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All animals possess THC receptors in their brains, allowing the body to process the chemical and use it to it's advantage. But while humans are able to take large doses of THC, animals can't handle the large amounts that we can. That's why it's extremely important that you keep your animals away from your medicated treats, avoid leaving flowers or concentrates where a pet could get them, and obviously never blow smoke in your pets face. Animals are meant to be our companions. If you're smoking up with an animal, you could be putting your furry friend at a high risk of bad reaction to the marijuana.

 

Since 2009, calls to the Animal Poison Control Center have drastically increased by about 30%. A veterinary clinic in Boulder, CO states that they see roughly one case of a pet that had ingested marijuana. The majority of these cases are accidents, although if the animal was given marijuana on purpose, the sheer embarrassment and stupidity of their actions is enough to deter anyone from admitting that. An emergency veterinary clinic in La Mesa, California says that they see at least one or two cases a week. The uncontrolled doses of marijuana can cause effects that resemble drunkenness. Mostly effecting dogs, the animal sometimes even staggers around wetting itself. Yeah, the reaction is that severe.

 

Since edibles are highly concentrated, due to the fatty acid that has absorbed the THC (usually butter or oil of sorts), they are the most dangerous form for animals. An owner can turn away for a second and a sneaky dog can scarf down a medicated cookie without their owner even knowing. Not only that but a lot of edibles are made with chocolate, raisins, and other ingredients that aren't good for dogs. We all know that pets should eat chocolate. So a double reaction, both to the sweet treat and the cannabis can be extremely devastating, sometimes even fatal. Raisins are also quite dangerous for dogs, causing kidney failure.

 

The best advice I can give? Unless you're working with your vet to give your animal measured, doctor recommended doses of cannabis, then your pet shouldn't be ingesting it. Even if you're just trying to make them feel as awesome as you do when you're high, they don't handle it like we do and it's best to keep them away from your stash. Don't leave edibles where a pet can get them and don't leave buds, dabs, or any other form of marijuana within reach of animals.

I know that I constantly bring up the east coast/west coast battle and the absurdness of it. Unfortunately it is a huge divide in the cannabis community. The elitist California attitude is ultimately frustrating, especially since we're all supposed to get along. Everywhere can have good weed and everywhere can have bad weed. It just depends on who you know. But while California may still be basking in it's head start, officials believe that the east coast is going to enter the cannabis industry extremely fast, following the Colorado/Washington standard of marijuana.

 

Former Long Island Representative, Patrick Kennedy, is one of the nation's most driven anti-cannabis supporters and is making claims that "legalization of marijuana is moving fast in parts of the US and it looks as though the domino effect could quickly move towards other states such as Vermont". How could states resist the allure of such stacks of money? With the potential of such great gain, a lot of states are rethinking their laws regarding the plant, in order to hopefully make the same amount of revenue that Colorado is making.

 

What it comes down to is that the east coast is right on the west coast's coattails. The measures all face some serious odds. Since politics are all about popularity, a lot of politicians think that allowing such a measure to pass would reflect them as being easily swayed and supporting a nation of pot smoking people... Doesn't really sound like such a bad thing, does it? Of course, politicians are continuing to use the same airy arguments, like marijuana is a gateway to harder substances and that it's the wrong message to send young people.

 

Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin says that they just want to get drug dealers out of the state, leaving the marijuana market to be controlled by the government. Of course, the idea the legalizing will completely eliminate the black market is a shifty one, seeing as how the marijuana tax is so high. If dealers have lower prices than the clinics, there is a strong chance that people will continue to buy from street dealers. At least the east coast is getting somewhere. We will hopefully see more states continue to rethink their laws as marijuana gathers support.

Whether you’re growing marijuana for personal use or you’re looking to make a little extra money on the side, you always want to have the biggest buds. The buds are where you get the most “meat” on the marijuana plant, and you’ll certainly be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor for much longer with bigger buds. But, achieving big buds isn’t always a matter of plant genetics or complete luck. You have to put in a lot of effort, and you have to understand exactly what the plant needs at each stage of its life.

