OT: Sens Lounge -The Spring before the Summer Begins Again

[jbeck5]

Honestly I am not a huge fan of the commercial route North America has taken with legalisation. Candies, drinks, ice cream?! all that shit is too much and really makes it attractive to children. Personally I imagine legalisation as just letting people grow a few plants on their own and doing what they want with it. But I get that the government and society are just chasing that magic dollar rabbit

I tried growing but it's not for me. I don't have time..I don't have the space to grow a proper indoor system with proper lighting and ventilation.

I would much rather the convenience of being able to drive to a store 5 mins away and buy something as a responsible adult. Same as alcohol or any other product I want to consume.

I couldn't disagree with you more.

Legalization keeps it out of the hands of the criminals. Makes it way safer to use. Makes it way harder for underage people to buy. No longer are there 5 weed dealers per grade in highschool.

Also, the prices came down big time.

Before I would buy half an ounce from my guy for 80-90 depending on quality. Now an ounce is $100-120 depending on quality and that's like 10 years later with a bunch of inflation...so it's basically half the price as 2014 or whatever.


All pros.


Plus government revenue.

Plus making more people switch from alcohol to weed which is safer.

 

[jbeck5]

Candies should be illegal. Society is a farce here. Can't advertise alcohol or cigarettes, but cannabis candy is great for kids!

I won't speak on the double standard, but the idea that adults shouldn't be able to buy weed candies is a brutal take.

Imagine some other adult holding your hand and telling you what you can or can't buy. That's what you're trying to do here.

 

[jbeck5]

I fully admit I'm lumping the US and Canada together. I understand that will undermine my points. At the same time, I see no reason whatsoever to market THC products in the form of sweets and cute shapes and colours.

I personally don't think the comparison to alcohol products entirely holds up. You drink one Zima or Mike's Hard Lemonade and nothing will happen to you. You need to willfully overindulge in alcohol before it becomes harmful. Controlling your intake is much easier.

The cases I reference from young people I know come from the US. I'm not sure how much dosage levels differ. I haven't been in Canada much post de-regulation and when I have I've been with my kids, so not exactly exploring the THsCene. The oil a friend brought back once though did not exactly strike me as mild. But oil strikes me as a perfectly legitimate form that allows for better control of dosage and awareness of what you are ingesting.

You say that because you're used to alcohol and not weed so your tolerance levels aren't balanced.

I know plenty of teens that have gotten wasty off as little as two 7% coolers. The first one drank fast. Barely feel it. Let me chug another one. Bam. Puking in the toilet.

I've also seen plenty of people smoke joint after joint as a teenager and still function without even sounding slow or dopy or anything.

It depends on the individual.

I will say alcohol can f*** you up way more. I've seen plenty of kids drunk barely able to stand up or string together a sentence. Smoke too much weed and you'll just quietly green out in the corner. You won't be falling over the place getting injured.

What's happening here, and south of the border, are completely different landscapes from what I understand. THC Products are in no way marketed to kids in Canada, nor are they packaged in a way that is designed to appeal to kids.

The major difference between the US and Canada? We legalized at the Federal level, which has across the board standards in packaging and safety. In the US, it's still illegal federally, and therefore there are no federal standards for packaging or package safety.

To be clear, I'll provide some examples.

Standard Canadian edible packaging:

View attachment 838838 View attachment 838839View attachment 838840

Problematic US edible packaging that rips off national brands:

View attachment 838842View attachment 838843

Somewhat problematic US packaging:

View attachment 838844View attachment 838845

I can provide additional examples but I think it's incredibly clear that there are night and day differences in the packaging standards in Canada vs the US.

Can you still honestly say any of the Canadian packaging appeals to children?

As for dosages, again, night and day difference. it's not even close.

10mg of THC is the maximum allowable amount in a package of edibles. This can further break down per unit - say 2 units at 5mg, etc...

The problematic Jolly Rancher package as 600mg in the bag

The somewhat problematic Mindy's tin of candies has 100mg in the tin (5mg/per, 20 gummies in a tin).

I think it's clear that a child would need to get into multiple packages of edibles in Canada (which are child resistant per federal regulation) to get anywhere close to what they can consume in one package of edibles in the US (upwards of 60:1).

As for comparison to alcohol, I think it's absolutely relevant. How is it that I can go to the LCBO and buy a micky of Blue Raspberry Warhead flavoured moonshine @ 20% ABV? I wonder if it even tastes like alcohol.

https://www.lcbo.com/en/warheads-blue-raspberry-22492

Does Warheads market their products to kids, or adults?

How child safe are alcohol containers? (hint, not very)

Anyways, I hope this helps you understand my position a little bit more. There is no contest IMO that Federal legalization in Canada has created a safer, more regulated market vs what's going on in the US.

