alcohol

Should Marijuana Be Like Alcohol In Public Use?

Published

2 years ago

July 26, 2023

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Marijuana has become mainstream, 23 states have recreational and 40 have medical marijuana. A whooping 90% believe it should be legal in some form and even Fox News covers it during business segments. But with legalization, comes a whole bunch of rules, policies and guidelines for use. We have gone through this before with smoking and alcohol, and now it is starting with cannabis. Should marijuana be like alcohol in public use? Would it make things much easier all the way around.

people playing soccer on green grass field during daytime

Tobacco use is harmful, but the industry put up a good fight about where you could light up. Up until the 1970s you could smoke anywhere, planes, hospitals, restaurants, schools, church, etc. Looking back it seems crazy to think about it. Pressure for an inflight plane smoking ban came from the public, Ralph Nader and the flight attendants’ unions, such as the Association of Flight Attendants. United Airlines was the first to create a nonsmoking section in 1971. Literally, at the time, you could be one row behind the smoking session and it was considered ok. It wasn’t until 1993 that you couldn’t smoke in a hospital. Today’s generation takes it for granted all the smoke free air.

Alcohol, on the other hand, has been wiser and it is smells way less. First, the United States went for a crazy, failed experiment called Prohibition, that outlawed all alcohol. The lesson taught everyone how to break the law and not feel bad about it.

Colorado Weed — Photo by MichaelGaida via Pixabay

Between 1975 and 1990, cities and states slowly started to impose different versions of open container laws as a response to the decriminalization of public drunkenness and homelessness. Public spaces, especially those family friendly, became less accepting of alcohol. The two big exceptions are New Orleans and the Las Vegas Strip. During Covid and post-Covid exceptions were made due to limited indoor restaurant and bar space.

Unlike cigarettes, alcohol is not banned, rather you aren’t supposed to have it in an open container as it is easier to drink some alcohol without noticeable smells.

In Duluth, Minnesota, the City Council took more than an hour of public testimony from concerned citizens as the state’s fifth largest municipality considers whether it should prohibit people from smoking marijuana in its public parks. Other cities in the state are considering similar rules. Currently you can walk streets in most major cities and have a whiff of cannabis. And that is rubbing some people the wrong way for a variety of reasons.

Open container laws don’t outlaw drinking, rather it builds guidelines for a larger population. As how we consume marijuana changes, it makes sense to adapt to some laws which the public accepts and provide legal pathways for consumers.

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The Best Easy Super Bowl Cocktails

Published

1 week ago

February 13, 2025

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Ready to get your game on with these Super Bowl cocktails?

It is the finale to the football season and a good chunk of the population tunes in to watch the Super Bowl. Alone, with a few friends or a full on party…it is a festive occasions (at least until the 4th quarter in a tight game) and people enjoy a beverage. The Super Bowl is a drinking day for most viewers. As you settle into the 59th annual game, try the best Super Bowl cocktails.

RELATED: Beer Sales Flatten Thanks To Marijuana

Creole Bloody Mary

In a nod to the host city New Orleans, a Creole Bloody Mary is the best to pre-func and get right to start watching the game! This is a flavorful way to start the day.

Ingredients

3/4 cup vodka
4-1/2 cups chilled tomato juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4-6 dashes Tabasco hot sauce
Salt and black pepper
Celery for garnish

Create

Fill shaker with ice
Combine vodka, juices, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and hot sauce in shaker
Strain and pour in a tall glass with ice
Garnish with celery stick

Super Bowl Julep

The nice thing about the Super Bowl is you can enjoy day drinking. While a Mint Julep is the drink of the Kentucky Derby, it is refreshing enough for morning football drinking. Plus it is good for the throat after all the cheering.

Ingredients

4 sprigs of mint
1 teaspoon of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of water
2 oz. bourbon
Fresh mint sprig, for garnish

Create

Muddle the mint, the sugar and the water in a cup
Add the bourbon and stir gently
Fill a glass to the top with finely crushed ice, add the julep mix and garnish with mint

FYI, an ounce of mint simple syrup can be substituted for the mint/sugar/water mixture

Perfect Stormy

Why not combine the classic beer with the cocktail. Mix it up and enjoy this drink…rich in flavor and filling enough you don’t have too many over the course of the game.

2 oz amber rum

1 oz egg white

1 oz fresh lime juice

¾ oz ginger simple syrup

3 dashes Scrappy’s lime bitters

4 oz light beer

Glass: Highball tumbler/Collins glas

Create

Dry shake all ingredients except the beer
Add ice and shake
Double strain into a collins glass with ice
Top up with beer

RELATED: Rainy Weather Cocktails

Gatorade Margarita

Everyone knows hydration is important when plays sports. It is also important for fans, especially if they are celebrating. Gatorade is part of the football culture, dive in with this take on a classic cocktail.

Ingredients

1/4 cup blue sanding sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
One 20-ounce bottle blue sports drink, such as Cool Blue Gatorade ®, chilled
1 cup thawed frozen limeade concentrate
1 cup silver tequila
1/3 cup blue curacao
Fresh orange slices, for serving

Create

Mix the sugar and salt in a shallow dish
Wet the rims of 4 to 6 rocks glasses with water and then dip in the sugar-salt mixture to coat
Combine the sports drink, limeade concentrate, tequila and blue curacao in a large pitcher and stir
Fill the rocks glasses with ice
Pour the margarita into the glass
Garnish each with an orange slice

Fourth Quarter Rum Countdown

When the fourth quarter hits, it can be a focus time, keep it simple with this classic drink. Quick to prepare, refreshing to drink and the soda is a little caffeine boost after tailgating.

