Shows like Downtown Abbey, Palm Royale, and more have showed the  big, big rich lives – and a few even touched the marijuana counterculture movement.

It seems we can’t get enough about the lives of the very rich. Shows including Downtown Abbey, Succession, the Gilded Age, and Palm Royale are all over and people are loving it. Ryan Murphy has done well and is just off his latest series Truman Vs.The Swans.  All of this highlights the extremely well to do and how they live life.  But did you know about the gilded age Heiress who helped the marijuana movement?

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The Mellon family is in the rare category of being big then and still today. On the East Coast they continue to still have pull and cache like the “new money” Gates, Zuckerberg and Bezos.   An old family from Pittsburgh, they made the start of it all in banking, the Mellon in today’s BNY Mellon. The family includes Andrew Mellon, one of the longest serving Treasury Secretaries, along with famous members in the judicial, banking, financial, business, and political professions.  Bunny Mellon was one of the great philanthropists and art collectors.  A dear friend of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, she designed a number of significant gardens, including the White House Rose Garden

But it was Peggy Mellon Hitchcock, another Mellon heiress who helped the counterculture. Her mother was a Mellon and her father, Thomas Hitchcock Jr., was a leading polo player and a partner at Lehman Brothers.  Peggy was a spitfire and was as comfortable in the family’s many homes as in a smokey jazz club with artists. Spirited and fun she was always open to what’s new and what’s next.  She had an unlikely relationship with Timothy O’Leary. She persuaded her brothers to let O’Leary have use of their joint family estate Daheim (also known as Millbrook or the Hitchcock estate).

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For 5 years, O’Leary, thanks to Peggy lived like a king and had guests including Allen Ginsberg, Charles Mingus, and R. D. Laing to the old monied manse. What went on is the stuff of legends with a blend of art, marijuana, money, new ideas, psychedelics, music and love. The The New York Times’ Luc Sante, described it as “a period filled with endless parties, epiphanies and breakdowns, emotional dramas of all sizes, and numerous raids and arrests.” Nina Grabol shared it was “a cross between a country club, a madhouse, a research institute, a monastery, and a Fellini movie set.”

Peggy was responsible for helping the counterculture rest, regroup, and move forward.  Who knew this would be the early path to rescheduling?

While often relaxing, refreshing or just needed from being busy, sitting also has its downsides.  Sitting too long can wreck havoc on your body and back.  It is easy to get sucked into gaming, a work project, streaming shows, driving long periods or more, but it tough when you plopped in a chair for too long.  Other than back issues cause by frequent long periods of sitting include  obesity, increased blood pressure, high blood sugar and cholesterol. Not to mention the potential of extra weight. Here are tips for your body after hours of sitting.

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Researchers analyzed data from a number of studies regarding sitting time and activity levels. It showed those who sat for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity had a significant health risks.  Standing desk have become popular to contract damage done by long work hours.

Sitting down a lot results in poor posture

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Stand – It seems common sense, but it is important to stand up and allow your body a different position. It naturally stretches the back and keep the spine aligned.  Maybe take calls while standing and moving a bit, set a little timer to move every couple f hours. If you have a desk where you spend prolonged periods sitting, try a standup desk. Standing and moving will help you think better and helps with problem solving.

Take a break – Taking a short period to stand and move about it important.  If you drive, it is good to take a short walk when you stop.  Make it a point to spend 5-10 minutes moving to let your body realign.  You will see it helps re-energize your body.

Stretch. Gentle stretches for the back and neck will help alleviate soreness, stiffness, and the dullness coming with long periods of inactivity. They lengthen the core muscles, and improve blood flow throughout the body, including your mind. Also, deep breaths while stretching to boost the brain.

Many exercises can improve your posture and strengthen your muscles, from classic Yoga positions like Child’s Pose and Cat Cow, to traditional planks, which focus on strengthening your core muscles.

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It’s difficult to interrupt the workflow of your day in order to stretch, but the more you train yourself to do it, the easier it becomes and the more results you’ll see. CNN Health reports the most effective way to stretch is to do so once per every hour of work. The more elaborate stretches and exercises that strengthen muscles, like the Cat Cow pose and planks, should be done twice a day. Long term results include better posture, less muscle pain, more strength and even better breathing patterns.

