U.S. Conservative Group Calls for Prince Harry to be Deported Over Past Drug Use

Prince Harry’s visa should be denied and he should be deported from the U.S., a conservative group is demanding.

When Prince Harry detailed his history with pot and other drugs in his autobiography, he made heads roll, especially in conservative circles on both sides of the Atlantic. The Heritage Foundation—a conservative think tank in operation for over 50 years—called for the deportation of Prince Harry over his admissions to past drug use including pot and cocaine. 

The Duke of Sussex, 38, is currently living in Los Angeles with his wife Meghan Markle and son, Archie. But Harry is living on a visa, and has no plans of seeking permanent U.S. residency or U.S. citizenship, despite being eligible. The couple quit the Royal Family and moved to California in January 2020, where they continued to be a focal point for tabloids and aggressive paparazzi.

A representative from The Heritage Foundation said the organization is in arms with the U.S. State Department, as they are refusing to release any details about Prince Harry’s visa application, The Mercury News reports

The power couple is often the target of conservative media, which often sides with the Royal Family instead of Prince Harry. The Heritage Foundation entered the arena by challenging his visa status.

“This request is in the public interest in light of the potential revocation of Prince Harry’s visa for illicit substance use and further questions regarding the Prince’s drug use and whether he was properly vetted before entering the United States,” Mike Howell, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, told the Daily Mail.

In Prince Harry’s controversial autobiography Spare, which was published this past January, he revealed that he first snorted coke at age 17 and again on a few other occasions. He also toked up after his first date with Meghan Markle. “I started doing it recreationally and then started to realize how good it was for me,” Harry said. “I would say it is one of the fundamental parts of my life that changed me and helped me deal with the traumas and the pains of the past.”

Prince Harry also detailed his adventures with shrooms, talking to the toilet and having strange visions. High Times has been following reports of his pot use since at least 2017. (Tyler Dooley, Meghan’s nephew and the son of Meghan’s half-brother Thomas Markle Jr., got into the cannabis industry back in 2015 and released the Markle Sparkle strain.)

Is Prince Harry’s Visa Truly at Risk?

But according to law, visa records are considered confidential. “Visa records are confidential under Section 222(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA); therefore, we cannot discuss the details of individual visa cases,” a U.S. State Department spokesman said. 

Legal experts aren’t sure if Harry’s past drug use actually could threaten his visa status, allowing him to stay in the United States to live and work. “An admission of drug use is usually grounds for inadmissibility,” former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Page Six. “That means Prince Harry’s visa should have been denied or revoked because he admitted to using cocaine, mushrooms and other drugs.”

New Jersey-based attorney James Leonard, disagreed with Rahmani and said that Prince Harry’s visa status is not at risk.

“Absent any criminal charge related to drugs or alcohol or any finding by a judicial authority that Prince Harry is a habitual drug user, which he clearly is not, I don’t see any issue with the disclosures in his memoir regarding recreational experimentation with drugs,” Leonard said.

The post U.S. Conservative Group Calls for Prince Harry to be Deported Over Past Drug Use appeared first on High Times.

Marihuana y Seducción: ¿Cuál es la Relación Entre Porro y ‘Levante’? Todos los Misterios Develados

Nota por Hernán Panessi publicada originalmente en El Planteo. Más artículos por El Planteo en High Times en Español.

Síguenos en Instagram (@El.Planteo) y Twitter (@ElPlanteo).

“Vamos a fumar un porro ahí”, canta Adrián Dárgelos, líder de Babasónicos, en “Risa”, una oda al coqueteo. ¿Será que el cannabis y el “levante” pueden hacer un buen maridaje? Lo cierto es que el juego de seducción es un proceso complejo y la marihuana, con su diversidad de variedades y pegues, también.

Entonces, ¿fumarse un porrito ayudará a soltarse, a desinhibirse, a dejar de sobrepensar, a tener buenas primeras citas, a potenciar los sentidos, a darle una pitada y “salir a encarar”?

Contenido relacionado: Cómo Manejarte Si Tu Pareja No Usa Marihuana y Tú Sí

“La ansiedad social (y la timidez que provoca) es la emoción más vinculada con las dificultades a la hora de seducir”, dice Martín Rieznik, autor del libro La Ciencia de la Seducción, disertante de TEDx con su charla “Seducir para ser feliz” y responsable de LevantArte, la primera empresa dedicada al estudio y divulgación de conocimiento científico sobre seducción.

Me mata la timidez

En su libro La Ciencia de la Seducción, Rieznik cita a “Comorbidity in Chronic Shyness”, una investigación llevada adelante por T. A. Lorant, L. Henderson y P. G. Zimbardo, de la US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, que asegura que “el 50% de las personas –encuestadas- se describen a sí mismas como tímidas”.

También, cita el estudio “Practice dating as treatment for college dating inhibitions” de los psicólogos Hal Arkowitz, Richard Hinton y William Himadi en el que sostienen que, para los jóvenes, “superar las inhibiciones que les impiden acercarse a las personas que les interesan en términos románticos o sexuales es una de las principales fuentes de preocupación, y no lograrlo puede conducir a problemas como la depresión o a dificultades en el desempeño laboral”.

En una encuesta realizada por el equipo de Arkowitz y sus colegas a 3.800 estudiantes, el 50% de los encuestados demostraron interés por participar en un programa de habilidades sociales y románticas. Y el 30% de ellos afirmaron sentirse de “algo” a “muy ansiosos” en sus citas románticas.

Me gusta verte reír

Ahora bien, ¿cómo impacta la marihuana en la ansiedad social y en la timidez? Y, de paso, ¿cómo afecta a las diferentes etapas en el juego de la seducción?

“Sin dudas, cada momento del juego es diferente. Hace poco hice una encuesta en mi Instagram en la que decían que, por ejemplo, a la hora de una primera cita, la mayoría absoluta prefiere evitar la marihuana. Y a la hora de encarar a desconocidos, también son muchos los que la evitan. Sin embargo, a la hora del sexo, esos números se revierten y la marihuana y la intimidad parecen ser buenos amigos”, asoma Rieznik.

A propósito, la médica ginecóloga y cursante del posgrado de sexología clínica Gabriela Murineddu señala que “los efectos de la marihuana en la respuesta sexual tanto femenina como masculina están directamente relacionadas con la cantidad consumida”.

Contenido relacionado: Las Cinco Preguntas sobre Porro y Sexo que Siempre Quisiste Hacerle a una Sexóloga Profesional

En ese sentido, investigaciones científicas como Manual de sexología y terapia sexual de Francisco Cabello o “The andrologist from medicine of reproduction to sexual medicine: the italian experience” de A. Lenzi y EA. Jannini, afirman que el THC en dosis bajas puede tener efectos estimulantes sobre el sexo y mejorar los niveles de ansiedad.

Amplía la Dra. Murineddu: “Aumenta la capacidad de la fantasía, desinhibe, relaja, aumenta el deseo sexual y la habilidad comunicacional con la pareja, favoreciendo la intimidad y la cercanía emocional. Puede aumentar la sensibilidad táctil y auditiva, potenciando los sentidos y favoreciendo el placer sexual, especialmente en las mujeres. Mejora la ansiedad de ejecución, que se divide en varios factores: miedo al fracaso, necesidad de obtención de resultados, altruismo excesivo y autoobservación”.

Sin embargo, con respecto a la relación entre la ansiedad social y la marihuana, la evidencia científica es bastante ambigua.

“Considero que tiene que ver con que a todos nos pega diferente y que depende mucho de la variedad que fumes. Eso no siempre se contempla”, añade Rieznik.

Cannabis y relajación

En el artículo “La relación entre consumo de cannabis y ansiedad social”, del periodista cannábico australiano Steven Voser, se citan estudios que llegan a conclusiones opuestas: algunos relacionan la marihuana con la ansiedad social, otros encuentran una relación inversa.

No obstante, la conclusión que parece ser sólida es que el CBD sí contribuye a disminuir la ansiedad social.