I also hope you and others will avoid lumping Canada and the US together when talking about this stuff moving forward. It's completely different.

Great post. You can tell you know what you're talking about.

 

[Relapsing]

Great post. You can tell you know what you're talking about.

Thanks buddy. My partner worked on legalization and it's something we talk about often.

Little rambling side story: I found myself at a political event last year having a beer with Bill Blair, of all people, and it was really funny to joke around and thank him for letting me get stoned legally, LOL. Don't agree with a lot of what he did in Toronto, but overseeing legalization as part of his cabinet file? Yeah, thanks Big Bill! Whenever we find a cool new product on the market we love, we're joking around about calling him up to thank him and get him to try it.

He's not around events as much these days with his current position (even before, he'd show up, crush a beer and gtfo), but next time I see him I'm asking him about wire tapping Fords phone (which he's apparently quick to talk all about). I have a whole bucket list for these kinds of events, and it includes asking Chretien to take a photo where he's pretending to give me a shawinigan handshake (which he loves to do as a joke).

 

[maclean]

What's happening here, and south of the border, are completely different landscapes from what I understand. THC Products are in no way marketed to kids in Canada, nor are they packaged in a way that is designed to appeal to kids.

The major difference between the US and Canada? We legalized at the Federal level, which has across the board standards in packaging and safety. In the US, it's still illegal federally, and therefore there are no federal standards for packaging or package safety.

To be clear, I'll provide some examples.

Standard Canadian edible packaging:

View attachment 838838 View attachment 838839View attachment 838840

Problematic US edible packaging that rips off national brands:

View attachment 838842View attachment 838843

Somewhat problematic US packaging:

View attachment 838844View attachment 838845

I can provide additional examples but I think it's incredibly clear that there are night and day differences in the packaging standards in Canada vs the US.

Can you still honestly say any of the Canadian packaging appeals to children?

As for dosages, again, night and day difference. it's not even close.

10mg of THC is the maximum allowable amount in a package of edibles. This can further break down per unit - say 2 units at 5mg, etc...

The problematic Jolly Rancher package as 600mg in the bag

The somewhat problematic Mindy's tin of candies has 100mg in the tin (5mg/per, 20 gummies in a tin).

I think it's clear that a child would need to get into multiple packages of edibles in Canada (which are child resistant per federal regulation) to get anywhere close to what they can consume in one package of edibles in the US (upwards of 60:1).

As for comparison to alcohol, I think it's absolutely relevant. How is it that I can go to the LCBO and buy a micky of Blue Raspberry Warhead flavoured moonshine @ 20% ABV? I wonder if it even tastes like alcohol.

https://www.lcbo.com/en/warheads-blue-raspberry-22492

Does Warheads market their products to kids, or adults?

How child safe are alcohol containers? (hint, not very)

Anyways, I hope this helps you understand my position a little bit more. There is no contest IMO that Federal legalization in Canada has created a safer, more regulated market vs what's going on in the US.

I also hope you and others will avoid lumping Canada and the US together when talking about this stuff moving forward. It's completely different.

Cool, thanks for clearing that up. I'll take what you say to heart, though I still do think the huge explosion of dispensaries everywhere is at the very least garish and tacky

Here in the Czech Republic we're still working on hashing out the form legalisation will take. We looked a bit ahead of the curve at one point but dragged our heels too much and Germany has moved ahead of us, which is unfortunate because we really could have had an edge in the industry, but once the Germans get up to steam, there won't be much room for smaller countries.

 

[maclean]

No longer are there 5 weed dealers per grade in highschool.

You say this as if it's a bad thing! They're stealing jobs from teenagers!

As for growing, allowing it to be grown doesn't necessarily mean you have to grow it yourself. For example a friend of my grows a couple plants every year but barely smokes, so he just gives me someone whenever I want it, and honestly outdoor suits me more than the superdank models dealers have. The model Germany is implementing now allows people to form clubs where they grow it together. Just as a funny related anecdote, a friend of mine was just telling me yesterday how in high school he used to sell weed that his grandmother grew His grandfather had Alzheimers and she found it helped him and she'd just always say, take as much as you want.

As for availability, kids don't have that much trouble procuring alcohol, I can't really see THC products being harder to get their hands on, especially considering the better transportability. Back in my day the main thing you had to worry about with weed was the smell. Today's youths don't even have to worry about that!

 

[jbeck5]

You say this as if it's a bad thing! They're stealing jobs from teenagers!