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Bacardi Superior rum
3 oz cola
Lime for garnish

Create

Fill a highball glass with ice
Pour in a good rum
Add the chilled cola, stir
Garnish with lime

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alcohol

The Best Easy Super Bowl Cocktails

Published

2 weeks ago

February 7, 2025

admin

Ready to get your game on with these Super Bowl cocktails?

RELATED: Beer Sales Flatten Thanks To Marijuana

Creole Bloody Mary

In a nod to the host city New Orleans, a Creole Bloody Mary is the best to pre-func and get right to start watching the game! This is a flavorful way to start the day.

Ingredients

3/4 cup vodka
4-1/2 cups chilled tomato juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4-6 dashes Tabasco hot sauce
Salt and black pepper
Celery for garnish

Create

Fill shaker with ice
Combine vodka, juices, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and hot sauce in shaker
Strain and pour in a tall glass with ice
Garnish with celery stick

Super Bowl Julep

Ingredients

4 sprigs of mint
1 teaspoon of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of water
2 oz. bourbon
Fresh mint sprig, for garnish

Create

Muddle the mint, the sugar and the water in a cup
Add the bourbon and stir gently
Fill a glass to the top with finely crushed ice, add the julep mix and garnish with mint

FYI, an ounce of mint simple syrup can be substituted for the mint/sugar/water mixture

Perfect Stormy

Why not combine the classic beer with the cocktail. Mix it up and enjoy this drink…rich in flavor and filling enough you don’t have too many over the course of the game.

2 oz amber rum

1 oz egg white

1 oz fresh lime juice

¾ oz ginger simple syrup

3 dashes Scrappy’s lime bitters

4 oz light beer

Glass: Highball tumbler/Collins glas

Create

Dry shake all ingredients except the beer
Add ice and shake
Double strain into a collins glass with ice
Top up with beer

RELATED: Rainy Weather Cocktails

Gatorade Margarita

Ingredients

1/4 cup blue sanding sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
One 20-ounce bottle blue sports drink, such as Cool Blue Gatorade ®, chilled
1 cup thawed frozen limeade concentrate
1 cup silver tequila
1/3 cup blue curacao
Fresh orange slices, for serving

Create

Mix the sugar and salt in a shallow dish
Wet the rims of 4 to 6 rocks glasses with water and then dip in the sugar-salt mixture to coat
Combine the sports drink, limeade concentrate, tequila and blue curacao in a large pitcher and stir
Fill the rocks glasses with ice
Pour the margarita into the glass
Garnish each with an orange slice

Fourth Quarter Rum Countdown

When the fourth quarter hits, it can be a focus time, keep it simple with this classic drink. Quick to prepare, refreshing to drink and the soda is a little caffeine boost after tailgating.

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Bacardi Superior rum
3 oz cola
Lime for garnish

Create

Fill a highball glass with ice
Pour in a good rum
Add the chilled cola, stir
Garnish with lime

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alcohol

New Orleans and Marijuana – The Fresh Toast

Published

2 weeks ago

February 6, 2025

admin

The Super Bowl followed by Mardi Gras – New Orleans is definitely the city of the moment – but will marijuana be in the mix?

They have the Super Bowl followed by the weeks long celebration of Mardi Gras. Folks are everywhere with open alcohol containers and you might catch a whiff of a green plant. As the party city of the country, what about New Orleans and marijuana? The commitment to imbibe is so strong, it took the threat of losing federal highways funds before they raised the minimum drinking age to 21. Securing the position of the last state to pass the legalization. While cannabis will definitely be at both marquee events this month, the city and state have a complicated with the plant.

While recreational cannabis is illegal, New Orleans still hosts various cannabis-related events, such as the Big Easy Vibe Fest, which highlights the growing interest in cannabis culture and industry. Medical marijuana is legal and the city and state have embraced it. Also, being the Big Easy, there are illegal “cannabis” trucks which really sell heavy CBD. Scratch the surface, and you will find it all over.

person riding on tractor surrounded by peoples

In the early 20th century, New Orleans was at the forefront of marijuana prohibition in the United States. The city’s first ordinance banning marijuana was enacted in 1923, following a wave of public concern over its perceived dangers. This period, often referred to as the “marijuana menace,” was marked by police raids and arrests of users and sellers, with those caught being dubbed “muggleheads” by the press and law enforcement24. The state of Louisiana soon followed with its own prohibition laws, solidifying marijuana’s illegal status.

Fast-forward to 2016, when New Orleans took a significant step towards decriminalizing marijuana possession. Ordinance 31,148, signed into law by Mayor Mitch Landrieu, allowed for the issuance of summonses instead of arrests for marijuana possession, reducing penalties to modest fines1. This move was part of a broader trend across the U.S. to reevaluate marijuana laws, reflecting changing public attitudes towards the drug.

Currently, the only legal way to purchase and consume marijuana in New Orleans is through the state’s medical marijuana program. Patients must obtain a recommendation from a licensed healthcare provider to access cannabis products from approved dispensaries3. Louisiana also offers reciprocity for out-of-state medical marijuana patients, allowing them to purchase cannabis while visiting the city

The current political environment in the state doesn’t seem to eager to legalize something already used by a significant portion of the public. But for now, everyone in town for party will have plenty of access.

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