“Te diría que nadie fuma marihuana para sentirse más ansioso, pero estar relajado tampoco te hace mejor seductor, sobre todo en la primera etapa del juego de seducción, que suele requerir tomar acción determinada y más bien enérgica”, explica Rieznik.

Contenido relacionado: Conocé a Antuanette Gómez, la Joven Empresaria en la Intersección de la Marihuana y la Salud Sexual

Y, enseguida, se suma Cuchi Laino, onlyfanera y experta en seducción: “¿Sirve el porro para el levante? Y… depende el caso y la persona pero, para mí, es ideal para relajar y llegar sin tantas inhibiciones. Crea el mood perfecto para no sobrepensar tanto y actuar. Yo lo recomiendo al 100%, en todas las etapas de la cita”.

En el estudio de la colombiana Laura Andrea Ramírez Medina, “Representaciones de las experiencias de consumo recreativo de marihuana en adultos usuarios de foros virtuales” de la Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud de la Universidad del Rosario, se concluyó que: “Dentro de las motivaciones para el inicio y mantenimiento del consumo más encontradas en los relatos, se encuentra la búsqueda de sensaciones de relajación y disminución de tensión emocional; lograr sensaciones de bienestar y diversión, así como la potenciación de sensaciones”.

De hecho, en esta investigación, el consumo de marihuana fue catalogado como “un facilitador de relaciones interpersonales, acrecentador de empatía y herramienta que posibilita la comprensión del otro”.

“Puede ayudar en la desinhibición”, insiste Cuchi Laino, “en el efecto que genera en el cuerpo de excitación sexual y relajación, en generar conversaciones fluídas e interesantes o también divertidas para reírse flasheando”. Para Laino, en resumen, tiene “muchos puntos a favor”.

Cuidado con el porro

En su reverso, ¿el consumo persistente o elevado puede traer algunos puntos negativos? La respuesta más corta es “sí”.

Se explaya la Dra. Murineddu: “Los efectos negativos pueden ser la pérdida de conexión con el otro, con disminución del deseo sexual. En los hombres, dificultad para conseguir y mantener la erección y retraso en la eyaculación. Algunas mujeres experimentan disminución de la lubricación vaginal con dolor en las relaciones sexuales (dispareunia) y dificultad para llegar al orgasmo. Hay evidencia en la reducción de los niveles de testosterona, con disminución de la producción y movilidad de espermatozoides”.

Contenido relacionado: Psicodélicos y Fiestas Sexuales: ¿Sí o No?

Al toque, se monta Laino: “Si la persona no está muy acostumbrada a fumar, o tiene problemas de ansiedad y está muy nerviosx por la cita, tal vez la marihuana acentúe ese estado. Se me ocurre que puede ser raro si la otra persona no fuma o si el otro está re en otra, puede perjudicar”.

Las etapas de la seducción

La mayoría de los autores y científicos que investigaron los sinuosos caireles de la seducción coinciden en que tiene tres etapas: “Atracción” (cuando la otra persona llama tu atención), “Conexión” (cuando conectás con esa persona conversando) y, finalmente, “Seducción” (cuando intiman).

Ahí anida la base del especialista Rieznik a la hora de desarrollar sus conversatorios, podcasts y talleres.

Sería algo así como el inicio, el desarrollo y el final. En general se coincide también en que la energía de la interacción es decreciente: en la etapa de ‘Atracción’ suele ser el pico de energía (pensemos en dos personas que se conocen en un bar o un boliche), en la etapa de ‘Conexión’ disminuye un poco la energía (pensemos en una cita o salida conjunta) y en la etapa de ‘Seducción’ más aún (pensemos en los dos solos conversando en un living)”, desgrana el referente de LevantArte.

¿Fumamos uno?

¿Y qué pasa con el cannabis? “Conociendo las etapas y las respuestas a las encuestas y a las conversaciones con amigues (y mi propia experiencia) pienso que la marihuana puede ser útil en la etapa de ‘Conexión’ y ‘Seducción’ pero no tan buena compañera en la etapa de ‘Atracción’, donde se requieren niveles más altos de energía”, hace close-up Rieznik.

Usualmente, los estudios científicos que existen sobre relaciones interpersonales y cannabis no suele diferenciar entre “sexo y seducción”. De esta manera, suele ensalzarse el hecho de la “conexión”.

Contenido relacionado: Viajar en Pareja: Cómo los Psicodélicos Pueden Fortalecer tu Relación

Rieznik contradice ese aspecto: “Puede ser útil para conectar pero para encarar de cero, para salir ‘de levante’ la mayoría prefiere no fumar mucho”.

Además, siempre está presente el tema de las variedades indicadas. Y, allí, los expertos hablan de la “sativa que activa”.

“Creo que, como todo, la clave está en el equilibrio: una copa de vino seguro que te ayuda a que todo fluya en una cita; y diez copas de vino te tiran la cita a la basura y terminás abrazando al inodoro”, apunta Rieznik.

Y en la ristra de excusas para el levante, también se utiliza a la marihuana como un gancho, para tener una actividad “en común”. ¿Vamos a fumar uno? El cannabis como herramienta de cohesión social, el churro como cita. “Es la excusa perfecta y la he usado más de una vez, así como también la han usado conmigo. Es la típica, jaja”, cierra Laino.

Más contenido de El Planteo:

The post Marihuana y Seducción: ¿Cuál es la Relación Entre Porro y ‘Levante’? Todos los Misterios Develados appeared first on High Times.

‘Father of Cannabis Science’ Raphael Mechoulam Dead at 92

Raphael Mechoulam, the first person to synthesize THC, earning him the moniker the “Father of Cannabis Science,” has died, Analytical Cannabis reports. He was 92 years old, and his legacy will most certainly live on for centuries to come. The esteemed chemist is also called the father of cannabis research. Some of his additional game-changing contributions to drug science include isolating and synthesizing other cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabichromene (CBC). 

While THC, CBD, and CBG are basically household names today, that would not be the case if it weren’t for Dr. Mechoulam, so smoke one out for him in remembrance. A medicinal chemistry professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, his work laid the groundwork and got the ball (or blunt) rolling to prompt future breakthroughs, such as illumination into the human body’s internal cannabinoid receptors in the 1980s and ’90s, as detailed in the 1993 academic paper titled Molecular characterization of a peripheral receptor for cannabinoids

Make sure to pay your respects today, as Dr. Mechoulam’s friends and fellow scientists are, as you pass the peace pipe around with your buddies. “This is a very sad day for me, for the science community and for the cannabis community. Professor Raphael Mechoulam or as we called him Raphi, was one of the greatest scientist[s] I ever met and was my teacher and mentor in many aspects. I truly believe he [deserved] a Nobel prize!” wrote David “Dedi” Meiri, an associate professor at Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, and one Mechoulam’s colleagues, in a touching online statement. “Thank you Raphi for all the great things you did and discover[ed] in your life and thanks for all the help and support you gave me. Rest in peace my dear friend,” he continues. 

Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1930, Mechoulam and his family relocated to Israel, where he began studying chemistry. His inspiration to start his successful hunt for THC began after wise observance of other drugs’ mechanisms. In an interview with CNN in 2014, Mechoulam pointed out that: “Morphine had been isolated from opium in the nineteenth century, early nineteenth century, cocaine had been isolated from coca leaves [in the] mid-nineteenth century. And here we were, mid-twentieth century, and yet the chemistry of cannabis was not known. So it looked like [an] interesting project.” According to the National Library of Medicine, in 1964, he succeeded. And the story behind how Mechoulam obtained the cannabis he studied may surprise you. 

While working as a chemist in the early 1960s at the Weizmann Institute, Mechoulam got some weed from the Israeli police with his goal already in place: to discover and isolate what makes pot psychoactive. Once THC and other cannabinoids, such as the aforementioned CBD and CBG, were identified, in 1992, Mechoulam and his team discovered the chemical arachidonoyl ethanolamine, which you know as anandamide (derived from the Sanskrit word ananda, which means bliss). Anandamide is something our body’s endocannabinoid system produces on its own (as if we are built to use cannabis) and activates the CB1 receptor. 