As for growing, allowing it to be grown doesn't necessarily mean you have to grow it yourself. For example a friend of my grows a couple plants every year but barely smokes, so he just gives me someone whenever I want it, and honestly outdoor suits me more than the superdank models dealers have. The model Germany is implementing now allows people to form clubs where they grow it together. Just as a funny related anecdote, a friend of mine was just telling me yesterday how in high school he used to sell weed that his grandmother grew His grandfather had Alzheimers and she found it helped him and she'd just always say, take as much as you want.

As for availability, kids don't have that much trouble procuring alcohol, I can't really see THC products being harder to get their hands on, especially considering the better transportability. Back in my day the main thing you had to worry about with weed was the smell. Today's youths don't even have to worry about that!

Even then, I don't want some random persons home grown like you wouldn't want some persons home made wine.

Let us go to the store and have a huge selection of wine...or weed. Same thing.


I'm not implying that either is hard for kids to get. It's just easier to buy weed from a dealer your age then it is to go to an adult and ask them to buy you alcohol.

At 15 I was friends with 18 year olds (2 years apart, but early vs late bdays) so I had no problem getting alcohol for parties in highschool.

It was just easier to get weed because I could get it myself. I didn't need a middle man.

With weed it was as easy as MSN messenging a neighbour and walking 30ft with $20 to get 3 grams for 20 or whatever it was.

For alcohol, I had to get my older friends and then plan. Trip to hull to go to the SAQ. Much more of a hassle.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

A happy "your information is being sold to everyone" marketing e-mail - when does that ever happen?

Lots of barriers still to go, but it's amazing how far we've come in such a short time. My partner worked on legalization and this comes up regularly when an innovative new product comes to market. I'm genuinely looking forward to the day when I can get a restaurant meal that's infused, or pop in at a bakery to get something that's fresh out of the oven. As for the coffee pods, I scoped out the ingredients and it looks like they just suspended the thc in sunflower oil and sprayed it on the grounds, which I think you could easily do at home if you wanted.

On a recent trip to NY state, we stopped in at a sketchy looking 'members only' shop and saw some of the wildest stuff. Loose bud in jars, loose joints for sale, and the strongest edibles I've seen to date that were near 100% rip offs of notable candy and chocolate brands. In a way, it was some of what I want - the loose buds and stronger edibles - but also a twisted version of what we have here with a lack of regulation and standards. We picked up some ice cream cone candies and for once I got incredibly stoned on edibles (I need around 50-75 mg to get a decent buzz) and didn't break the bank, which was great. But it did make me happy for our stricter packaging laws, especially the branding stuff, even if I do want them to ease up more.

Dear god the price you're getting that stuff for on the grey market is INSANE! I'm happy to pay into the system to keep things going, but that's real tempting....

I'll give the higher vape temps a try - I think I've probably always run a lower temp to not burn the active ingredients, but I'd rather trade that off for more satisfying hits. Good to know that investing in quality yields a good reward too - thanks for the heads up on that!

Holy Hell that sounds like something out of Half Baked - I can understand not wanting to get out of the dressing room, or just having a good sit in the net while everyone misses passes and skates like molasses. How long did a faceoff take to be decided, lol?

I was honestly shocked. It started with saying something to the effect of "Legal right to your doorstep!"

Those prices are what keeps me in it. As a single dad, I have to save where I can. I do support legalization in general, but I was a user and peddler for long enough to know where I stood with the govt. and society in general lol. I have no shame sometimes when it comes to saving money.

I do recommend the higher temp vaping if you ever get back in to it. Not worth the hobby for a lot of people, but I always recommend vaping in general because it basically saved the habit for me, and there is a science to it that it prevents benzene from being released, along with other benefits.

Lol, one guy sat there with his face in his hands for probably 4 hours straight, looked up, and barfed all over the dressing room. That's the stories that legends are made of for beer league teams lol. Meanwhile, our goalie was topping it off with Jack Daniels in his water bottle on his net!

Honestly I am not a huge fan of the commercial route North America has taken with legalisation. Candies, drinks, ice cream?! all that shit is too much and really makes it attractive to children. Personally I imagine legalisation as just letting people grow a few plants on their own and doing what they want with it. But I get that the government and society are just chasing that magic dollar rabbit

It's being commercialized no different than all the other "toxic" things they want us to spend money on. Booze, gambling, prescriptions, sugar products, beauty products, etc. etc. etc.

It's just built in bias against the substance, while excusing others, and that flat out takes time to weed out. Society will get there and in a lot of ways already has.

Candies should be illegal. Society is a farce here. Can't advertise alcohol or cigarettes, but cannabis candy is great for kids!

This doesn't happen in Canada. It's actually apparently a huge part of the cost is the packaging that's been made to appear bland and generic. It's also a lot less flashy than all the booze we see, still limited to age access, and we know that alcohol is a much more toxic substance to our society in comparison anyways.

