In this week’s Reefer Report you’ll get more great news on the marijuana as wonder-drug front (especially if you also like booze and love food), find out how to make your Passover seder a 420-friendly event, and find out why Whoopi Goldberg is the new patron saint of weed for women.
Big News
A new group of medical authorities has come together to call for the decriminalization of drugs because current global policies have negative effects on health and human rights, reports The Guardian. The effort is helmed by doctors from Johns Hopkins University and the Lancet medical journal.
Legislation & Politics
To supplement the article about global decriminalization, The Guardian put together this guide to drug laws around the world.
Economics
Cannabis consumers may soon be seeing a whole lot more advertising for marijuana-related items in their day-to-day lives, thanks to a new partnership between High Times Magazine and advertising firm Sparks & Honey, reports CBS News. Together the two plan to release a report next month that explains "the behavior, motivations and cultural influence of the cannabis consumer." It will look at the modern-day stoner as something more dynamic than your Hollywood stereotype. While this is a great sign that marijuana use is become more accepted and mainstream, who needs to see more ads in their lives? And who wants to support the inevitable wave of Big Marijuana that’s to come?
Speaking of Big Marijuana, Oregon is worried about California nipping at its economic heels if it legalizes recreational marijuana later this year, and it’s making some big strides to keep that money in the Beaver State. Efforts that include eliminating some restrictions on out-of-state investors may open the floodgates to big business taking over the economic scene, reports the LA Times.
Health
Whoopi Goldberg has basically made herself into the fairy godmother of periods. She already makes us laugh when we really just want to ball up and cry (thanks, hormones), and now this angel has helped create a line of cannabis products to help deal with a wide variety of period-related symptoms, which she discusses on Glamour Health. I’m just imagining Whoopi in her habit from Sister Act, raining pot products down on us. Bless you, Whoopi.
In more great cannabis-is-all-powerful news, Cannabis Now Magazine discusses the weight loss potential of some strains of weed. Sounds crazy, I know, but some strains actually help decrease appetite while others give you more energy for working out. Speaking of working out, don’t miss our feature article “3 Reasons to Add Weed to Your Gym Workout.”
Are you a toker and a drinker? Turns out, marijuana can help repair the damage done to your brain by alcohol, according to The Marijuana Times. So basically, you’re evening yourself out in the best way possible, so imbibe, inhale, and enjoy!
New data suggests that states that have legalized medical marijuana are less likely to suffer from deaths due to overdose of painkillers such as Opioid, Vicodin, and Oxycontin. Studies show that the 13 states that legalized medical marijuana between 1999 and 2010 have seen a 25 percent drop in these types of deaths, reports Collective Evolution.
Everything Else
Give this guy a medal (if he doesn’t already have one). The Washington Times reports that Iraq War veteran and founder of Veteran Farmers Alliance, Steve Definotold, wanted to spread his love of/appreciation for cannabis to other veterans so much that he handed out $1,400 worth of marijuana to anyone with a military ID card at The Dab Lounge in Colorado Springs. He’s so passionate about bringing the positive effects of marijuana to veterans to help with a variety of problems that he’s pledged to give away another $25,000 for a similar event on Veterans Day.
The first 420 Games fun run in Los Angeles history (and probably the funnest fun run ever in LA) took place on March 26, and gave stoners the opportunity to break stereotypes and get out and have some fun, reports the LA Times.
Are you crazy about edibles or just want to know more about them? WeedHorn is hosting a Cooking with Cannabis live stream event on April 14.
As we reported in our first Reefer Report, Israel has been making big waves in the medical marijuana arena lately, and now Oregon couple Claire and Roy Kaufman want to help Jews make their Passover seder 420 friendly by providing them with some extra tools. According to Smell the Truth, they created a custom marijuana-themed Haggadah that you can purchase online.