Deeply passionate and hardworking, Mechoulam continued his research right up to his death. At the age of 88, at the cannabis conference CannMed in California in 2019, he announced another breakthrough, synthetically stable cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), the main phytocannabinoid in fiber and seed-oil hemp, which contains anti-inflammatory, anti-convulsant, and anti-cancerogenic properties, and that’s likely just the tip of the iceberg. “We have taken the unstable acid molecules of the cannabis plant and synthesized them to provide a stable, consistent basis for researching new therapies across a wide range of medical needs,” Mechoulam explained at the conference. He also used his stage time to encourage the scientific community to invest more into cannabis research, as enough time has already been lost, citing the many people from the past who would have vastly benefited from medicinal cannabis should it have been available. “Did we have to wait 30 years? No,” he said. “We could have helped thousands of children, and we didn’t.” 

Rest in Power, Dr. Mechoulam, and may everyone lucky enough to have access to the results of his work enjoy the power of plant medicine today. 

The post ‘Father of Cannabis Science’ Raphael Mechoulam Dead at 92 appeared first on High Times.

Comediantes Profesionales Responden: ¿El Porro los Vuelve Más Chistosos?

Nota por Hernán Panessi publicada originalmente en El Planteo. Más artículos por El Planteo en High Times en Español.

Síguenos en Instagram (@El.Planteo) y Twitter (@ElPlanteo).

Ay, qué risa que me da: dicen los que saben –todo el mundo, literalmente- que el porro se convierte en un aliado magnífico de la comedia. Que ablanda, que saca prejuicios, que destruye algunas trampas de la mente. Que envalentona hasta al más acartonado. Que afloja hasta al más rígido. Que vuelve “comedia” lo que antes era “nada”.

Ahora bien, ¿qué pasa con los que trabajan día a día como comediantes profesionales? ¿Qué sucede con quienes dedican su vida al complejo oficio de la risa? ¿Será, acaso, que a ellos también se les da bien el maridaje de churro y chiste? ¿O, más bien, todo lo contrario?

Contenido relacionado: Encuesta Exclusiva: ¿En Qué Lugar NO te Fumarías un Porro y Por Qué?

Aquí, un tendal de humoristas de distintas latitudes responden a uno de los mayores intríngulis de la modernidad: ¿los comediantes profesionales se ponen “más chistosos” después de fumar?

Agus Aguilar (Argentina): “En el proceso creativo, suma”

Foto: Autana Films

Creo que sí. No sé si te pone más gracioso pero, a la hora de escribir, te despojás de un montón de pensamientos y creás con más libertad. Después, a la hora de editar y pensar bien los chistes, de compartirlos con compañeros para ver si están buenos, ahí está bueno no estar fumado. En el proceso creativo, suma. No pensás “uh, este chiste es una mierda”, “no va a funcionar” o “no va a generar identificación”.

En mi caso, creo que me ayuda a escribir con más libertad o a pensar ideas. Después, cuando no estoy, lo miro y veo qué puedo crear con eso y cómo lo puedo llevar al escenario. Me equilibra los prejuicios.

Podés verla a Agus en “The Agustina Show”, en la ciudad de Rosario, el 15 de abril a las 21hs.

Carola Oyarbide (Argentina): “Es un recurso bastante finito”

Carola Oyarbide

Tal vez, a la hora del proceso creativo, sí pueda llegar a servir estar loco. Estar loca en situaciones con gente te puede hacer observar algunas cosas que careta no te detendrías. Y, tal vez, hay un puntapié para algo.

Contenido relacionado: The Unusual Suspects: 12 Líderes Latinxs de la Escena Cannábica para Seguir

Después, a la hora de escribir o de estar arriba de un escenario, siento que no sirve de mucho. Hay algo del timing que tiene que estar presente, algo del ida y vuelta que tenemos con el público. Más si hacés stand-up. Tenés que estar registrando en qué están y cómo seguir. Si alargar o acortar lo que estás diciendo. Esa viveza no la podés tener con porro encima.

Entiendo que hay público que se puede reír mucho con alguien drogado, pero es un recurso bastante finito. En algún momento se va a agotar y no hay nada que dé más risa que algo lucido. El porro hay que dejárselo al espectador, que lo va a disfrutar más que el comediante.

Fede Simonetti (Argentina): “Te preocupa menos el resultado”

Fede Simonetti comediantes humor marihuana

Para mí el porro no te vuelve más chistoso. Cuando no tenés un consumo cotidiano te vuelve risueño, más de reírte de cosas más que crear chistes. Lo que sí hace es levantar ciertas barreras de contención racional y moral que uno tiene que, a veces, cuando uno crea cosas, te permite una amplitud de criterio. Te preocupa menos el resultado, no lo juzgas tanto en el proceso creativo: eso está bueno.

¿Si me vuelve más chistoso? No, diría que no. De hecho, a veces me da más mal humor del que a veces tengo en la normalidad.

Félix Buenaventura (Argentina): “Sí, pero es un momento de relajación”

Félix Buenaventura

La respuesta corta es: ‘sí’. Pero también soy una persona que no es funcional cuando fuma. No puedo fumar e ir a hacer un trámite a la AFIP. La paso mal. También es una situación que descontextualiza estar chistoso. Entonces, no me suma. Y se vuelve un desafío. Para eso ya tengo la vida: comerme el cilantro antes de que se ponga feo.

Contenido relacionado: Expertos Recomiendan los Mejores Videojuegos para Jugar Estando High

Entonces, normalmente lo hago cuando termino una función, con gente amiga. Es un momento de relajación. Es un valor agregado. Hay una licencia para decir tonterías.

Podés verlo a Félix en su show, “Poncho Extraterrestre”, el viernes 17/2 a las 21hs en el club de comedia La Silla Eléctrica.

Gabo Ruiz (Venezuela): “Estoy más dispuesto a ser chistoso”

Gabo Ruíz

Sin dudas el porro me lleva a un sitio donde estoy más dispuesto a ser chistoso. Lo utilizo como herramienta para eso, es el estímulo que necesito. Se me inundó el baño. Pongo un bote: el bote, el bote, el bote. Resuelvo el problema del bote. Luego tengo la menta ocupada. Me fumo un porro, reseteo y puedo entrar a ese estado mental chistoso.

Para presentarme, no lo recomiendo tanto. Porque, una vez que fumé un porro, todas las caras de cada uno de los asistentes del público se transforman en la cara de mí papá. No, mentira: no lo conozco a mí papá.

Jessimae Peluso (Estados Unidos): “La puerta de entrada a la comedia”

Jessimae Peluso comediante shumor marihuana

Creo que el sentido del humor es una parte inherente a la personalidad de alguien. No creo que la marihuana te haga más gracioso. Ahora, eso no quiere decir que fumar marihuana no me permita reírme más. Ese es uno de los grandes beneficios de la marihuana. Sin embargo, pienso que, para alguna gente, la marihuana es una herramienta para liberar el estrés y eso puedo resultar en sentimientos de mucha felicidad.

Contenido relacionado: ¿Cuáles son las Películas de Terror que NO Tenés que ver si Fumaste Marihuana? Hablan los Expertos

Esto podría hacerte creer que sos una persona indicada para hacer stand-up. Yo culpo a la marihuana por ser la puerta de entrada que lleva a la comedia. Así que, niños: consuman drogas, no stand-ups.

Leandro Igounet (Argentina): “Me pone verborrágico”

Leandro Igounet

Analicé mucho mi respuesta, lo pensé y tengo que decir que esa afirmación es positiva. A mí lo que es que, generalmente, cuando fumo lo hago con amigos. Lo hago con gente y lo que me genera es que me pone verborrágico. Y no pienso tanto lo que estoy diciendo. Ahí es donde sucede el chiste. Porque lo que tiene el chiste para que funcione es que tiene que haber un público que reciba esa información y tiene que haber sorpresa. Y cuando uno no piensa tanto lo que dice tiene algo de sorpresivo, algo que genera gracia.