The fluctuating levels of reported THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) in cannabis products have sparked discussions and concerns within the industry. Contrary to popular belief, the decline in tested THC levels does not necessarily indicate a decrease in potency. We examine the reasons behind this phenomenon, exploring how changes in testing protocols, sample selection, and laboratory practices contribute to these findings. As an industry, we cannot lose sight of the importance of standardized testing practices to ensure transparency and reliability in the market.

Just a few years ago, Justin Bieber boasted that he gets his weed from California. But recent testing indicates that the level of THC in California cannabis has fallen dramatically over the last year. Is it time for Bieber to find a new source? Probably not—but the industry shouldn’t shrug this news off either. Let’s look at what’s happening with THC testing across the country and consider what it means for consumers, cannabis businesses, regulators, and the industry as a whole.

Yes, tested THC levels are falling. Here’s why

California isn’t the only state that’s seen a drop in THC test levels. One recent article analyzed the THC percentage for 23 cannabis flower samples sold in Colorado, finding that the vast majority, 18 of 23, tested lower than the claimed range. Three samples contained less than half as much THC as their sellers claimed. Does that mean that weed is getting weaker? Not at all. Falling test results are far more likely due to changes in testing than to changes in the true levels of THC in cannabis plants.

Some of this has to do with sample selection. Every individual plant has a distinct genetic profile. Even in a controlled environment, each plant is influenced by the precise amount of light, nutrients, and water it receives (“epigenetic factors”). Some plants within a given crop will always be superior in quality, just as some flowers on any given plant will be average, while others will be exceptional. Cannabis producers should be taking a random sample from each batch for testing, but it’s often easy to—intentionally or otherwise—select more test samples from the best exemplars than from the run of the mill.

But it’s not all sampling error; labs may produce different test results from the same sample due to the protocols they use, or the stringency of their methods. Do some producers “lab shop” to find a lab that will report higher potency results? Almost certainly. Do some labs inflate their results to try to win more business? Again, almost certainly.

As states have gotten stricter about policing both sample selection and lab accuracy, tested THC results have fallen. But that doesn’t mean the product is any less potent.

Cannabis potency is complex. Does THC testing matter?

Cannabis isn’t as straightforward as something like alcohol. There’s no single value that determines how “strong” a product is or what effects it’ll have on a consumer. The potency of any particular cannabis product isn’t driven just by its level of THC but also by its overall cannabinoid and terpene profiles, the form of consumption, and the individual traits of the person using it.

Why does THC testing even matter, then?

At a consumer level—especially for those who use marijuana medically—differences in THC levels may influence the amount they consume, and the therapeutic or recreational benefits they receive. Consumers may also use THC test results as a benchmark for quality or value and therefore the price that they’re willing to pay for a product.

At the state level, discrepancies in lab results have led to heightened scrutiny. California has been fining cannabis businesses and suspending operator licenses for overreporting THC content, while Massachusetts is sending out “secret shoppers” to check on producers and dispensaries.

More importantly, though, inflated THC test levels damage everyone’s trust in the cannabis industry. THC isn’t the only thing marijuana is tested for, or even the most important; consumers, businesses, and regulators should all be able to trust the processes and results of tests for pesticides, toxins, and contaminants like mold. But why should anyone believe those numbers are reliable if THC levels are consistently overreported?

That leaves us caught in a double bind: consistency is all but impossible to achieve within the current fragmented legal structure, but without consistency, the industry isn’t taken seriously.

It takes an expert to legally navigate the cannabis industry

Every ethical player in the cannabis industry—from growers to retailers to consumers—would benefit from uniform standards in testing methods, controls, regulations, and oversight (not to mention legalized banking!). As it stands, cannabis businesses must try to reconcile a morass of conflicting, often confusing guidance, paying exorbitant taxes — at least for now –without receiving many of the benefits that other businesses receive. We have been working with cannabis industry businesses to navigate these issues for well over a decade. Give us a call if you think we could help.