m stressed, the thing I like most is decompressing with a joint—even more so than pills or a couple of drinks. The ritual of a joint before bed is awesome, but that ritual turned into 50 milligrams before bed and getting Ben & Jerry’s. I could tell when I was getting serious because I was like, “Alright, weed’s gotta go for a second [laughs]. You know what I mean? I gotta lock up my friend and see him after all this work gets done.”

Food, weed, and girls—or just trying to have sex—is the best time in the world for me. Getting high with a pretty girl, splitting a fucking pint of Ben & Jerry’s—that’s the dream, baby.

Does it aid your creativity, or is your consumption mainly to reduce stress?

Weed is more of a good time for me, but when it hits in that creative zone, it feels great. If I smoke early in the day, don’t overdo it, and pair it with a coffee or ADHD meds—I’m in the fucking zone. My problem is I like it too much, and I think, “If I feel this good right now, why don’t I smoke even more? [laughs]” And then it’s like, “Fuck it, we’re watching Chuck Norris movies instead of working the rest of the day.”

This article was originally published in the March 2024 issue of High Times Magazine.

The post Prepared to Fail appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/culture/prepared-to-fail/

Cannabeginners: What is Humulene?

Humulene is one of the predominant terpenes in Humulus lupulus, the common hops, from which it derives its name. As hops and cannabis are plant cousins, it should come as no surprise that humulene is also one of the most common terpenes in cannabis.

What is Humulene?

Like beta-caryophyllene, alpha-humulene (or humulene) is a sesquiterpene, but it does not have the cyclobutane ring which makes caryophyllene stand out from other terpenes. Due to how frequently they are found together, in the past humulene was referred to as alpha-caryophyllene, but it is a substantially different terpene with its own medical effects. While beta-caryophyllene has been identified as a dietary cannabinoid, humulene has so far not been given that same status. 

As the core ingredient in heavily hopped beers, like India Pale Ales, hops is usually described as having a bitter or “hoppy” flavor, which isn’t terribly helpful for anyone who hasn’t had an IPA. What is meant by bitter and hoppy is that the flavor is herbal, woody, or spicy, similar to the scents and flavors of the ginseng, sage, and cannabis plants where it also is commonly found. 

It is important to note, that despite humulene (a terpene) having a very similar name to “humulone,” they are very different chemicals, and humulone is not a terpene but actually a form of lupulic acid found in hops. If you are researching studies on humulene you should be certain that the studies you are looking at are on humulene and not humulone. 

The Hops Connection

Despite IPAs having “India” in their name, they were first brewed in England and originally called barleywine, the name became IPA when the British Indian army began to import it to India. While today, barleywine is a distinctly different style of beer with a higher alcohol content and sweeter flavor than most IPAs, what they have in common is a huge amount of hops, thus, humulene. Some of the original IPAs were brewed with “up to 10 pounds [of hops] per barrel.” The main reason for hops in beer is that it acts as a preservative, and as the main terpene in hops (up to 52% of the terpenes), humulene plays a huge part in those effects. In addition to having a high amount of humulene, most hops cultivars also have a significant amount of caryophyllene and myrcene. Like cannabis, there can be a wide range of flavors for different types of hops, from the sweet citrus Citra hops, to bitter cultivars like Chinook.

Given the strong genetic links between hops and cannabis, the overlap in terpenes shouldn’t be a shocker. The similarities go even deeper than that, as both cannabis and hops have resinous glands (either trichomes in cannabis, or lupulin glands in hops). This explains why many beer brewers and top craft breweries have been working on creating cannabis-infused beer, either with just terpenes, or in some cases cannabinoids as well. 

Humulene in Cannabis

Despite humulene being one of the major terpenes in cannabis, the overall percentage can be quite low. In one older study, researchers found that just 0.7-6.7% of the terpenes in cannabis samples was humulene. In a 2018 study, the percentage of humulene was found to be as low as 11% to potentially as high as 27%, significantly more than in previous research.

Generally speaking, plants have terpenes because they offer some kind of defense or benefit to the plant, and humulene is no exception. Multiple studies have shown humulene to have insecticidal effects in a variety of plants, including “paralysis and muscle contractions … which indicates neurotoxic effects,” and it displays a “deterrent effect” against the yellow fever mosquito. Presumably, humulene plays a similar role in cannabis and hops, fending off predatory insects. 

Medical Effects Of Humulene

Pain is one of the major conditions people turn to cannabis for, and humulene is one of the chemicals that plays a role in those pain relieving effects. Research has shown it to be an “effective analgesic when taken topically, orally, or by aerosol.” Multiple studies have found humulene to possess anti-inflammatory properties when taken topically, orally, and by aerosol. In one study, humulene was found to have anti-inflammatory effects comparable to the drug dexamethasone.

