Cannabis Consumption at Corporate Events

Recreational cannabis dispensaries still haven’t opened in Massachusetts yet, but that isn’t stopping businesses from creating 4/20-themed events.  Businesses are launching their own events to get their audiences mingling with each other.  People gather together to these events to socialize, have a few drinks, and even conduct some business in the meantime.  But the one main thing audiences are doing is consuming some cannabis.

In the past, I have attended various events where patrons consume cannabis during the event or after it is over.  People huddled over in packs while joints were passed one by one.  Not only was this practice acceptable, but it is being more encouraged as time goes on.  With audiences discussing about cannabis during the event, it only makes sense to light up joint or two.

What makes this so interesting is how taboo this idea was over 20-30 years ago.  You rarely heard of businesses easily lighting up a doobie during an event.  Even before liability became such an essential issue, employees could easily get in major trouble for consuming cannabis (even if it was during their off-hours).

Here we are in 2018, where businessmen and women light up during cannabis events.  Legal states like California and Colorado are reaping in the benefits of recreational cannabis use.  As more states legalize cannabis, many businesses are finding it easier to provide cannabis consumption to make their events more 4/20 friendly.  This will provide more success for businesses alike.

With more events planned in the future, many will be able to allow its patrons to consume cannabis with their peers.  Not only that, but it also makes for great publicity in the long run.  This is the kind of aspect for your event that will only propel your business even further.

In the end, providing patrons with the option to consume cannabis will make events even better.  Whether it is a networking event or a social on a boat, cannabis goes well with any 4/20-themed event.

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Red States + Cannabis = Blue States

Cannabis legalization has been sweeping the country for more than half a decade.  Various states took initiatives to allow for a recreational cannabis industry to happen.  Most of these stems from the blue states here in America.  These ‘blue states’ are more open about certain policies, especially those about cannabis.

As time marches forward, many red states start leaning over towards the blue side.  Viewpoints change every day, which prompts people to give certain taboos a chance into their society.  One of these vices that is being given a real chance happens to be cannabis.

It is true – the red states are embracing cannabis legalization here in the United States.  The red states are expanding access for audiences all across the country.

Just last month, Oklahoma voted to legalize medical cannabis by a 57% landslide.  Oklahomans will now have access to medical cannabis; but more importantly, become part of the most booming industry in the country.  A vote like this certainly caught a lot of people by surprise, especially with it being a deep red state like Oklahoma.

But that’s not the only surprise that happened for the red states.  Just a few days ago, state legislators in Maine overrode Gov. Paul’s LePage’s veto of a medical cannabis bill.  These legislators eliminated qualifying conditions altogether and allow dispensaries to operate as for-profit enterprises.  The biggest take away from this deal?  Possession limit for patients increased from 2.5 ounces to 8 pounds.

Seriously folks – EIGHT pounds of medical cannabis.  If you do the math, it comes out to 128 ounces of cannabis (which is 10X the limit amount in MA!).  In grams, it comes out to over 3,600+ grams.  This is not straight from a high school math book people…this is REAL life here.

All basic math aside, this is certainly a political PR miracle for the red states.  Red states like Maine and Oklahoma are truly embracing the cannabis industry to the fullest.  It may have taken longer than anticipated, but now is a better time than ever.

When you mix red and blue together, you get purple; but when you throw cannabis into the mix, that purple starts to turn blue.  With more states becoming increasingly open towards cannabis, the United States will see more shades of purple.  It won’t be long until the red starts disappearing.

With things like 8-pound possession limit and 57% landslide vote, it makes for another win for the cannabis industry.  These are the PR miracles that will slowly lift this industry further off from the ground.  It takes the combined strength of both the blue and red states to make this a reality.

Oklahoma and Maine are just a few of many states that will slowly turn towards the cannabis industry.  Just a little PR magic and the ‘reefer madness’ mindset will be put to a close.

Epidiolex – Made With 100% CBD

So we’re on the first week of being able to purchase recreational cannabis use in Massachusetts.  There aren’t any dispensaries open for business yet, but the kinks are being worked out.  Even still, the popular cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) is still making waves all across the country.  CBD has been infused in various products and provide numerous benefits for its consumers.  From gummies to tropical lotions, CBD is becoming a key ingredient for many common items.

In fact, CBD has become so popular that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken notice of its miraculous benefits.  They gathered their findings to approve a new product called…Epidiolex.

Epidiolex is the first prescription drug made from cannabis.  It’s a medication used to treat Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes, two rare forms of epilepsy that begin in early childhood.  This strawberry-flavored syrup contains a purified form of CBD.

Now that the FDA approved for releasing Epidiolex into the market, the only sensible thing that would happen is for CBD to be reclassified.  Note that I said for CBD to be classified and not the cannabis plant itself.  Cannabis is still a Schedule I drug, but there’s the opportunity for CBD to be bumped into either Schedule IV or Schedule V.