Esto me sucede siempre y cuando lo esté haciendo con amigos o con gente en un entorno relajado. He probado fumar y actuar en una función y no es tan gracioso. Ahí, generalmente lo que pasa es que uno no tiene la certeza de lo que va a decir y no podés garantizar la risa.

Podés verlo a Leandro durante todo el año en el Teatro Picadilly, los segundos sábados de cada mes y, también, recorriendo el país, acá, allá y en todos lados.

Rachel Wolfson (Estados Unidos): “La comedia y la marihuana van juntas”

rachel wolfson wolfie comediantes humor marihuana
Rachel “Wolfie” Wolfson junto a Johnny Knoxville y Eric André en el set de Jackass Forever, a punto de ser picada por un escorpión.

La mayoría de los comediantes fuman o han fumado marihuana. De todos modos, uno podría argumentar que ya eran graciosos desde antes, más allá de fumar marihuana o no. Si sos rápido e ingenioso sin porro, puede ser que el porro te haga más lento o, quizás, el porro destrabe otras partes de tu mente. Esas partes que no estabas accediendo sin marihuana. Es difícil de decir.

Contenido relacionado: Películas para Ver Fumado Según Un Experto

A fin de cuentas, la situación es: “para ser gracioso, tenés que ser gracioso sin cannabis”. Ahora bien, ¿el cannabis puede hacerte más gracioso? No lo sé, quizás. ¿Mejora situaciones que ya son graciosas de por sí? Eso seguro. Pero, al final del día, sabemos que la comedia y la marihuana sí van juntas. La pregunta de fondo es ¿de qué modo?

Más contenido de El Planteo:

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California Cannabis Prisoner Luke Scarmazzo Released from Federal Prison

California cannabis prisoner Luke Scarmazzo was freed from prison on Feb. 3, with help from Mission Green, a campaign led by The Weldon Project. “Today, after serving nearly 15 years in prison for operating a cannabis dispensary, I was granted my freedom,” Scarmazzo wrote on his Facebook page. “The feeling is surreal. We’ve worked toward this day for so long. This was a huge victory for my family, friends, community and the entire cannabis movement. I’ll take a moment to enjoy this, but make no mistake, there’s still much work to be done—my people need to be free—and that hard work begins now.”

Scarmazzo owned a Modesto-based dispensary, called the California Healthcare Collective (CHC), with Ricardo Montes in 2004. In September 2006, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raided CHC and Scarmazzo and Montes, who were 26 at the time, were found guilty in 2008. Ultimately Scarmazzo was sentenced to 21 years and 10 months, and Montes was sentenced to 20 years. Montes was later pardoned by former President Barack Obama in 2017, but Scarmazzo remained in prison.

Scarmazzo petitioned for release in January 2021, but was denied. On Facebook, he shared the details of his life in prison after the denial. “I have been in this quarantine unit in a federal penitentiary at Yazoo City, Mississippi for 91 days. When I arrived here prison officials lied and told me I’d only be here the standard 14 days. This, despite me being ‘COVID recovered’ in September 2020, with at least a temporary acquired natural immunity,” Scarmazzo wrote. “I’m locked into my cell 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Out of 168 hour week, I’m allowed out of my cell for 3 hours to take a shower and use the phone; the other 165 I’m in a concrete box. I haven’t felt the warm sun or inhaled a breath of fresh air in over 3 months. I’m fed enough to be kept alive and confined in frigid temperatures. And these are just a few of the blatant constitutional and human rights violations that I endure daily without just cause.”

During his sentence, Scarmazzo met Weldon Angelos, an inmate who was sentenced to 55 years in prison for a cannabis conviction. The two spent seven years in prison together, but eventually in 2016 Angelos was released after having served for 13 years, and received a full pardoned in December 2020. After being released, Angelos founded The Weldon Project and has continued to advocate for the release of other prisoners who are still serving time for cannabis convictions.

Courtesy of Instagram: Luke Scarmazzo and Weldon Angelos

“Happy to announce that Luke is being released today! The judge granted compassionate release based on policy changes at the federal!” Angelos shared on Twitter the day that Scarmazzo was released.

Judge Dale Drozd issued a compassionate release order based on his case. “Defendant Scarmazzo is certainly correct when he argues that there have been ‘dramatic changes in the legal landscape concerning the sale and use of marijuana’ over the 15 years since he was sentenced, including ‘changes in [state] marijuana laws, Congress’s perspective, public sentiment, the Justice Department’s enforcement policies, and…case law.’ This is particularly true in California where [the] defendant was operating his marijuana dispensary,” Drozd wrote. “While federal law remains unchanged—still making the possession, cultivation and distribution of marijuana unlawful and subject to criminal penalties—federal prosecutions for marijuana-related offenses have been curbed significantly, particularly in states like California that have legalized those activities with some restrictions. In the undersigned’s experience, for the most part federal prosecution of marijuana offenses in California is now limited to those offenders engaged in large, unauthorized cultivation sites located on federal lands.”

Like Angelos, Scarmazzo has pledged to help others like himself be freed from prison for cannabis convictions. In October 2022, the U.S. Sentencing Commission estimated that more than 6,577 people who receive pardons from the Biden administration after President Joe Biden announced pardons for simple cannabis possession. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced 10 pardons in December 2022, with at least two of those prisoners having cannabis convictions. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf also recently pardoned 2,500 people in January 2023, 400 of which were convicted of nonviolent cannabis offenses.

The post California Cannabis Prisoner Luke Scarmazzo Released from Federal Prison appeared first on High Times.

Seth Rogen’s ‘High-ly Creative Retreat Airbnb Begins Booking

Feel like taking your creativity level… a bit higher? Available for booking beginning this week, Seth Rogen partnered with Airbnb to unveil “A High-ly Creative Retreat,” providing a unique getaway in Los Angeles with ceramic activities.

The retreat features a ceramic studio with Rogen’s own handmade pottery, a display of his cannabis and lifestyle company Houseplant’s unique Housegoods, as well as mid-century furnishings, and “sprawling views of the city.”

The Airbnb is probably a lot cheaper than you think: Rogen will host three, one-night stays on February 15, 16, and 17 for two guests each for just $42—one decimal point away from 420—with some restrictions. U.S. residents can book an overnight stay at Rogen’s Airbnb beginning Feb. 7, but book now, because it’s doubtful that open slots will last.

“I don’t know what’s more of a Houseplant vibe than a creative retreat at a mid-century Airbnb filled with our Housegoods, a pottery wheel, and incredible views of LA,” Rogen said. “Add me, and you’ll have the ultimate experience.”

According to the listing, and his Twitter account, Rogen will be there to greet people and even do ceramics together.

“I’m teaming up with Airbnb so you (or someone else) can hang out with me and spend the night in a house inspired by my company,” Rogen tweeted recently.

Guests will be provided with the following activities:

  • Get glazed in the pottery studio and receive pointers from Rogen himself!
  • Peruse a selection of Rogen’s own ceramic masterpieces, proudly displayed within the mid-century modern home.
  • Relax and revel in the sunshine of the space’s budding yard.
  • Tune in and vibe out to a collection of Houseplant record sets with specially curated tracklists by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg and inspired by different cannabis strains. Guests will get an exclusive first listen to their new Vinyl Box Set Vol. 2.
  • Satisfy cravings with a fully-stocked fridge for after-hours snacks.

Airbnb plans to join in on Rogen’s charity efforts, including his non-profit Hilarity for Charity, focusing on helping people living with Alzheimer’s disease.

“In celebration of this joint effort, Airbnb will make a one-time donation to Hilarity for Charity, a national non-profit on a mission to care for families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease, activate the next generation of Alzheimer’s advocates, and be a leader in brain health research and education,” Airbnb wrote.

In 2021, Rogen launched Houseplant, his cannabis and lifestyle company, in the U.S. But the cannabis brand’s web traffic was so high that the site crashed. Houseplant was founded by Rogen and his childhood friend Evan Goldberg, along with Michael Mohr, James Weaver, and Alex McAtee.

