Bigfoot Sighting Sparks Cannabis Shop’s Creative Marketing
A sighting of Bigfoot near Monroe, Michigan, has prompted some creative marketing on the part of a local cannabis dispensary.
Edward, 47, was bow fishing with his 12-year-old son on May 18 when the pair spotted what they described as a tall primate around six feet high with dark-colored fur appearing to walk on two legs in a slouched position.
The creature emerged after the two heard a commotion in a tree and then a “huge thud,” and Edward’s dog ran after the mysterious animal up an embankment before he could call it back.
The animal was reported by the boy as “as big as a bear but looked like a gorilla,” and the sighting lasted for about 10 seconds with neither the son nor the father remembering to snap a photo of it because the sighting was so unexpected.
The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization documented the sighting and commented upon it by Matthew Moneymaker.
The story made headlines in the local media, even reaching those who were out of state. Uniq Cannabis capitalized on the attention and created a sign saying “Bring photo proof of Bigfoot for a free pre-roll”.
It’s not the first cryptid sighting in Monroe County, said local resident Bobb Vergiels, citing stories of a “Monroe Monster” which have circulated since the 1960s.
The incident shows how local businesses can make the best of viral community stories and add humor to inexplicable sightings.
Source: wwnytv.com
Cannabis Users Shatter ‘Lazy Stoner’ Stereotype Again
A new survey by cannabis telemedicine company NuggMD indicates cannabis consumers are more than three times more likely to engage in regular exercise as they are to consume alcohol, and nearly five times more likely to exercise regularly as they are to consume fast food.
Based on the survey, cannabis users reported exercising regularly (27.4 percent of respondents daily and 34.9 percent of respondents several times a week) much more often than they consumed alcohol (6.1 percent of respondents daily and 11.3 percent of respondents several times a week).
Cannabis consumers are 4.8 times more likely to regularly exercise than they are to regularly use fast food (1.5 percent a day and 11.5 percent regularly a few times a week).
NuggMD communications director Andrew Graham described this finding as “yet more evidence that today’s cannabis consumers defy the prohibitionist stereotype of layabouts munching Doritos and then crossfading with booze to get their fix.”
The 603 users polled reported other healthy habits: 69.5 percent consume coffee daily, 64.8 percent take dietary supplements on a daily basis, and only 3.3 percent of them have food delivered daily.
The study confirms a number of studies that have determined that exercise rates for cannabis smokers are at or higher than those of non-smokers.
Numerous studies have determined that cannabis use prior to exercise enhances enjoyment and the “runner’s high,” though cannabis users ran 31 seconds slower per mile.
Source: marijuanamoment.net
Breakthrough Cannabis Treatment: 19 Epilepsy Patients Achieve Seizure Freedom Against All Odds
A pioneering real-world study out of Toronto confirms that cannabis-based medical products (CBPMs) allowed 19 drug-resistant epilepsy patients to enjoy complete seizure freedom for prolonged periods of time.
The retrospective case series, which appeared in a prominent medical journal, monitored patients who had at least 90 consecutive days of seizure freedom when they were on cannabis oils that contained CBD and THC.
The results contradict what has been conventional probability for drug-resistant epilepsy, where fewer than 1% of patients can be free from seizures following the failure of three anti-seizure medications.
In the trial, 4% of drug-resistant epilepsy patients had a year or more of seizure freedom on CBPMs. The median duration of seizure freedom was 245 days, although some patients remained seizure-free for over four years.
The majority of the successful patients were on combination CBD and THC therapy, not just CBD.
Fifteen of the 19 patients were children, and 89.5% saw an improvement in the quality of their life. Three patients were even able to fully wean off all other anti-seizure medications.
The trial determined that patients were, on average, 50% of the treatment time fully seizure-free, which was a significantly lower percentage compared to their baseline seizure rates.
The research supports the preferential use of cannabinoid-based treatment in drug-resistant epilepsy and the provision of access to the treatment.
The authors propose the identification of clinical and biological markers that would indicate which patients are most likely to achieve seizure freedom with cannabis therapy, which could alter the treatment of epilepsy.
Source: journals.sagepub.com
Cannabis Tourism Gold Rush: Hotels Cash In with 25% Revenue Boost After Legalization
New research into the impact of legalization of marijuana on the hotel industry indicates that hotel revenue increases by 25.2% (or $63,671/month) due to legalization of dispensaries, and the effect continues to increase even six years after legalization.
The research, published in the Production Operations and Management (POMS) journal, makes its conclusions based on analysis of the data from Colorado, where an increase in room night bookings by 7.9% and 16.0% in per-day room rates was recorded.
By comparing Colorado hotels with New Mexico hotels, where marijuana was banned when the study was undertaken, the researchers found that the monthly average revenue of hotels increases by 25.2% after the legalization of recreational marijuana dispensaries, or a significant increase of $63,671 per hotel. The profits were not distributed equally among properties.
Those hotels closer to retail dispensaries, with fewer years operating, and of better class are more positively affected. The type of location also has an effect, with resort hotels being most affected positively by retail dispensary legalization followed by urban, airport, suburban, interstate, and small-town hotels.
Another study conducted by Penn State found that Denver had about $130 million in hotel revenue boosts after the legalization of marijuana, since hotels could increase their prices and 9% more demand was generated in 2014 for hotel rooms that were rented out.
The study would make us think that planners can place dispensaries in resort, urban, and airport areas wherever they can be most advantageous to the hospitality industry.
Source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
NHS Mind-Changer: Medical Cannabis Patient’s Surgery Recovery Opens Healthcare Eyes
One of the co-founders of 4C Labs and a medical cannabis user, James Smith, has had hip replacement surgery on the NHS and chosen cannabis-based medication for pain relief instead of traditional opioids, having a wonderful experience that has left NHS staff amazed.
Smith informed NHS staff when he was in pre-op consultation that he would be using medical cannabis for pain relief and vaping in his room, to which the hospital management agreed after verifying his prescription.
When his first tramadol and ibuprofen tablet dose for pain after surgery was due, Smith refused them and was officially given 0.5 grams of his daytime flower, now recorded on his medical record.
The anaesthetist “was genuinely amazed” when he visited the next day to find Smith had not received any opioids, was alert in his mind, playing with his phone, and pain free.
All the nurses were curious about the vaporization process and asked to see the flower and smell it, the purpose of the device employed, how much was consumed, and how long it lasted.
The anaesthetist actually sent hospital bosses an email suggesting this type of treatment was something that had to be spoken about and debated.
Smith believes that this is evidence of “a profound change quietly occurring across the UK” when patients are forcing doctors to take note of cannabis medicine, and seeing real effects is changing medical minds. This experience is an indicator of growing NHS acceptance of medical cannabis treatment.
Source: cannabishealthnews.co.uk