Dear Stoner: What products would you suggest for a 65-year-old cancer patient? I want to treat my anxiety and pain and increase my appetite without the hallucinations or paranoia. I want something like the stuff we smoked in the ’70s.
Sandy
Browsing: Technology
In an effort to learn how cannabis use affects driving, Colorado’s two major universities are studying the change in a driver’s balance, movement ability and reaction time after consuming pot – but to better mirror consumption trends, the study uses subjects who just smoked something much more potent than the schwag our parents grew up with.
To help combat the risk of driving while under the influence of cannabis, three organizations have again partnered on a program offering ride-sharing discounts. Lyft, the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Marijuana Industry Group have revved up their collaborative 320 Movement program, offering monthly ride discounts through April 2018.
Growing and processing industrial hemp has become a big business as barriers break down in states with legalized cannabis. Now one Boulder laboratory is starting a study with a university agriculture program to learn more about desirable hemp genetics, much as that program has studied grapes for the wine industry.
As cannabis industry experts and commercialization opponents continue to warn about the big-tobacco takeover of legal pot, we know that at least one local operation doesn’t want any part of Philip Morris. “We don’t want to be Jim Beam; we’re Leopold,” explains Joe Patierno, general manager of Kush Concentrates.
There’s a reason most cannabis cultivations in Colorado are in warehouses: People are scared. Afraid of the elements, pests and the unknowns of farming under the sun, most growers prefer to stay inside, taking control of their environments and nurturing their delicate crops with extreme care. Even if growers wanted to venture outdoors, many local governments in densely populated areas, like the City of Denver’s, ban outdoor operations. Travel up to the mountains, however, and you’ll find a tougher breed of both plant and grower.
Shopping for retail marijuana in Denver is like time-traveling both into the future and back to the past. You can buy products here that aren’t available anywhere else in the world, and that includes on the Internet. Unlike clothes, electronics, books and even groceries, you can’t order cannabis delivered to your door in Colorado (although legal states Nevada and Oregon allow it, our state currently bans that option). And while the consistency of infused products’ effects has greatly improved since required potency and homogeneity tests began, it’s just as hard to keep up with cannabis trends today as it was when this all began in January 2014.
Newer, stronger forms of concentrates, more refined edibles brands and innovative infusion techniques are improving at a rate that’s tough for industry insiders to track, much less the average consumer. Just when you think you’ve figured out live resin and pressed rosin, distillate and isolate show up. Think lotions, patches and balms are the only topicals out there? Think again. These days, picking out the right product can feel more like spinning a roulette wheel of pre-filled vaporizers and CBD/THC mixtures than making an educated choice. To help you catch up, we’ve picked out our favorite cannabis products for the season, choosing edibles, drinks, concentrates and accessories that go exceptionally with hoodie weather and pumpkin-patch vibes.
The cannabis industry’s thirst for energy has been well documented, with a majority of commercial cultivations burning electricity indoors because of local laws banning outdoor grows…and also because it’s easier to control growing environments indoors. With over 591 active cultivation licenses operating out of 295 locations in Denver, the city is a fitting host for the hundred-plus cannabis growers, energy consultants and waste experts attending the Cannabis Sustainability Symposium, a two-day conference geared towards increasing efficiency and sustainability in commercial pot.
No longer bound by selfies and vacation photos, Instagram has evolved into a vast network of information for anyone interested in just about anything. Health-food recipes, political rants, sports highlights and world news can all be found on the social-media app, and now that more states have legalized medical and retail cannabis, there’s also weed – and lots of it.
You can find anything from weed and wax porn to growing tips on Instagram, and it’s a helluva lot more fun to look at than 140 characters (soon to be 280, but that’s still boring) on Twitter or your cousin’s daily updates about her baby on Facebook. Here are ten Instagram accounts any pothead will love, including nug porn, concentrate close-ups, growing tips and much more.
Legalizing cannabis doesn’t just create jobs involving cultivation of the plant; it also creates businesses that aid those cultivations, infused-product manufacturers and dispensaries. Ancillary businesses to the cannabis industry can be in anything from extraction technology to industry consulting, with many, many things in between.
Ancillary businesses represent the largest and broadest sector of the cannabis industry, according to multiple industry reports, and many of the top companies are based in Colorado. Of the top 150 ancillary cannabis businesses on a recent list from Cannabis Business Executive, 41 are headquartered in Colorado. By comparison, California hsd 35 on the list, while Washington and Oregon combine for just 22.