I am fine with drugs, but you should feel dirty when taking them

In all seriousness though, for a lot of young people edibles have become their first exposure to marijuana and a lot of them have very bad experiences with it as a result. The dosages are quite beyond what most of them expect out of something like a single gummie bear. Of course they are little snowflakes and should just lie on the floor and travel through time like I did at that age, but I do think that having to go out of your way to procure something illegally prepares you a bit more for that experience, as opposed to just buying a pretty package and the expected market control and level of safety you imagine all prettily packaged products being subjected to.

And that's just taking into account teenagers with an active interest in experimentation. The idea of having such things at home while having curious toddlers around is honestly frightening. Especially when you take into account the parents possibly being stoned out of their minds. I know we're all model responsible adults up in here, but there are many in society with less stringent behavioral patterns, shall we say.

Why should you feel dirty? Should I feel dirty for taking heartburn medication that a couple years ago was outed for causing cancer? Or alcohol that in many places is required to carry a warning that is causes cancer? Or Subway in California where they're required to have a P65 cancer warning about their food products? We could go on and on and on.

All the worst and/or most embarrassing moments in my life were from alcohol, overwhelmingly so. Never once from marijuana. Alcohol is a terrible thing to a lot of people too and teenagers experiment with it just the same. It is far more dangerous in general considering you can actually die from it, or black out and god knows what happens. I tried alcohol, salvia, acid, mushrooms, ecstacy, cocaine & unsafe sex before I hit 18, so cannabis is pretty mild in comparison. Of course, like all substances, education and moderation is required.

What's a hybrid volcano? My cousin had the volcano with the big bags you would fill up with smoke and he would pass them around. Does it work with vape as well as flower?

The booze/weed combo has been my go to for 15 years.

I know lots of friends who do both but can't mix because they get the spins or something.


Whereas I crave bowls when I have a couple drinks. 3 beers and 3 bowls watching a game is much more enjoyable than just 3 beers or just 3 bowls.

I also find weed can help sober you up or straighten you out at the end of a heavy night of drinking...whereas others will get f***ed up doing this.

Also, I find edibles or infused drinks don't do anything. I've taken a pack of 10x25mg and didn't feel it and needed to smoke bowls to feel the wake and bake. It wasn't just a defective product. I've tried 100+ mg in a few mins many times and nothing. But when I take a bowl, it starts to hit me. It's like I need to smoke to activate the edibles, but even then, it's still mild.

The hybrids come with a whip so you can direct draw from it without needing bags. I actually don't really use bags at all and just sit my volcano there and puff on it. I only vape inside when my son is at his moms, so it's the one that gets used those days. Expensive, but so reliable compared to a lot of the crap out there. It also has some added conduction heating function over just convection, so I find the performance is better than the OG.

I think a lot of people wouldn't be able to handle both. Instant spins. Even as a bit of a heavy user, it requires a good balance. It's more of the doing it with a couple beers in the backyard than the big nights out. Either way, it always strikes me when people get all goofy high. It's kind of hard to get to that place when you're more of a daily user. I almost forget that the substance can hit some people hard. Tooootally get the cravings too. My brain always goes there.

Interesting you say that about edibles. I would keep experimenting. Definitely it's the sort of thing where not all products are made equally, but hard to say what's going on in your body specifically.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Even then, I don't want some random persons home grown like you wouldn't want some persons home made wine.

Let us go to the store and have a huge selection of wine...or weed. Same thing.


I'm not implying that either is hard for kids to get. It's just easier to buy weed from a dealer your age then it is to go to an adult and ask them to buy you alcohol.

At 15 I was friends with 18 year olds (2 years apart, but early vs late bdays) so I had no problem getting alcohol for parties in highschool.

It was just easier to get weed because I could get it myself. I didn't need a middle man.

With weed it was as easy as MSN messenging a neighbour and walking 30ft with $20 to get 3 grams for 20 or whatever it was.

For alcohol, I had to get my older friends and then plan. Trip to hull to go to the SAQ. Much more of a hassle.

Ya, I want that top shelf. I'm tired of buying what Johnny down the street cooked up under his tarp.

Growing at home was something I briefly got in to, but the work and facilities involved is just too much for me. In order to not have your home stink and or potentially be damaged, you really need a proper ventilation system. Easier said than done for most people.

If you guys wanna see how easy it really is, and to get far more toxic substances too, you should watch Shiny Flakes The Teenage Drug Dealer on Netflix. Absolutely insane story of just buying in bulk easily and selling on a store front online. Regulation is a good thing.

