This tony California town still think legal cannabis stinks and is going to court to stop it.
In 2018, California was fully legal, but one posh town made a big stink about the odor of cannabis being grown nearby. The Fresh Toast covered it then, and it seems the fight continues on. Th small seaside town of Carpinteria is in Santa Barbara County in California. The pricey enclave of old town Carpinteria is the third most expensive neighborhood in the United States per square foot at $4,129 per square foot. With a population of 12,950 is it a a popular surf destination with a slogan of “World’s Safest Beach”. But this California town still thinks cannabis stinks. And some residents want to stop it.
Old Carpinteria is a town in a bigger country. The town has a city council, but the farms outside the city limits are rest in the country. A group of city residents filed a class-action lawsuit in September against two cannabis farms in the county they allege are destroying property values. Weed farming has become a massive industry in Santa Barbara. Last statistics show marijuana farms grown $260 million, the second largest crop only behind strawberries at $811 million. But other agriculture farms are unhappy and say they are harming thier crops of roses, avocados and more.
The terpenes in the plant provide the smell and some of the essential therapeutic benefits. Currently, most legal weed is grown in expansive greenhouses. The high cost of indoor grow has not only shown up at the shelves of dispensaries, but also in weak profits for growers. Being in a greenhouse produces year round crops, but can be a smaller footprint.
Santa Barbara Coalition for Responsible Cannabis coalition has spent over a million dollars fighting weed farms in the county. Two years ago, after much legal wrangling, they signed a peace treaty with a leading growers’ organization in the Carpinteria Valley. But they say they haven’t followed the deal which included installing the latest tech to “clean the smell”.
Residents want them to adopt state-of-the-art clean-air technology in their open-vented greenhouses. Carbon filters called “scrubbers” have been shown to be effective in preventing the smell of cannabis from wafting out of the roof vents and into neighborhoods. Only four of 20 active marijuana farms in the valley are fully equipped with them, county records show.
Santa Barbara County, which oversees regulation, has been very slow in addressing the issue via mandates. There are a variety of crops and they are concerned about more regulations on farming in general. Rather, than encourage both sides to be good neighbors. Five years into it, it seems patience and good neighbor spirit is wearing them.
Roughly 19% of the people suffer from joint pain – a daily struggle…but here is how medical marijuana can help.
Roughly 19% suffer from joint pain or some part of arthritis. Not only is it painful, it is disruptive in daily life. Some pain can be short term, like from sprains, an injury, tendinitis, or tendon inflammation, an infection of the bone or joint, or overuse of a joint. But some can be long term issues with an impact the patients like. Arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, bursitis, lupus and more can be long, lingering issues with pain. There is some hope, and cannabis might be one. Here is key information about joint pain and medical marijuana.
One study concluded about 20% of patients with rheumatoid diseases who actively consume cannabis report an improvement in pain. Cannabis contains key components which help reduce inflammation. More research needs to be done to to perfect treatment and dosage, but early indicators look positive for help. Another current benefit of medical marijuana or CBD with joint pain, is it helps with sleep, which is a problem with people in chronic pain.
Medical marijuana, in the right dose can also be easier on the body. Long used as a natural pain killer, it is less addictive and the body responds positively. Currently used, orticosteroid injections have been a staple in managing pain and inflammation. With new research showcasing the long-term effects of one of the most used treatments, doctors and researchers are concerned about the risks of injections and the potential risks involved with cortisone.
A Boston University study found patients who had been given the medicine by injection found a risk for “accelerated adverse joint events after treatment.” Meaning, when a patient was treated for osteoarthritis or other joint pain via a shot of cortisone, it may have accelerated joint destruction and bone loss. The study also found certain preexisting conditions, such as older age and Caucasian race seemed to increase the risk for the outcome even more. Researchers recommended MRI pre-screening before injections were given to identify the area better and find if the danger could be accurately assessed before the dose was given.