Just like humulene can protect plants from insects, it can help protect your body from bacteria. Despite humulene being a relatively minor constituent of balsam fir oil, it was found to be one of three terpenes in that oil with an effect against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. In a 2020 study on humulene researchers noted it was also effective against enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis, which can cause inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer.

Beyond helping prevent a potential cause of colorectal cancer, humulene has demonstrated anti-cancer properties for a range of other cancers. In another study looking at balsam fir oil, humulene was observed to have dose-dependent antitumor effects through multiple mechanisms of action. A different study on humulene and cancer found its antiproliferative activities to be “significant,” and also that it possessed no binding properties for the CB2 receptor. Finally, caryophyllene has been shown to “significantly increase the anticancer activity of alpha-humulene.”

A Quick Hit

Humulene is one of the main terpenes found in both cannabis and hops, giving them a woody, spicy, or herbal flavor. In addition to giving IPAs their characteristic flavor, humulene has a number of medical benefits including antibacterial and anticancer properties.

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Pew Survey Finds 9 in 10 Americans Support Pot Legalization

Thinking back just 10 years ago, the previous U.S. cannabis landscape stood in stark contrast to the one we enjoy today. The United States currently has 38 states with legal medical or recreational cannabis, with 74% of Americans living in a legal cannabis state and 79% living in a county with at least one cannabis dispensary. 

With nearly 15,000 dispensaries throughout the nation, retail cannabis stores now outnumber the roughly 13,500 McDonald’s locations in the country.

Given the prevalence of legal cannabis throughout the nation, and as reform becomes a prominent political talking point among state lawmakers and even in the executive branch, it’s perhaps unsurprising that American attitudes surrounding cannabis legalization have become overwhelmingly supportive over the years.

Most Americans Continue to Support Cannabis Legalization

Pew Research Center has consistently monitored this progression, with its most recent report affirming that U.S. citizens are indeed incredibly supportive of legal cannabis. The survey was conducted Jan. 16-21, 2024 among 5,140 adult participants.

Nearly nine in 10 U.S. Americans (88%) said that cannabis should be legal for medical or recreational use, and a majority (57%) said that they believe cannabis should be legal for both medical and recreational purposes. About a third (32%) said that cannabis should only be legal for medical use, while just 11% of respondents said that cannabis should not be legal whatsoever.

The survey also took a closer look at American attitudes surrounding the impacts of legalization, with 52% saying it’s good for local economies (17% said it is bad while 29% said it has no impact). Respondents were also asked about reform’s impact on the criminal justice system, with 42% saying that legalizing recreational cannabis results in more fairness (18% said recreational legalization makes criminal justice less fair and 38% said it has no impact).

Negative Impacts of Cannabis Reform and Party Divisions

American views were more mixed when it came to recreational cannabis legalization and some of the more negative potential implications.

Around the same amount of respondents said that adult-use cannabis legalization increases (29%) or decreases (27%) the use of other drugs (42% said it has no impact), and more Americans viewed recreational cannabis legalization as creating less safety (34%) for communities over more (21%), with the majority (44%) saying that it does not have an impact on community safety.

While cannabis reform has steadily gained more bipartisan support over time, the survey shows that Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents still tend to show more support than their Republican counterparts. Democrats largely believe that recreational cannabis is good for local economies (64%) and makes the criminal justice system more fair (58%), while fewer Republicans said the same (41% and 27%, respectively).

Consequently, Republican respondents tended to cite the negative potential impacts of cannabis reform more than Democrats, with 42% saying it increases the use of other drugs (compared to 17% of Democrats) and 48% saying it makes communities less safe (compared to 21% of Democrats who said the same).

While the long-term impacts of cannabis reform are still being studied, it should be noted that numerous studies have debunked the assertion that cannabis reform encourages the use of other drugs. Similarly, studies have shown cannabis legalization is not associated with an uptick in car crashes, a rise in use among youth or youth perceptions of cannabis.

American Attitudes ‘Largely Unchanged’ in Recent Years

Looking closer at other demographics, Pew echoes myriad other studies and surveys finding that older adults are far less likely than younger adults to support cannabis legalization. Pew reported similar trends when it came to attitudes around the impacts of cannabis legalization, with younger respondents far more likely to report that cannabis is good for local economies and makes the criminal justice system more fair.

The polling is largely consistent with Pew’s previous reports. The 2022 survey also reported that 88% of American adults supported legal medical or recreational cannabis, with 10% stating cannabis use should not be legal at all.

Speaking to the survey results, Paul Armentano, deputy director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) advocacy group, said that the increasing support can be linked to a lack of “buyer’s remorse” surrounding cannabis legalization among voters.

“As more states have adopted legalization, public support for this policy has risen dramatically,” Armentano said. “That’s because these policies are largely working as intended and because voters prefer legalization and regulation over the failed policy of cannabis prohibition. Elected officials who refuse to take action to end cannabis criminalization do so at their own political peril.”

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