 

[Relapsing]

I was honestly shocked. It started with saying something to the effect of "Legal right to your doorstep!"

Those prices are what keeps me in it. As a single dad, I have to save where I can. I do support legalization in general, but I was a user and peddler for long enough to know where I stood with the govt. and society in general lol. I have no shame sometimes when it comes to saving money.

I do recommend the higher temp vaping if you ever get back in to it. Not worth the hobby for a lot of people, but I always recommend vaping in general because it basically saved the habit for me, and there is a science to it that it prevents benzene from being released, along with other benefits.

Lol, one guy sat there with his face in his hands for probably 4 hours straight, looked up, and barfed all over the dressing room. That's the stories that legends are made of for beer league teams lol. Meanwhile, our goalie was topping it off with Jack Daniels in his water bottle on his net!

And at a time when everything is getting more expensive, there's only so many places you can save!

Definitely going to try the vape temp - I think the missus has a temp control battery hanging out somewhere so should be easy to try out this weekend

That is absolutely hilarious and 100% legendary. Those 4 hours probably felt like 40 minutes. Your goalie sounds like another legend. There's no way I could stay on the ice that ripped - I can barely skate as it is!

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

And at a time when everything is getting more expensive, there's only so many places you can save!

Definitely going to try the vape temp - I think the missus has a temp control battery hanging out somewhere so should be easy to try out this weekend

That is absolutely hilarious and 100% legendary. Those 4 hours probably felt like 40 minutes. Your goalie sounds like another legend. There's no way I could stay on the ice that ripped - I can barely skate as it is!

Ain't that the truth. I am a big time budgeter on the necessities, so that I can afford the fun stuff, but it's gotten harder. This is one area that used to cost so much more. Before legalization I was paying like $200+ an oz and now like 30% or even less than that.

If you ever have any questions, hit me up! Lots of duds out there are sold to unsuspecting customers since so many reviews are bought and paid for, like most things nowadays. If you were to just google this stuff, you'll be steered wherever the money trail came from basically. Ball vapes are the big thing now, because of performance to cost ratio, but they require a bit of a permanent space.

Anyways, I'm glad to see this all generated some conversation. No matter where one stands on the issue, the law is the law, and it's now legal. Many people are having to come to grips with that as people around them open up to it. I already see it working its way in to our law firm conversations and other places you wouldn't suspect. My hockey team is primarily Conservative voters and even some involved with the Territorial Conservatives here, and they're all using or okay with it. Like prohibition of alcohol, we already know outlawing them is not the solution, so lets continue to work with it. The more exposure nay Sayers get with it, the more they'll realize just how mild and safe it is in general, especially in contrast to so much of what is accepted in society. I found the peer pressure to consume and over consume alcohol was far worse growing up, and much more dangerous in consequences. Or a Doctor trying to hand me tranquillizer like anti depressants with a million side effects because I came in as a confused 19 year old. Etc. etc. So many examples of hypocrisy.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

What's happening here, and south of the border, are completely different landscapes from what I understand. THC Products are in no way marketed to kids in Canada, nor are they packaged in a way that is designed to appeal to kids.

The major difference between the US and Canada? We legalized at the Federal level, which has across the board standards in packaging and safety. In the US, it's still illegal federally, and therefore there are no federal standards for packaging or package safety.

To be clear, I'll provide some examples.

Standard Canadian edible packaging:

View attachment 838838 View attachment 838839View attachment 838840

Problematic US edible packaging that rips off national brands:

View attachment 838842View attachment 838843

Somewhat problematic US packaging:

View attachment 838844View attachment 838845

I can provide additional examples but I think it's incredibly clear that there are night and day differences in the packaging standards in Canada vs the US.

Can you still honestly say any of the Canadian packaging appeals to children?

As for dosages, again, night and day difference. it's not even close.

10mg of THC is the maximum allowable amount in a package of edibles. This can further break down per unit - say 2 units at 5mg, etc...

The problematic Jolly Rancher package as 600mg in the bag

The somewhat problematic Mindy's tin of candies has 100mg in the tin (5mg/per, 20 gummies in a tin).

I think it's clear that a child would need to get into multiple packages of edibles in Canada (which are child resistant per federal regulation) to get anywhere close to what they can consume in one package of edibles in the US (upwards of 60:1).

As for comparison to alcohol, I think it's absolutely relevant. How is it that I can go to the LCBO and buy a micky of Blue Raspberry Warhead flavoured moonshine @ 20% ABV? I wonder if it even tastes like alcohol.

https://www.lcbo.com/en/warheads-blue-raspberry-22492

Does Warheads market their products to kids, or adults?