Yahoo! News reports, however, that Airbnb does not (cough, cough) allow cannabis on the premises of listings. The listing, however, will be filled with goods from Houseplant. Houseplant also sells luxury paraphernalia with a “mid-century modern spin.”

Seth Rogen recently invited Architectural Digest to present a tour of the Houseplant headquarters’ interior decor and operations. Houseplant’s headquarters is located in a 1918 bungalow in Los Angeles. Architectural Digest describes it as “Mid-century-modern-inspired furniture creates a cozy but streamlined aesthetic.”

People living in the U.S. can request to book stays at airbnb.com/houseplant. Guests are responsible for their own travel to and from Los Angeles, California and comply with applicable COVID-19 rules and guidelines. 

See Rogen’s listing on the Airbnb site.

If you can’t find your way in, Airbnb provides over 1,600 other creative spaces available around the globe.

The post Seth Rogen’s ‘High-ly Creative Retreat Airbnb Begins Booking appeared first on High Times.

Seth Rogen’s ‘High-ly Creative Retreat’ Airbnb Begins Booking

Feel like taking your creativity level… a bit higher? Available for booking beginning this week, Seth Rogen partnered with Airbnb to unveil “A High-ly Creative Retreat,” providing a unique getaway in Los Angeles with ceramic activities.

The retreat features a ceramic studio with Rogen’s own handmade pottery, a display of his cannabis and lifestyle company Houseplant’s unique Housegoods, as well as mid-century furnishings, and “sprawling views of the city.”

The Airbnb is probably a lot cheaper than you think: Rogen will host three, one-night stays on February 15, 16, and 17 for two guests each for just $42—one decimal point away from 420—with some restrictions. U.S. residents can book an overnight stay at Rogen’s Airbnb beginning Feb. 7, but book now, because it’s doubtful that open slots will last.

“I don’t know what’s more of a Houseplant vibe than a creative retreat at a mid-century Airbnb filled with our Housegoods, a pottery wheel, and incredible views of LA,” Rogen said. “Add me, and you’ll have the ultimate experience.”

According to the listing, and his Twitter account, Rogen will be there to greet people and even do ceramics together.

“I’m teaming up with Airbnb so you (or someone else) can hang out with me and spend the night in a house inspired by my company,” Rogen tweeted recently.

Guests will be provided with the following activities:

  • Get glazed in the pottery studio and receive pointers from Rogen himself!
  • Peruse a selection of Rogen’s own ceramic masterpieces, proudly displayed within the mid-century modern home.
  • Relax and revel in the sunshine of the space’s budding yard.
  • Tune in and vibe out to a collection of Houseplant record sets with specially curated tracklists by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg and inspired by different cannabis strains. Guests will get an exclusive first listen to their new Vinyl Box Set Vol. 2.
  • Satisfy cravings with a fully-stocked fridge for after-hours snacks.

Airbnb plans to join in on Rogen’s charity efforts, including his non-profit Hilarity for Charity, focusing on helping people living with Alzheimer’s disease.

“In celebration of this joint effort, Airbnb will make a one-time donation to Hilarity for Charity, a national non-profit on a mission to care for families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease, activate the next generation of Alzheimer’s advocates, and be a leader in brain health research and education,” Airbnb wrote.

In 2021, Rogen launched Houseplant, his cannabis and lifestyle company, in the U.S. But the cannabis brand’s web traffic was so high that the site crashed. Houseplant was founded by Rogen and his childhood friend Evan Goldberg, along with Michael Mohr, James Weaver, and Alex McAtee.

Yahoo! News reports, however, that Airbnb does not (cough, cough) allow cannabis on the premises of listings. The listing, however, will be filled with goods from Houseplant. Houseplant also sells luxury paraphernalia with a “mid-century modern spin.”

Seth Rogen recently invited Architectural Digest to present a tour of the Houseplant headquarters’ interior decor and operations. Houseplant’s headquarters is located in a 1918 bungalow in Los Angeles. Architectural Digest describes it as “Mid-century-modern-inspired furniture creates a cozy but streamlined aesthetic.”

People living in the U.S. can request to book stays at airbnb.com/houseplant. Guests are responsible for their own travel to and from Los Angeles, California and comply with applicable COVID-19 rules and guidelines. 

See Rogen’s listing on the Airbnb site.

If you can’t find your way in, Airbnb provides over 1,600 other creative spaces available around the globe.

The post Seth Rogen’s ‘High-ly Creative Retreat’ Airbnb Begins Booking appeared first on High Times.

Phil Hanley Is Taking It Easy

Phil Hanley has a laid back approach to his material, which is more self-deprecating than punching up or down at anyone.

Most recently, Hanley financed and produced his latest special, “Ooh La La.” He betted on himself. It paid off and resulted in a brisk, tightly constructed 45 minutes of consistent laughs, both big and small. Hanley, who has plenty of nostalgia for his high school days of dropping acid and skateboarding in Canada, talked to us about his earliest experiences in comedy, the Grateful Dead, and dyslexia.

What work went into self-financing and producing your special?

Well, I did have a producer and my friend directed it. Russell Marcus Price directed it, but just coming up with the design for the backdrop, I taped it in one of the Comedy Cellar venues and other people had taped specials there before because they’re really generous with letting us use the venue and stuff. I wanted it to look different. I had to design, come up with the backdrop, and then hire people to build it all out. There are five cameras. I can write the jokes and perform them, but all the other stuff is just really not anything that I have a strong grasp of. It was a lot of work and then you tape two shows and edit it together, and it’s just a whole thing. It’s all new. I had done a special in Canada when I first started and I did a Comedy Central special and you just show up when you’re not doing it yourself. This way, there’s just so much going on.

What clubs did you play at in Vancouver?

Yeah, I started in Vancouver. There were tons of open mics and stuff that I did, and then there was a great club here called the Comedy Mix that now is no longer. It unfortunately shut down. But yeah, I was lucky. When I started comedy, I moved back in with my parents and the club was an eight minute walk. It was so close.

This is one of the rare specials in which the comedian doesn’t mock their parents. They sound great.

Yeah, it’s funny. My parents, my dad, was a huge comedy fan and particularly a standup fan. They were onboard right away. Even now when I’m home, I’ll be talking about my friend Sam Morale at dinner, and then I’m going out to do a show in Vancouver and I’ll hear my dad watching a special or I’ll mention a comic. They’re older, they’re retired and stuff like that, but they’re pretty hip to the current standup scene.

How do you decide when you know an hour of material is ready to go for a special?

Well, I’m not a perfectionist in any other area of my life, but I could just work material over and over again and I kind of set a date. Because what I needed to do was to set a date and then just get on your agent to fill out the weekends. You can overthink these things. I knew that I had three months [before filing] on the road then to really tighten stuff.

Of course, as you’re about to tape, all of a sudden you have all these new bits and stuff and have to decide, do I just love this bit because it’s brand new and I haven’t done it a million times? Or is it actually up to par with the other jokes in the special? With comics, your mind tends to play tricks on you. You’ll have a brand new bit where you think it’s the best thing in the world, but it’s really just fresh for you to tell so you got to kind of figure that out.

What were some of the brand new bits in the special that stayed?

I think there’s a bit that was really new. It sucks now. I was able to do it up until I just played San Francisco and I was able to do a lot of the material from my special because it hadn’t come out yet. But the joke about a scientific study that said that unstable women were better in bed. That was a real thing. I didn’t read the whole study, but I did read that headline and then I just had that bit for so long and I was trying to figure it out. I was trying to figure it out and there were so many angles. In my head initially I was like, “Well, unstable women, I guess I’m sure to some I would be considered an unstable man. Does that make me better?”

I just couldn’t figure out the right thing. And then you just get it and something just clicks. Some jokes come to you and are so easy right away. You try them that night and they’re kind of there. And then other things you’re just like, no, something’s funny and you just can’t quite get at the right angle. That was one that I had had for probably a year and a half and tried different things and then would drop it for a month and forget about it. And then a comic would be like, “Oh, I love that premise you had.” I was like, “Oh, yeah. Okay, I’ll try that again.”