Not only can medical marijuana be helpful, but so can CBD. The Arthritis Foundation has a guide to CBD for those that suffer from the condition. According to Dr. Daniel Clauw, a contributor to the guide, “Right now, it (CBD) appears to be fairly safe and might help certain types of pain.”
While CBD and THC can be used as part of a pain management regimen, they currently can not be the entire plan. Studies like the one conducted on cortisone treatments are bringing the conversations of cannabis and CBD to greater light and offering less stigmatization, but until more research is done, the best path for joint pain is still unknown.
Cannabis has become popular for every adult age group- but the surprise is Gen Z and Boomers are using it for similar reasons.
Cannabis is fully legal to over 50% of the population and all groups are embracing its use. Proven healthier than alcohol, it has become much more common in all sets. Even Florida looks like it is going to vote for recreational cannabis. Long stigmatized as a way to get high, be lazy and lay about on the couch, it turns out it is become part of every day life…and part of a health regime. An example of how it is being used, Boomer and Gen Z consume marijuana for similar reasons.
It is become so accepted, AARP did a study about use among Boomers. AARP is the largest print magazine with 38 million readers…and their bulletin has 33 million. A huge validator for the demographic. It also shows they are more open to more mainstream cannabis. This falls in line by the positions of the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians.
The AARP study revealed 21 percent ages 50-plus used some form of cannabis — be it food, drink, flower or another type— at least once in the last year, a report from the University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging found. That’s up from 1 in 8 (12 percent) in 2021. In 2015 and 2016, roughly 3 percent of adults 65 and older used cannabis, according to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Roughly 68% of poll respondents who used cannabis products did so for help with sleep, the researchers found. Many also cited pain relief (63 percent), mental health, anxiety, and mood (53 percent) and relaxation (81 percent) as reasons for using cannabis.
What is interesting is Gen Z, the youngest adult generation, Gen Z, is an also a big fan of marijuana. They helped fuel the California Sober trend where you reduce or stop drinking and use weed instead. One reason Gen Z has embraced weed is it helps with anxiety and mood. They also use it for relaxation, way more so than other generation who tend to lean into alcohol.
What is interesting is some Boomers and Gen X are consume marijuana in a more traditional way by smoking. Gen X and Boomers new to consuming tend to vape and use gummies. The later two are more “on the go” and discreet and doesn’t have the smell. It is interesting the marijuana is bonding together two generations.
Fall is football season which means it is time for tailgate parties! Maybe you should add hemp to the buffet!
Football season is here – and whether college or professional, tailgating is a thing. It takes place around sporting events, festivals and concerts. There is usually food, drinks, music and a good time. But, should you add hemp beverages to your tailgating? While marijuana is slowly becoming legal across the national, some big football states aren’t there. But hemp is legal and even some deep anti-marijuana states are embracing it. Texas, a huge football state, has hemp beverages sold at local and national chains. Hemp beverage can be seen as taking a bite out of the White Claw market, yet a bit healthier.
The nemesis of marijuana, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is proud of his blocking federal progress, but he has ensured hemp has a green light. Hemp beverage have become a billion dollar market. Wana Brands, a leader in the cannabis industry, has rolled out 3 beverages. Bayou Beverages out of Texas has taken the state by storm with products in Total Wine and convenience stores around the state. Hemp is sold like alcohol with restrictions on age and how it is sold.
Hemp or CBD drinks are created by infusing hemp extract, derived from the cannabis plant, into a liquid base. The most popular hemp-infused drinks include water, juice, tea, and coffee. One of the big differences between marijuana and hemp drinks is the “high”. With Delta-9 hemp, consumers tend to have a more intense experience and comes on faster than THC. It is a euphoric high when altered sensory perception and a sense of relaxation.
California Governor Newsom is supporting emergency rules to curb sale of hemp products with potent high. The state is struggling with their cannabis industry, high taxes and allowing the black market to run free have hurt mom and pop businesses. While consumers have been high, the states oversight has been driving them to hemp and to the marijuana black market.