How child safe are alcohol containers? (hint, not very)

Anyways, I hope this helps you understand my position a little bit more. There is no contest IMO that Federal legalization in Canada has created a safer, more regulated market vs what's going on in the US.

I also hope you and others will avoid lumping Canada and the US together when talking about this stuff moving forward. It's completely different.

This was such a great post I wanted to quote it just to highlight it again. Great work. These are how walls of preconceived notions and biases can be broken down, but in a way that's not lecturing, just helping people understand the truth. We already know the US is more okay with things like Gambling, so this just sort of falls in line with the Canada/US culture differences.

I hate to pile on the alcohol, because I do enjoy it occasionally, and I think it leads to some of the non critical thinking pushback because they feel attacked, but there really is no argument that holds water imo that Cannabis is worse for society than alcohol is. It seems pretty clear what the more destructive substance is.

 

[Relapsing]

This was such a great post I wanted to quote it just to highlight it again. Great work. These are how walls of preconceived notions and biases can be broken down, but in a way that's not lecturing, just helping people understand the truth. We already know the US is more okay with things like Gambling, so this just sort of falls in line with the Canada/US culture differences.

I hate to pile on the alcohol, because I do enjoy it occasionally, and I think it leads to some of the non critical thinking pushback because they feel attacked, but there really is no argument that holds water imo that Cannabis is worse for society than alcohol is. It seems pretty clear what the more destructive substance is.

Well shit, thanks for saying so! Breaking down misunderstandings and biases can be a tricky needle to thread and I'd rather foster understanding than lecture someone about it. Still working on doing that for my hockey takes, but I think it's safe to say I understand cannabis and legalization better than I do the game, ha!

Alcohol is so normalized in our society, I'm not sure it's seen as much of a vice beyond how it's abused by some.

All of this has gotten me thinking again about the 3 major vice substances in our society: Alcohol, Cannabis, and Caffeine. And there's interesting threads between all of them. Think about it this way:

Our ability to consume alcohol pre-dates modern humans. The genetic mutation that allows us to consume alcohol traces back to a common ancestor we have with bonobos, chimps and gorillas. Many other primates cannot metabolize it. This mutation coincided with climate changes in the African continent, changing it from forests to fragmented forests and grasslands. It's speculated our ancestors began eating more fruit they found on the ground, which as we know often ferments into alcohol (which can also get a range of animals drunk, always kinda funny). Additionally, it's speculated that alcohol consumption helped ensure we had a non-contaminated source of something to drink.

Similarly, THC and CBD metabolism is a genetic trait. We have built in receptors for these compounds. Early examples of cannabis cultivation date back to around 12,000 years ago in China, although the exact area of initial cultivation is unclear. Cannabis plants provided a range of benefits to humans: fiber for making fabrics and rope, food, medicine, and oil from it's seeds. Around the same time, Cannabis seeds were spreading along migration and commerce paths. It's psychoactive properties have been cited in religious practices as well as recreational use. One wonders how its use through history may have impacted the development of modern human civilization. I've read studies that refer to this as a symbiosis which helped propagate both humans, and the plant, across the globe.

As for caffeine, that one ironically kind of helped get us into a lot of trouble, but also unlocked much human potential. It's been cited as helping to drive the industrial revolution (increased productivity and focus), fueling the slave trade out of Africa, and drove public debate in coffee houses across Europe and the Middle East (as early as the Ottoman Empire). And of course the required boiling of water has a number of spin-out benefits.

Anyways, my biggest takeaway from thinking about this is that Humans and their vices go hand in hand dating back to before modern humans arrived on the scene. Our early ancestors identified the benefits of these substances. Even if they didn't understand the science behind them.

That, and its up to us to understand what responsible consumption means, and collectively as a society to place barriers around their responsible use. I'm pretty happy with where Canada is right now, but understand that not everyone may be.

Ain't that the truth. I am a big time budgeter on the necessities, so that I can afford the fun stuff, but it's gotten harder. This is one area that used to cost so much more. Before legalization I was paying like $200+ an oz and now like 30% or even less than that.

If you ever have any questions, hit me up! Lots of duds out there are sold to unsuspecting customers since so many reviews are bought and paid for, like most things nowadays. If you were to just google this stuff, you'll be steered wherever the money trail came from basically. Ball vapes are the big thing now, because of performance to cost ratio, but they require a bit of a permanent space.