This is a MAJOR PR miracle for the cannabis industry.  Massachusetts may not have any recreational dispensaries open, but we now have Epidiolex released into the market.  Medicines like Epidiolex will certainly turn a lot of heads in the future, generating a lot of positive buzz for the cannabis industry.

Every cloud has that silver lining and that’s just what happened for the cannabis industry this past week.  Hopefully we will see more CBD products becoming more mainstream as time goes on.  Once CBD becomes reclassified, things only gets better from there.

We still have some setbacks with cannabis, but we continue to move forward to a greener future.  This is just one of many PR miracles that is sure to come after decades of hard work.

Cooking on High Review

Cannabis-themed shows have been all in the rage the past few years.  Series like Bong Appetit and High Maintenance showcase cannabis in their own unique ways.  Cannabis is slowly turning less into a ‘Reefer Madness’ theme and becoming normalized in our American society.  Each show paves the way for the cannabis industry even more.

One such cannabis-themed show was released on Netflix earlier in June.  It combines cannabis with two chefs skilled in the art of cooking.  I’m talking about Cooking on High.

Ok folks, I’m just going to come out and say this now…Cooking on High was just horrifically bad.  I really got my hopes up seeing the teaser and all that, but it never lived up to the hype.  It was like unwrapping that surprising gift only to find out it’s a pair of socks.

            Before we roast this series, let’s start with the actual concept.  Josh Levya hosts this cannabis-themed cooking competition series where two chefs battle it out under one kitchen.  The chefs must create a cannabis-themed cuisine based on the theme pulls out.  In the end, the chef with the best dish receives the stash and the ‘Golden Pot’ as a prize.  Each episode lasts fifteen minutes with different judges and contestants throughout the series.

First off, the concept is a cannabis-themed competition cooking series.  For a ‘competition’ series, there was barely any competing happening whatsoever.  The chefs have all of the ingredients they need…RIGHT in front of them!  It’s like watching fisherman catch fish out of a barrel.  Many competitive cooking series like Guy’s Grocery Games or Chopped show the contestants hustling to grab their ingredients while the time is ticking away.

Speaking of time, Cooking on High is a short series.  Each segment lasts fifteen minutes (or less!) and capture enough action.  If the show were longer, then there would be more interesting segments of the food being cooked rather than what is happening in the background.

And the dialogue throughout the series…OH MY SWEET JESUS it is bad.  The dialogue between the characters become so cringe-worthy that it is hard to even take it seriously.  Rather than discuss the delicious food the contestants are making, these ‘judges’ start talking about their stories of when they first took edibles or smoked cannabis.  Each dish created looks absolutely amazing, yet the focus shift towards these silly stoner stories that have nothing to do with concept.

The main problem I had was that it tried to do too much in one short series.  It combines cannabis with a competitive cooking series with other cringing ideas.  In the end, you end up with a series full of cheesy one-liners and juvenile stoner stories that have NOTHING to do with the concept whatsoever.

I was really looking forward for this amazing idea on Netflix; what I got after twelve episodes was just full of disappointment.  Ironically enough, I didn’t enjoy it even after consuming a bowl of Huckleberry.

In the end, avoid Cooking on High at all cost.  Tune into a more high-brow show like Bong Appetit or Weediquette.  You will certainly gain more 4/20 knowledge through those series.

That’s all for today’s roast on Cooking on High.  Hopefully there will be a much better cannabis-themed competitive cooking series on the horizon.  To be blunt, Cooking on High was just not lit at all.

Final Thoughts Before July 1st

As we enter the last Friday of June, we quickly realize that July is approaching.  Summer has been the key phrase in many of the past post these days.  Another month of summer means more outdoor event happening all across cities.  This the time for more leisure, taking time away from the work week to enjoy the outdoors.

But if anything, July marks one special thing – recreational cannabis dispensaries opening in the state of Massachusetts.  Even in the dog days of summer, this will be one mystery that will be played out over the next few months.

What will this recreational market look like? Will there be a shift within the marketing curve happening in the near future?  If so, could this lead towards the favor of the cannabis industry?

Who knows how this industry will play out.  It will be interesting to see what a regulated recreational cannabis system will look like in the near future.  Many kinks will have to be worked out, yet all of those kinks go towards creating a more beneficial industry.

If there is ever something for PR pros to keep watch of this summer (and beyond), it’s the recreational cannabis industry.  This is the year where you will see a lot of buzz going to pot (LITERALLY!).  Whether the publicity be good or bad, one thing’s for certain – cannabis is definitely the talk of the town around Massachusetts these days.

Happy Friday folks and don’t forget to hold onto your seats.  It’s about to get a LOT more interesting in July.