 

For starters, you have to understand the basics of nutrient uptake within the plant. Nutrients act like food for the plant to thrive and grow tall. Of course, nutrients are also largely responsible for the size of the buds by the time the harvest comes around. Nutrients aren’t the only variable, but they’re wildly important. The main triplet of nutrients that you’ll often come across in most fertilizers consists of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). On most fertilizers, there is a little “NPK” value that indicates how much of each nutrient is in the fertilizer.

 

For the most part, you’ll want a fertilizer with a higher concentration of nitrogen during vegetative state. Nitrogen is primarily responsible for the overall growth and healthy function of the plant. It helps the plant thrive during vegetative state and it also sets the stage for success once your plants enter the flowering stage. When a plant reaches flowering stage, they require a different kind of fertilizer concentration—one that is higher in phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen. At that point, it’s a good idea to switch to a “bloom fertilizer” to help out with bud growth. Click here to get a free nutrients guide for marijuana plants.

 

The Benefits of high quality nutrients

 

This is really the traditional way to grow larger buds, and it has worked to a certain degree for years. But, there are a lot more than just three nutrients at play in fertilizers and inside the living marijuana plant. It can be hard to hit the right balance of nutrients during vegetative state and flowering state. If you could find a fertilizer product that would take the nutrient guesswork out of your hands, then you’d probably jump at that opportunity. One such product is Marijuana Booster, a revolutionary growth program that can guarantee you a good return on your investment. If you want bigger buds from your harvest, then Marijuana Booster can certainly help out.

 

Read more:  http://www.theweedblog.com

The east coast is always kind of shoved to the back burner when it comes to marijuana advances. California has been a pioneer in many industries, constantly leaving the less-advanced coast struggling to catch up. Fortunately for those stoners who live on the east coast, officials are starting to realize (probably after seeing Colorado rake in so much money due to legal cannabis) that maybe making the plant legal is a good idea. Portland, Maine was the first to take steps towards legalization and now both New Hampshire as well as Florida are putting up ideas for  cannabis legalization, managing to squeeze the east coast on to the board.

 

New Hampshire is a state that most people couldn't point out on a map. There are probably some people who would guess that it's in England. It's nestled up in the north east corner of the states, where it snows most of the year. While medical marijuana has been passed here, there are no dispensaries yet and lawmakers could take as much as another year to implement the ruling that was okayed what seems like forever ago. Bordered by both Vermont (medical), Maine (medical plus Portland), and Massachusetts (medical), New Hampshire seems to be pretty far behind. It seemed like lawmakers in this little state had their heads on straight this month when the House of Representatives voted in favor of allowing legal marijuana in New Hampshire, following the same basic outline as Colorado.

 

Unfortunately for the residents of New Hampshire, there is a slim chance that the ruling will pass the governor's desk. Maggie Hassan is the current governor, who has a seriously hypocritical way of running this chilly state. Hassan backs one of the worst substances sold legally - alcohol - even going as far as to announce that New Hampshire will carry it's own kind of vodka. It's bad enough that New Hampshire promotes drinking and driving by dotting the highways with state run liquor stores, allowing drivers to stop in quickly, grab a bottle of booze, and continue their commute. Seems great, right? Hassan has said that she "just thinks it's the wrong message to send to young people" but yet deems it acceptable to sell liquor on busy highways and to promote drinking, without any real acknowledgment of the danger and health risks associated with alcohol.

 

The situation in New Hampshire gets even more infuriating when hundreds of New Hampshire residents contacted Hassan, asking her to please pass the measure and allow marijuana to be legal in New Hampshire. Instead of responding, the governor released a blanket statement, thanking everyone for taking time out of their day to write to her... And that's pretty much where it ended. With such a twisted view on what's good and bad for the state, it's safe to say that Hassan won't be governing much if she does veto this bill. New Hampshire has a heavy sprinkling of colleges throughout, not to mention the allure of the mountains and nature settings attract the more hippie-like smokers as well. Hassan needs to remember that it's not about what she thinks, it's about what the people think.