Anyways, I'm glad to see this all generated some conversation. No matter where one stands on the issue, the law is the law, and it's now legal. Many people are having to come to grips with that as people around them open up to it. I already see it working its way in to our law firm conversations and other places you wouldn't suspect. My hockey team is primarily Conservative voters and even some involved with the Territorial Conservatives here, and they're all using or okay with it. Like prohibition of alcohol, we already know outlawing them is not the solution, so lets continue to work with it. The more exposure nay Sayers get with it, the more they'll realize just how mild and safe it is in general, especially in contrast to so much of what is accepted in society. I found the peer pressure to consume and over consume alcohol was far worse growing up, and much more dangerous in consequences. Or a Doctor trying to hand me tranquillizer like anti depressants with a million side effects because I came in as a confused 19 year old. Etc. etc. So many examples of hypocrisy.

I'm super budget conscious right now, so as much as I love my pre-rolls for the ease of use, I gotta get back to buying ounces on sale and rolling my own.

I'm happy it's generated some good conversation as well. There's a million different ways to look at any given thing, and I don't begrudge anyone their opinion, even if I disagree with it. But to your point, every time I go into my local shop, I see a lovely spectrum of people going in. Young folks looking to try it out. Old people getting seniors discounts and being discerning consumers. And everything in between. Like it or not, we're already well down the road to normalization, and I'm personally happy for it.

And sorry for the rambling reply - this is a wonderful intersection of personal interest, my background in anthropology/ancient history, and just an engaging discussion!

 

[maclean]

Even then, I don't want some random persons home grown like you wouldn't want some persons home made wine.

Let us go to the store and have a huge selection of wine...or weed. Same thing.


I'm not implying that either is hard for kids to get. It's just easier to buy weed from a dealer your age then it is to go to an adult and ask them to buy you alcohol.

At 15 I was friends with 18 year olds (2 years apart, but early vs late bdays) so I had no problem getting alcohol for parties in highschool.

It was just easier to get weed because I could get it myself. I didn't need a middle man.

With weed it was as easy as MSN messenging a neighbour and walking 30ft with $20 to get 3 grams for 20 or whatever it was.

For alcohol, I had to get my older friends and then plan. Trip to hull to go to the SAQ. Much more of a hassle.

Weed was definitely easier to acquire. I didn't even bother with alcohol until I was at university. I found all the drunk people annoying and stupid and stuck to pot. In many ways the fact that we could acquire it ourselves without any commercial intervention was part of what I liked about it.

Fwiw I would also definitely take someone's homemade wine over mass-produced

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

California energy costs double national average, threatening EV adoption - The Heartlander

(The Center Square) – California’s energy costs are double the national average and increasing at double the national rate as the state pushes for reducing emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. The state’s energy regulator says energy costs are rapidly approaching the tipping point at...

heartlandernews.com

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

To me, the biggest challenge to increasing sales will be running up against the demographic of people living in Condos, apartments and renting without a garage. They can't install a fast charge, and may not have access to a standard plug, which greatly reduces the cost savings and convenience factors realized by EV. In time, apartments will need to incorporate charging options, same with garden homes, but right now that home charging infrastructure isn't available for a substantial chunk of people,

I bought up this very point a month or two ago. I referenced an interview a few years ago with professor Ian Lee at the Sprott school of Business , and Carleton University…. He pointed out that the time required to train the workforce needed to basically rewire entire neighborhoods and then to do the work, plus the construction of generation stations needed to supply the electricity demand, was going to take a minimum of Fifty years……

 

[Micklebot]

I bought up this very point a month or two ago. I referenced an interview a few years ago with professor Ian Lee at the Sprott school of Business , and Carleton University…. He pointed out that the time required to train the workforce needed to basically rewire entire neighborhoods and then to do the work, plus the construction of generation stations needed to supply the electricity demand, was going to take a minimum of Fifty years……

This is a bit of a different albeit related issue, I'm talking about consumers and their personal use case/context, influencing adoption of EVs, Ian Lee was talking about the time to build out the infrastructure to support a complete transition. Upgrading the infrastructure happens along with demand increase, it's not expected or needed to be overnight, and I'm not convinced with his 50 year estimate, but that's a whole other argument.

 

[jbeck5]

Weed was definitely easier to acquire. I didn't even bother with alcohol until I was at university. I found all the drunk people annoying and stupid and stuck to pot. In many ways the fact that we could acquire it ourselves without any commercial intervention was part of what I liked about it.

Fwiw I would also definitely take someone's homemade wine over mass-produced

Have fun with the headaches.

I can tell you don't f*** with alcohol because no one who enjoys wine would ever say they would rather someones home made wine over a nice bottle from the store.

No one.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

What's happening here, and south of the border, are completely different landscapes from what I understand. THC Products are in no way marketed to kids in Canada, nor are they packaged in a way that is designed to appeal to kids.

The major difference between the US and Canada? We legalized at the Federal level, which has across the board standards in packaging and safety. In the US, it's still illegal federally, and therefore there are no federal standards for packaging or package safety.