What would you say are some of your favorite clubs that you go to test out material?

There are some clubs that you just trust. Some clubs are just easy, because the crowds are just pumped. For me, working at the Comedy Cellar is ideal because it’s a mixed crowd. It’s now basically a landmark so there are tourists, they’re from another state, but they’re kind of hardcore comedy fans. And then there’s just local New Yorkers that have been going there forever. I’m really lucky to get to play there every night because it is a good mix of people. If stuff works there, you’re pretty sure that it’s going to work.

Sometimes you’ll go and it’ll work on the road, a joke will work in a 45-minute set because they really get to know you and then you’ll come back and it won’t be hitting the same way at the Cellar and you’re like, “Oh, no. It’s not as strong as I thought it was.” But to me, the Cellar is a great place to get a read on a joke. I feel like if something hits there, unless it’s New York-centric, which I tend to try to steer away from, you know it’s going to kind of work everywhere.

I like that the Cellar actually keeps an eye out on the crowd, making sure they’re respectful.

Oh, yeah. Totally. I feel like people are well behaved there compared to other places. Sometimes on the road you’re like, nevermind in a comedy club, I can’t believe an adult would behave this way, just indoors. You’re like, “What are you doing?” They police those rooms and they make people lock up their phones and stuff like that, which is nice because then you feel like you can maybe take a risk or try something knowing that no one’s going to be videotaping it or whatever.

It’s funny watching the special, there wasn’t too much material where like, oh, this is stepping or dancing over a line. It was all good fun, even if something was teetering on the line. You know what I mean?

Oh, yeah. I want people to laugh and have fun and obviously, not take themselves so seriously. If people are offended or whatever, that’s not my goal. I don’t feel I’m being rebellious if someone gets offended or anything like that. I really want a room of strangers to all laugh, not to say that I still can make fun of things, but as long as any group doesn’t take themselves too seriously, they’re not going to be offended.

You have an easygoing presence on stage.

It feels easygoing, but putting it all together and all that stuff isn’t easy. It’s funny, I’m severely dyslexic to the point where people didn’t even realize. Now I’ve started working with dyslexic organizations and I’m on the board of a big one called Eye to Eye in the States and I had the opportunity to go and talk to kids that are dyslexic, and I’m learning more and more, but part of it is organization and getting out the door and getting to a place on time is challenging.

Coming up with material is always hard. It can be challenging, but once I’m actually on stage, I know I’m not late, I’m not running back because I forgot something, that part is easy. I think part of that is just because having a learning difference makes everything else so challenging that once I’m on stage, it is fun and it is kind of, for me, the easiest part of the day. But with that, memorizing material and all that stuff can be more challenging.

Do you tape your material to practice?

Even though I have so much difficulty reading and writing, for some reason I still like to write out jokes. I feel they’re their best when they’re written out. I always have a legal pad. I print them out in big grade three lettering and my spelling is always mocked by my colleagues and my printing. My friends always say it looks like a ransom note, but that’s just the way I do it. 

What are some crowd reactions you get for speaking about dyslexia? Do you ever meet people who relate or feel better to have a laugh about it?

Jack, it’s so crazy. I’ll say, I’ll play the late show. I was in San Francisco a week ago and your openers … you play Denver, wherever, you go on stage and it’s late and the people before you might have just talked about sex. Really sensational things and these graphic sex stories. I go up and I’m talking about being dyslexic. It’s so common and it’s affected so many people, that people are like, it’s hitting. It makes no sense that I can talk about an experience I had in the first grade, not being able to read, and it’s hitting hard at 11:15 on a Friday night where people got up, went to work, went for dinner, went for drinks, then came to the late show.

Or at the Comedy Cellar, sometimes I’ll go on at 1:00 a.m. and I’m talking about being a kid in special ed and it’s hitting. I think it’s really common. I do meet people afterwards, and that’s generally what they want to talk about. It’ll be someone whose kid’s dyslexic or someone who is dyslexic themselves or had some type of learning difference.

Must feel nice turning those experiences into feel-good comedy, right?

My favorite part of comedy is that you have a bad experience, you have a heartbreak or something tragic happens to you, when you’re a comic and especially with your friends, you’re surrounded by comics. You’re immediately like, “Oh, that’s going to be a great bit.” It’s almost the worse something happens, the better. You’re going to get something out of it. Even though obviously it sucks and is painful at the time, heartbreak or whatever, you do know in your head, you’re like, “I will get something out of it.” 

You take a shitty experience and then if you get five minutes of jokes out of it, you can tour that for a year and a half and kill doing those jokes. It feels almost worthwhile when going through a bad experience. That is like 100 percent the beauty of comedy. You do get something out of it when you go through something shitty.

When did you start talking more about dyslexia in your stand up?

Some of my first jokes were about being dyslexic. I had a therapist here in Vancouver and he observed that. I didn’t even realize what the hell I was doing, but he was really interested in comedy and he’d ask me about it at the end of our sessions and I would tell him and he’d be like, “You’re taking these negative experiences and making something positive out of them.” That is the best part.

As far as being empowering for dyslexics, I think it does help. It certainly helps me. Currently, I’m in Vancouver. I’m writing a book about being dyslexic and as I was doing the research, my jaw would drop, because when you have a learning disability, you all experience the same things, but you really suffer in silence because when you’re a kid, you’re not going to like… I was in special ed, but you don’t really connect about it. You’re just so bummed that you’re being forced to do this thing that you have so much trouble doing or whatever. Yeah, I think it is empowering just to also know that people go through similar things.

So many great comedians have come out of Canada. What material is really specific to there? 

Well, that’s interesting. In certain cities, there’s always local jokes or whatever, and sometimes you’ll see it on the road. I think part of the reason is that there’s a long line of Canadians that were funny; we are in, like it or not, and some would dispute, but we’re still in the shadows of the States. 

For example, if there’s an American election, it’s a huge story in Canada. Where if there’s a Canadian election, you guys have your own stuff. We’re really still in the shadows. I feel like that’s just the best place to be. Even in the sense, I’m sure in families, the younger siblings might be, I think in my family, I’m the youngest, but the younger siblings might be the funniest just because we’re, I don’t know, just observing. We’re just observing a lot. I feel like in Canada we have our own culture and our own stuff going on, but they’re also, every day, we turn on the news or CNN or whatever there, we do spend time observing what’s going on in the States.

How’s the book going?

The book, it’s going well. Yeah, it’s quite an endeavor and I have been really enjoying it. I’m a huge Grateful Dead fan. I put on a show and then I try to write, stay at my desk and write for the full show. If you know the Dead, that’s a pretty good writing session. They play for three hours.

I do that sometimes as well.

It’s the best. I did that when I started comedy. Before I even started comedy, I used to write screenplays for kids movies and stuff. I would do that and I put on a Dead show. I have this huge encyclopedia of every show, and I would look, I’d pick a show, and then I would read a little bit about it. As I was writing and I was also going, “Oh, wow. Brent really is going off in this ‘Turn On Your Lovelight.’”

Also, I can only listen to shows from the late ’80s and early ’90s if I can’t write with some blistering show from ’77 or something like that or the earlier stuff. The book has been going good, though. It’s long because I write slowly, but it’s pretty trippy. I don’t know if you’ve had this experience, but if you’re trying to write about things that happened years and years ago, if you really, day after day, if you’re thinking about these events, you start coming up with dialogue and there are times you can be pretty accurate.

Let’s journey back in time. How were your acid experiences in high school?

I took acid in high school. Part of my motivation was I couldn’t read. I was forced to go to school. It was stressful, and I took acid, and I knew that even there were dudes that were considered partiers that considered acid dirty or too much of a drug, whatever. I always felt a little bit weird about it. And then years later, I’m in a therapist’s office and my therapist’s like, “Yeah, you were so stressed and unhappy with basically your nine to five job, which was school, that you needed a release that took you to another dimension type thing.” It agreed with me. Although I don’t take it now, I do look back at those experiences so positively. I had a blast, but I realize it doesn’t agree with everybody. It certainly agreed with me at the time being in high school and taking acid and skateboarding on a summer night.