 

For more information on the New Hampshire laws, you can look the state up on NORML as well as MPP.

Weed may be a plant but that doesn't mean that it's easy to get a hold of. For a lot of people, marijuana is still something that is bought on a street corner, rather then the dispensary down the road. So for those stoners who are stuck in places where bud might be hard to come by, I've come up with five ways to conserve your weed or at least have backups stored in case you run out and need an emergency nug. Even if you can get your hands on weed easily, that doesn't mean you have the money. So these tips work for people in legal states as well!

 

1. The E-Nug

Most stoners do this no matter what. They have a secret stash stored somewhere so that when they run out of bud, they have something to smoke on. Usually this nug is stored in a small jar, container, or grinder and stashed away until needed. Definitely a recommended step because you'll be able to get high while you wait for the lagging weed man!

 

2. Master The Corner

Cornering a bowl should be considered an art. If you know how to conserve weed, cornering your bowls like a pro is how you make a little bit of weed last a long time. A small bong pack can be four good sized hits in a straight tube. Trust me, I've had to conserve weed like crazy before in those broke college days.

 

3. Save All The Keif

Don't smoke all of your keif at once. It's usually a good idea to save a bit every time you empty out that chamber in your grinder so that once you actually do run out, you have some awesome keif to get you baked until you can get some more bud/dabs/whatever you're smoking.

 

4. Stretch It Out

Don't smoke unless absolutely necessary. Bad day, headaches, etc are definitely good reasons but if you're low on weed and just wanna smoke to be high, you should probably refrain. Save the bud for when you really need it!

 

5. Buy A Little Extra

Sometimes, it's a good idea just to throw on a few more grams. While it may cost a bit extra, having the ability to smoke when you want is just that nice. It's worth it t spend that extra bit so if you're ever debating, it's usually better to buy more than less if you can afford it!

It's extremely unfair that stoner stereotypes are still part of the smokers every day experience. Whether you live in a place where marijuana is legal or not, stoners always seem to face some kind of difficulty when making their way through life. Those who choose to broadcast their smoking habits by wearing cannabis clothing or even just simply speaking up about their plant beliefs are more often than not met with some sort of snide remark or rude comment. Which isn't fair, considering some of the most successful people around these days seem to be smoking the reefer. There are two kinds of people that are against marijuana when it comes down to the bottom line.

 

The first group of people who strongly speak out against cannabis is the religious type. A lot of people who strongly believe in some sort of religion like to preach about how marijuana is bad for you and that it's the "devil's plant". People definitely still use that term, I would imagine mostly those who come from the deepest parts of the south. Now there's nothing wrong with believing in religion but if you do believe in some kind of creator, a supreme being that brought life in to the world, then you have to accept the idea that cannabis was put here for a reason. It seems unlikely that the plant's main purpose would be to be hated by the human race, especially since it occurs naturally and without human interaction. Some stoners even argue that marijuana is mentioned in the Bible and there are numerous other religions that use the herb in rituals and refer to it as an extremely powerful thing.

 

As for the second group, it's purely those who refuse to accept change. They are the ones who have believed that cannabis is wrong for such a long period of time that there is just no convincing them otherwise. They will argue with you until they're blue in the face but will never actually produce any legitimate information. So most of the time, they repeat the same few phrases; "it's a gateway drug", "it's bad because it's illegal", or "it's a severely mind altering substance". When arguing with one of these people, that's pretty much all you're going to hear from them. They don't have solid evidence and they refuse to listen to yours. The best way to deal with this kind of person is to just say what you need to say and let them talk until they run out of hot air.

 

Bottom line; marijuana use doesn't make you a terrible person. Stereotyping someone for smoking marijuana DOES make you a bad person. Just because someone likes to light a plant on fire and inhale it means that they're a terrible person, probably a criminal or a gang member? No. The stereotypes associated with cannabis need to fade out and disappear because we all know that they're not true. It's key to remember that all stoners should act the way they want the cannabis industry to be viewed.