Good afternoon!
We’re all set for Valentine’s Day this year at the Downs household.
We’re observing V-Day Friday evening, because Wednesday nights are always a bust. Friday morning, a house cleaner comes. Friday evening, the boys go spend the night with a sitter. That way, Mom and Dad have a clean, quiet house to enjoy a gourmet meal in peace, and watch something on Netflix without interruption. The most luxurious gift of all? Eight hours of unbroken sleep.
Parenthood has a way of making the little things feel like the biggest treats, and I’m getting a record amount of heart emojis in my texts this week, so the plan is working.
All that’s left is to pair the champagne with some Forbidden Fruit — a relaxing, purple strain indica hybrid that smells like passion fruit. The clincher? This week GreenState tested out a recipe for strawberries dipped in infused chocolate. Look out for the video on Friday.
And best of luck in love. — David Downs
WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT
Interested in the future of cannabis events? Mark your calendars for Cannabis @ FestForums on March 30th. Speakers will include San Francisco mayoral candidate Mark Leno, Damien Marley’s manager Dan Dalton, and Emily Paxhia of Poseidon Investments.
PICKS OF THE WEEK
STRAIN: The force is with Sour Kenobi from San Francisco’s Barbary Coast. It’s an affordable outdoor sativa that’s both high-potency and super-aromatic. The farmers Tar Hill Cannabis consistently place at the top of The Emerald Cup. EDIBLE: Check out GreenState Friday for our video recipe for infused chocolate-dipped strawberries. HARDWARE: Keep kids, grandparents and pets free of THC with the iKeyp — a so-called “smart safe” you can open with your iPhone. Don’t worry, the iKeyp also comes with a regular old backup key, making it a “dumb safe” too.
FOOD | TRAVEL
There’s never a bad time to visit Seattle, and GreenState has your guide to pulling off an epic cannabis weekend in the rainy city.
Itching to combine cannabis, alcohol and walking around San Francisco? The Curious Cannabis Salon’s dispensary walking tour this Sunday stops at Barbary Coast and Urban Pharm, and lunches at 54 Mint. You’ll learn about cannabis intimacy products Kikoko Sensuali-tea, Foria lube and Herba Buena’s Quiver along the way. Tickets are $97. Walk starts at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Med card required.
WATCH | PLAY | LISTEN
WATCH: Bill Nye heads to Israel to talk medical cannabis research on Netflix; via No Camels. PLAY: Book a sick day. The addictive, turn-based strategy game Civilization VI’s “Rise and Fall” expansion debuts Friday, with Shaka Zulu and eight other new world leaders; via Comicbook.com. LISTEN: Test your old-school hip-hop knowledge against Zion-I’s MC Zumbi, who takes us back his college days in Atlanta on our podcast The Hash.
https://soundcloud.com/thehashorg/the-high-five-zumbi-of-zion-i
WELLNESS | HEALTH
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we explain the scientific evidence behind cannabis’ use as an aphrodisiac.
Cannabis use may protect alcohol drinkers’ livers. Via Liver International. Cannabis use does not appear to hurt male or female fertility. Via Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. And marijuana smoke does not appear to hurt long-term lung health. Via Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases.
A new RAND Corp study found that easier medical cannabis availability results in fewer opioid deaths. States that made it harder for patients to get cannabis saw more overdose deaths.
Our advice/etiquette columnist Ngaio Bealum gives his take on the right way and the wrong way to consume cannabis in public places. Where do you come down on the issue?
FASHION | ART | DESIGN
Need a new desktop art piece that’s a conversation starter? Los Angeles based ceramacist Sebastian Boher, aka Miwak Junior, has released the five-inch-wide “Nave” for $120. He tells GreenState how artistic rules led to his signature style.
Forbes covered the most expensive Valentine’s gifts for cannabis lovers. The list includes everything from million-dollar bongs to 24 karat gold rolling papers.
SPOTTED
Mondo cannabis powder in Bon App. Lord Jones topicals in The New York Times. GreenState top chef Holden Jagger in The New Yorker.
REVIEW
Consumers can smell the differences between different types of cannabis, a new study on PLOS One finds.
MONEY | POWER | FAME
Red state Democrats are outflanking Republicans on states’ rights to set pot policy, Politico reports. Many young voters now see cannabis as a political litmus test.
The most powerful woman in cannabis — California Bureau of Cannabis Control chief Lori Ajax — said Friday that she was upset by Attorney General Jeff Sessions recision of the Cole Memos. Then she became defiant about staying the course. So far, California has issued 214 retail store licenses, part of more than 2,400 licenses overall. The Sacramento Bee has more details from the conversation.
NEWS
As reported by The San Francisco Chronicle, prosecutors in San Francisco and San Diego are working on automatically expunging the marijuana records of thousands of offenders. . . . The Chronicle’s editors opined that the policy sends a “message to the rest of the nation that legalizing cannabis comes with a responsibility to clear away past injustices.”
VIRAL
‘Tis the season for Girl Scouts selling cookies in front of retail cannabis stores. The trend that started in San Francisco three years ago rolls on.
HIGHLY DUBIOUS
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is testing out rhetoric that legal cannabis fuels America’s prescription opioid overdose epidemic, via Marijuana Moment. . . . And after decades of attempting to prohibit pot through national policy, federal prosecutors are laying the problem at the feet of legalization states, who have been net exporters of the herb since the 1980s.
FOLLOW
@defoncechocolatier consistently pushes the envelope of high-end edible design thanks to team members who used to work for Apple.
@NuLeafLasVegas has the most experience selling on the Las Vegas Strip, due in part to its roots in Berkeley Patients Group.
@_TheVillage will clue you in to the next next hit strain like Mimosa or Purple Punch. He is one of the breeders behind powerhouse seed company Symbiotic Genetics.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Be1IQDChpMI/?taken-by=_thevillage
Best wishes for a relaxing, rewarding weekend, dd + jimi devine