To be clear, I'll provide some examples.

Standard Canadian edible packaging:

View attachment 838838 View attachment 838839View attachment 838840

Problematic US edible packaging that rips off national brands:

View attachment 838842View attachment 838843

Somewhat problematic US packaging:

View attachment 838844View attachment 838845

I can provide additional examples but I think it's incredibly clear that there are night and day differences in the packaging standards in Canada vs the US.

Can you still honestly say any of the Canadian packaging appeals to children?

As for dosages, again, night and day difference. it's not even close.

10mg of THC is the maximum allowable amount in a package of edibles. This can further break down per unit - say 2 units at 5mg, etc...

The problematic Jolly Rancher package as 600mg in the bag

The somewhat problematic Mindy's tin of candies has 100mg in the tin (5mg/per, 20 gummies in a tin).

I think it's clear that a child would need to get into multiple packages of edibles in Canada (which are child resistant per federal regulation) to get anywhere close to what they can consume in one package of edibles in the US (upwards of 60:1).

As for comparison to alcohol, I think it's absolutely relevant. How is it that I can go to the LCBO and buy a micky of Blue Raspberry Warhead flavoured moonshine @ 20% ABV? I wonder if it even tastes like alcohol.

https://www.lcbo.com/en/warheads-blue-raspberry-22492

Does Warheads market their products to kids, or adults?

How child safe are alcohol containers? (hint, not very)

Anyways, I hope this helps you understand my position a little bit more. There is no contest IMO that Federal legalization in Canada has created a safer, more regulated market vs what's going on in the US.

I also hope you and others will avoid lumping Canada and the US together when talking about this stuff moving forward. It's completely different.

The same US labels are available here.

Easy to access. Online or behind counters

No enforcement.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

I won't speak on the double standard, but the idea that adults shouldn't be able to buy weed candies is a brutal take.

Imagine some other adult holding your hand and telling you what you can or can't buy. That's what you're trying to do here.

No one is saying that shit….

I have a problem with marketing the drug as candy. Candy is mainly marketed for kids

See the correlation?

 

[maclean]

Have fun with the headaches.

I can tell you don't f*** with alcohol because no one who enjoys wine would ever say they would rather someones home made wine over a nice bottle from the store.

No one.

Jesus christ man, sorry you had a bad experience you don't have to turn it into a classist thing though, you don't know what I f*** with. Cheers

 

[jbeck5]

No one is saying that shit….

I have a problem with marketing the drug as candy. Candy is mainly marketed for kids

See the correlation?

They aren't marketing anything. Where are you seeing commercials for weed candies in Canada? Radio? Tv? Billboards?

Or are you talking random internet ads that literally anyone can make?

Also, I disagree that candy is generally marketed to kids. Most candy commercials I see don't even include kids and are as appealing to adults as anyone. Most candy sales are to adults.


This is just your preconceived notions about candy based on your life. You probably are more candy as a kid then you did as an adult, therefore you automatically pair candy with kids.

Plenty of people who smoked weed in highschool but don't anymore make the same kind of comments by saying things like "you do teenager drugs" or whatever...when clearly more weed is consumed by adults rather than teenagers. It's just their preconceived notions based on their own lives story.

 

[jbeck5]

Jesus christ man, sorry you had a bad experience you don't have to turn it into a classist thing though, you don't know what I f*** with. Cheers

What do you mean a bad experience?

It's common knowledge that home made wine is generally crap.

This isn't a classist comment. I probably make way less money than you. It has nothing to do with that.

You literally said alcohol isn't really your thing and you started really late, so I was just basing it off what you said.

Geez, you got offended really easily. This wasn't meant to get your panties in a twist.

I assumed you didn't really do the whole alcohol thing and simply didn't know about the common knowledge that home made wine is cheap and prone to giving headaches.

The response you get when you try to help others by giving them info..Geez.

 

[milkbag]

What do you mean a bad experience?

It's common knowledge that home made wine is generally crap.

This isn't a classist comment. I probably make way less money than you. It has nothing to do with that.

You literally said alcohol isn't really your thing and you started really late, so I was just basing it off what you said.

Geez, you got offended really easily. This wasn't meant to get your panties in a twist.

I assumed you didn't really do the whole alcohol thing and simply didn't know about the common knowledge that home made wine is cheap and prone to giving headaches.

The response you get when you try to help others by giving them info..Geez.

Have you never been to an Italian Christmas party? I've had some quality homemade stuff that I would absolutely drink over swill like Jackson Triggs

 

[jbeck5]

Have you never been to an Italian Christmas party? I've had some quality homemade stuff that I would absolutely drink over swill like Jackson Triggs

Specifically an Italian Christmas party? Lol