Sounds pretty great.

Yeah, absolutely. And then I love the Grateful Dead while I’m drinking chamomile tea, but the Dead while on LSD, especially those wild shows where they were most likely taking it themselves is wow, that’s really the ultimate, you got chocolate bar in my peanut butter. LSD and a skateboard and a Dead show is, when I was a teenager, that was about as great as it got.

Did you ever go to any Grateful Dead shows?

I’ve been to different carnations of the Dead, I’ve probably been to close to 100 every chance I got. Tons of Bob Weir and RatDog shows. I play San Francisco, they always booked me the weekend before the Dead played Shoreline, so I’d always get to see the Shoreline shows, and I always go to City Fields in New York, and I saw Phil Lesh and Friends and the Dead. Anything Bob Weir does, I’ll support. Another dyslexic.

Oh, really?

My favorite dyslexic, Bob Weir.

I didn’t know that.

Oh, dude. He is so dyslexic. He plays guitar like only a dyslexic can. He’s such a unique guitar player. I love bringing a friend to a Dead show and a musician or whatever and they’re smoking. They get a little fucked up and then all of a sudden they just start saying to me, “What the hell?” He just plays his chord so uniquely and he’s such a unique player. As a dyslexic, I’m like, “Yeah, you would approach it that way only if you were dyslexic.”

Did you ever get to see Jerry Garcia?

I did get to see Jerry, yeah, when I was really young. You can’t put into words what it’s like. I get goosebumps. I remember once I was at a show and I had looked away for a second and the crowd cheered, and I turned to my friend, and I’m like, “What happened?” He goes, “Oh, Jerry lifted his leg.” Everyone was so focused on him, and he would solo, and then the whole arena would exhale at the same time.

Nothing really touches that. I guess maybe John Coltrane or these legendary performers that people talk about losing themselves in their music. But with Garcia, it was like, and I didn’t have enough life experience to fully understand, but it was an absolute lift off. When he would play or solo, you’d just completely lose yourself, and then the song would end, you’d take a deep breath and the next thing you knew, you were in the middle of it again. It was incredible.

Now I go to shows and I’m kind of sober. I just take it in and enjoy it. But yeah, man, Garcia was unlike anything else I’d ever seen. I’ve seen tons of all the jam bands now, but he was the guy.

The post Phil Hanley Is Taking It Easy appeared first on High Times.

Higher Profile: Anthony Winston III, Engineer

The first time engineer Anthony Winston III, PE, consulted on an indoor agricultural farm in California, he was told it was a “tomato” operation.

“I took a look at the building on Google Maps, because it just didn’t sound right – and when I noted the equipment on the roof I knew something was off,” he explained. “When I got there and realized they were a fully licensed and legal cannabis operation under the newly regulated market in California, I told them they could have told me the truth and I wouldn’t have minded.”

The experience gave him a new perspective on just what it was like working within the cannabis industry. Even though the plant is legal in the state, Federal laws stand, with licensed farmers and manufacturers in the space afraid to let an engineer know what they were doing upfront – fearful he’d say no.

Aside from the secrecy of it all, Winston realized the very building housing this major operation, requiring a serious electrical installation and all that implies, was in disrepair in a sketchy neighborhood, at best. This legal, licensed company couldn’t find a better location or building due to the very nature of the business and the stigma involved.

“The first time I was handed a stack of cash as payment for work I realized just what a travesty it is,” he added. “Imagine trying to do business like that – with large sums of money. It’s just not right.”

Courtesy Anthony Winston III

Discrimination: Black, Brown & Green

Discrimination is nothing new to Winston, who grew up on the South Side of Chicago. It’s a part of the city that’s historically gotten a bad rap for crime, with the Black population targeted.

During former South Side resident and first Black President Barack Obama’s tenure in the White House, Chicago was wrongly named the top city for murders. The political smear was corrected, however, as the city ranked tenth on the list at the time. Crime data pulled from the FBI, city police officials, and the U.S. Census Bureau in 2019, put St. Louis, Missouri in the number one slot of 65 cities, with Chicago at 28.

In actuality, the region south of the city is diversified, with upper, middle, and lower class neighborhoods.

The misinformation on crime and the fear that ensues on this and other cities boasting higher populations of people of color can be readily traced back to political propaganda. Eerily similar to the way cannabis has been politicized and demonized.

In fact, the plant has been used systematically to discriminate against Blacks, Asians, Latinos, and even women, over the decades. Look no further than the 1936 propagandist film, Reefer Madness, and see that just one puff of “the marihuana” turns women into whores.

Winston, who considers himself a lifelong student of Black history, said while he understands the pain of discrimination within many groups of minorities, he can’t compare his own experience.

“I try not to compare struggles,” he shared. “My struggle as a Black man is different than that of, say, an LGBTQ+ person. You can’t equate it. You can equate the absolute absurdity of someone trying to get plant medicine and assistance, without having to buy expensive pharmaceuticals. In that respect, both are absurd. No one wants or should be treated unfairly – especially when it equates to the safety and well-being of their own bodies.”

winston
Courtesy Anthony Winston III

Engineered for the Plant

Winston was educated at Arizona State University, earning his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, with an emphasis in Power Transmission and Distribution. He later earned his Professional Engineering (PE) certification.

His company, Winston Engineering Inc., established in 2015, is the only Black-owned MEP and civil engineering firm in California, operating in multiple states and Canada. 

“After working on that first warehouse in Los Angeles, everything snowballed. Because of the discrimination in the cannabis industry, when they find a professional willing to work, introductions by word-of-mouth are common. We were working on another warehouse in Long Beach and a neighbor stopped in that was doing extractions, so we worked on his facility. He was the first license holder in Long Beach for extractions.”

Winston’s company employs 10, providing mechanical (HVAC), electrical, plumbing (MEP), and civil engineering for a wide variety of cannabis related buildings, including cultivation, extraction, manufacturing, retail, and distribution.

winston
Courtesy Anthony Winston III

Helping Himself, Helping Grandma

When California legalized, Winston tried an edible for the first time.

“I’ve always been an athlete, and still have knee pain from playing basketball. Instead of reaching for a painkiller, I take edibles, and it’s been amazing for taking care of the pain. I’m lucky, I’m healthy and only use an inhaler for exercise-induced asthma.”

Helping himself with the plant was one thing, but helping Grandma was everything.

“My grandmother has a lot of medical conditions, and at one point she was taking well over a dozen medications that left her in an almost sleepy, zombie state,” he shared. “I convinced her to try cannabis, and gave her a five milligram gummy to start with. So far, she’s cut her medications down by half and she’s back to being herself again.”

Aside from his cannabis use as medicine, he’s also changed his diet over the years to vegetarian, leaning to vegan, after his daughter was diagnosed with multiple food allergies, including dairy.

In a study published by the National Institute of Health (NIH), it was found that increasing fruits and vegetables in the diet for just two weeks, raises endorphins and creates dopamine in the brain, successfully treating depression.

We in the cannabis caregiving space know that adding superfoods or super plants, like cannabis, also raises endorphins and creates dopamine, while addressing all our biological systems, creating homeostasis or a place where illness cannot dwell.

“I do my best to stay as natural as possible, and I love the cannabis plant and all its possibilities,” he added.

Courtesy Anthony Winston III

Social Equity in Real Time

“When dispensaries start looking like Apple stores, it’s time to let Black and Brown people out of jail.” – Anthony Winston III

Social equity in the cannabis space means bridging the gap between the once illicit market, into the regulated market, for those who might have been marginalized within the failed War on Drugs.

In other words, if you were part of the cog in the wheel of meeting supply and demand of the world’s most beloved and illicit plant, chances are you might not have the wherewithal to come into compliance in a legal market, with all that implies.

“What the end result of helping people in the social equity space should be is setting people up to start-up and run a business, simply put,” he said. “What that looks like in real time is, we volunteer our time with various social equity groups around the country, teaching them about avoiding pitfalls when designing a facility.”

How they find people to mentor varies. Quite often Winston meets social equity organizers at various cannabis conferences.

“I’ll talk to them about everything I know about starting up and business, engineering, and everything else in between,” he said.

One big inspiration came when he heard Tracy Ryan, founder of CannaKids and mother of Sophie Ryan who has been using cannabis oil in tandem with traditional therapies to treat a brain tumor since she was nine months old.

“When I first [started] working in the cannabis industry, I thought of it as a money making opportunity,” he admitted. “Then, I heard Tracy Ryan speak and met her daughter, Sophie, and that really pulled at my heartstrings. When you begin to hear the stories of cannabis patents dealing with real illness, it changes everything.”

Winston said he’s seen the impacts of the War on Drugs firsthand, with numerous family members locked up over the years.

“Recently, a cousin was released from prison after spending the better part of his twenties in jail,” he said. “He missed out on the years … where he might have developed his own business. This is a common tale within the Drug War.”

The feeling is that those in the industry with the ability to lead in this way, have an obligation to help those coming up. It doesn’t just mean writing a check or adding a logo in support to your website. The victims of the failed War on Drugs, and the inequities that ensue with people of color, add another layer to the wrongs that need to be righted now.

For more information on Winston Engineering Inc visit: https://winstoneng.com/

The post Higher Profile: Anthony Winston III, Engineer appeared first on High Times.

Encuesta Exclusiva: ¿En Qué Lugar NO te Fumarías un Porro y Por Qué?

Nota por Hernán Panessi publicada originalmente en El Planteo. Más artículos por El Planteo en High Times en Español.

Síguenos en Instagram (@El.Planteo) y Twitter (@ElPlanteo).

Sitios prohibidos, trampas de la mente, lugares sagrados, situaciones en las que no, simplemente no se puede. Por la buena, se sabe, la mecha aparece en cualquier lado. Ahora bien, ¿y si no pinta? ¿Hay lugares en los que “no da” fumar porro? ¿Existen sitios en los que es preferible no prender un churro?

Contenido relacionado: Cinco Lugares Realmente Increíbles para Bajonear en Buenos Aires

Con El Planteo andamos investigando todos los recovecos de la cultura 420 y, por eso, ahora preguntamos: ¿en qué lugar “NO” te fumarías un porro y por qué?

Ariel Toronja, streamer: Easy

Yo sé que parece un planazo fumarse un porro antes de entrar al Easy, pero si no tenés una listita, es lo mismo que entrar con hambre al supermercado. Es el equivalente. ¿Para qué me compré esta vitina si nunca comí vitina en mi vida? Bueno, por ahí, eso lo terminás comiendo un día que no tenés nada.

Contenido relacionado: Los 15 Mejores Lugares para Vivir si Consumes Cannabis

Pero yo me he ido del Easy con unos tornillos sólo porque los colores se veían lindos. ¡Tornillos! O una lata de pintura de un color fabuloso y cuando llego a casa pienso: “¿qué voy a pintar con esto?”. O esa vez que compré una manguera porque era violeta. Metros y metros de manguera y yo viviendo en un departamento de 2 x 2. Parece una idea fabulosa pero se puede transformar en una ridiculez.

Gonza Varas, ilustrador y cantante de Motochorros: Corea del Norte y antes de cantar

Por razones obvias, no me fumaría un porro en Corea del Norte. Y, segundo, en situaciones en las que tengo que memorizar cosas. Si fumo porro, en los segundos previos a eso, la paso como el culo. Me olvido.

Contenido relacionado: 7 Lugares de CDMX Donde Puedes Fumar Porro en la Calle

Me pasa cuando toco con la banda. No fumo antes de cantar porque me olvido las letras. Además, es una cuestión bastante particular. No digo que les pase a todos, pero a mí me pasa eso.

Juana Aguirre, música: Antes de tocar

Foto por Pedro Belluomini

Nunca jamás fumaría antes de tocar. Es algo que ya intenté varias veces y, definitivamente, no es para mí. Envidio mucho a la gente que puede tocar y se puede subir al escenario fumada. Imagino que debe ser una experiencia especial y mística, pero definitivamente no es para mí.

Contenido relacionado: Hablamos con la Rapera Sofía Gabanna: ‘El Rap Es una Forma de Vida, No Es una Moda’

Ya el hecho de tocar representa un montón de estímulos y hacerlo fumada… es un montón.

Marilinki Castañeda, celebridad de Internet: Iglesia

Un lugar donde no me fumaría un porro es en una iglesia, en el contexto de una ceremonia religiosa, como un bautismo o un casamiento.

Contenido relacionado: Iglesia Internacional del Cannabis: Una Visita Virtual

Son situaciones que, de por sí, estando careta, me pueden llegar a dar un ataque incontenible de risa. Y siento que si estuviese fumada sería un absoluto papelón.

Juanita Groisman, periodista: Subte

Un lugar donde no fumar es en cualquier lado que involucre a un subte. Las cercanías de un subte: en absoluto, siempre hay muchos policías.

Esto es un consejo para la gente: no se confíen. Incluso, las estaciones que parecen que están cerca de parquecitos y cosas así… ojo, porque hay policías dando vueltas y no son una buena zona.

Contenido relacionado: Estos Son los Lugares y Horarios Favoritos para Fumar Porro en EEUU

Tampoco antes de subir al subte. Nada que tenga que ver con el subte, porque es un lugar que tiene todas las características como para tener un mal viaje: hace calor, hay mucha gente, estás apretado, el tiempo se vuelve medio difuso, no hay tantas cosas divertidas, hay muy feo olor… no me parece para nada un buen lugar. No fumen antes de subir al subte o cerca del subte. No así antes de viajar en colectivo, que puede ser una experiencia mejor.

Pipa Barbato, comediante: circo o casa abandonada

Un lugar donde no me fumaría un porro es un lugar donde exista la mínima posibilidad de que algo me dé miedo. Por ejemplo, un circo. Pero no un circo bueno, sino uno conurbano, esos de bajo presupuesto. Tipo el del Profesor Jirafales, donde están los payasos mal maquillados y los animales cagados a palos. Algo así.

Contenido relacionado: ¿Cuáles son las Películas de Terror que NO Tenés que ver si Fumaste Marihuana? Hablan los Expertos

O una casa abandonada. Igual, a una casa abandonada no iría ni en pedo en circunstancias normales. Y si existiera una posibilidad de ir, no me fumaría un porro porque, conociendo mi mente, me perseguiría por cualquier cosa.

La Blunty, trapera: Con policías

Foto por Leo Furio

Contenido relacionado: Consejos de Noelia Custodio para el Apocalipsis: Ruta, Porro, Terror, Risa y Cuidado

Nunca me fumaría un porro en un lugar donde haya una reunión de policías o muchos policías cerca. En el único lugar en el que no me fumaría un porro es donde no me lo permitan. Por el simple hecho de que me pueden llevar presa… y no quiero.

Paio Rodríguez, streamer y gamer pro: Casa del terror

Foto por Marco Marroncelli

Contenido relacionado: Expertos Recomiendan los Mejores Videojuegos para Jugar Estando High

El lugar donde nunca me fumaría un porro es en una casa del terror, esas de parques de diversiones. Soy muy cagón y creo que me lo potenciaría y la pasaría muy pero muy mal.

Más contenido de El Planteo:

  • Damián Kuc: Historias Innecesarias, Adolescencia Fumona y Persecuciones Policiales
  • Ramitagram: ‘En Argentina, el Debate del Porro ya Logró Barrer a esa Gente que Opina por Opinar’
  • Ramen en Buenos Aires: Dónde Encontrar el Mejor

The post Encuesta Exclusiva: ¿En Qué Lugar NO te Fumarías un Porro y Por Qué? appeared first on High Times.