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Las Vegas Vlasic Classic Marks First-Ever Legal Consumption Golf Tournament in the U.S.

By: Melissa Reid

3 December 2025 at 16:40

The inaugural Las Vegas Vlasic Classic kicked off on November 8 at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort, in collaboration with the Paiute Tribe and NuWu Cannabis. This event marked the first golf tournament in Nevada designed to fully comply with cannabis regulations. The concept was simple yet effective, taking place on a course known for hosting major events, and the turnout demonstrated a clear interest in the initiative.

This Las Vegas stop marked a significant development for the growing tournament series, which began in the Midwest and has steadily expanded. Founder Willy Vlasic noted that the move westward was intentional, linking the Classic to a major cannabis market at a time when the industry seeks more open and well-organized events.

“Las Vegas represents the next chapter in our mission to blend sport, advocacy and cannabis culture positively,” Vlasic said. “Partnering with the Paiute Tribe and NuWu Cannabis to create Nevada’s first compliant golf tournament showcases how collaboration can advance national reform efforts.”

The charity golf tournament attracted golfers, industry operators, brand representatives, advocates and supporters from the cannabis community.

While golfers competed for trophies and hole-in-one prizes, the day prioritized dialogue as much as competition. Sponsor tents provided a mixture of product showcases and casual hangouts. Participants varied in their pace of play; some rushed through, while others savored the experience, with no one seeming eager to finish quickly.

Because the event was held at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort, owned and operated by the Paiute Tribe, on-site consumption was permitted. This was a unique twist for a cannabis industry event, which are typically limited by state and local restrictions on public use. It added a practical ease to the day and meant attendees could sample products, join activations, and move through the course without the usual workarounds that define most cannabis gatherings.

This relaxed pace suited the attendees well, allowing them to seamlessly transition between golfing, networking, advocacy and casual conversation without interruptions. The event felt like an educational field trip, filled with familiar faces, as well as new introductions and ample opportunities for discussion—all without the constraints of a hectic conference schedule.

A Fundraiser With Clear Outcomes

The Las Vegas Vlasic Classic raised over $17,500, which was distributed among three national organizations dedicated to cannabis justice. Freedom Grow Forever and the Last Prisoner Project each received $6,250, while The Weldon Project received $5,000. These funds support various initiatives, including commissary accounts, re-entry assistance, legal advocacy and clemency efforts for individuals affected by cannabis-related incarceration.

Each partner organization plays a unique role within the reform landscape. Freedom Grow Forever, led by Bill and Jeff Levers, directs funds to support individuals still incarcerated for cannabis offenses. The Last Prisoner Project focuses on providing resources for re-entry microgrants and support systems for those returning to society. The Weldon Project, founded by Weldon Angelos, is dedicated to federal clemency, sentencing policy, and high-level advocacy.

Bill Levers, CEO of Freedom Grow, expressed gratitude to the Vlasic brand and their family for their advocacy work for cannabis prisoners. “The Vlasic family has been incredible partners and true advocates for Freedom Grow’s mission. The Las Vegas Vlasic Classic has played a crucial role in helping us share prisoners’ stories with the public. More importantly, it has allowed us to directly support those on our outreach list thanks to their generous donations. We are deeply thankful to the Vlasic family and every sponsor who made this event possible.”

With Las Vegas now added to the series, the Vlasic Classic, which took place earlier this year in Michigan and Missouri, has raised over $140,000 for second-chance and reform efforts.

Willy Vlasic with Benny Tso, the former chair of the Las Vegas Paiute Nation, at the historic first-ever legal consumption golf tournament in the US.

Strong Support From Across the Industry

A diverse array of brands supported the Las Vegas Classic, including Cannabis Now, Mama J’s, Matrix, Verano, Curaleaf, STIIIZY, and Good Day Farm. Their participation helped anchor the event and attract attention from the broader region. The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) also returned as the official trade association sponsor, offering discounted first-year memberships to attendees.

The next event in the series is the 2026 Missouri Vlasic Classic, scheduled for May 1–3 at Old Kinderhook Resort. Previous Missouri events experienced strong attendance and media coverage, and early indications for 2026 suggest continued momentum.

The post Las Vegas Vlasic Classic Marks First-Ever Legal Consumption Golf Tournament in the U.S. appeared first on Cannabis Now.

Medicare proposes covering certain hemp products

MJBizDaily

By: Chris Roberts

1 December 2025 at 17:18

Medicare proposes covering certain hemp products is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Tech Moves: Allen Institute gets new exec; AWS leader shifts roles; NuScale names legal officer

GeekWire

By: Lisa Stiffler

23 October 2025 at 13:54

Susan Kaech. (Allen Institute Photo)

Award-winning immunologist Susan Kaech is the new executive vice president of the Allen Institute’s Immunology Moonshot, an initiative that aims to understand the immune system’s role in human health and disease.

Kaech currently leads the NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and will join the Allen Institute in January.

“The appointment comes at a critical time in bioscience when the immune system is regarded as the cornerstone of all diseases and understanding its foundational principles is vital to unlocking new treatments and therapies,” the institute said in a statement.

Kaech’s research includes the investigation of how the immune system remembers infections to develop immunity, T-cell communications, and the role of metabolism in the immune system’s fight against cancer.

— Seattle RFID company Impinj named Arthur Valdez Jr. to its board of directors.

Valdez recently left the role of executive VP of global supply chain and customer solutions at Starbucks and his career includes leadership roles at Amazon, Target and elsewhere.

“Arthur’s expertise transforming and optimizing strategic supply chain and logistics networks for large consumer-facing companies will be invaluable as we continue to advance our vision of connecting every thing,” said Impinj CEO Chris Diorio in a statement.

— Jason Bennett has taken a new role at Amazon Web Services, shifting from VP of U.S. enterprise to VP of worldwide startups and venture capital. Bennett has been with the company for more than 17 years.

On LinkedIn Bennett shared his fondness for working with startups and said he was eager to return to a position serving that community.

“I’m energized by the opportunity to work alongside our teams to support a thriving startup ecosystem — from founders and VCs, to accelerators, and the broader innovation community,” he said, adding that the work “has a lasting impact on the direction of industries and the future of AI.”

— NuScale Power named James Canafax as chief legal officer and corporate secretary. The Tigard, Ore.-based nuclear energy company is developing small modular reactors.

Canafax has decades of legal experience and joins NuScale from Maritime Partners. Past positions include executive leadership at BWX Technologies, which supplies nuclear components and services.

“[Canafax’s] extensive experience in the nuclear industry, deep familiarity with the regulatory environment and track record of guiding organizations through key growth periods make him uniquely suited to support NuScale at this important moment for our company,” CEO John Hopkins said in statement.

— Seattle entrepreneur Elvis Dieguez is now VP of data science, analytics and platforms for the healthcare startup hims & hers. Diegeuz joins the company from symphonie, a Seattle e-commerce marketing platform where he was CEO and co-founder. He was previously at Amazon for more than four years working in business analytics and as a senior manager.

Hims & hers offers a telehealth platform for conditions including sexual health, hair loss, mental health, skincare and weight loss.

“I look forward to leading and working with a ~70 person team who’ve been working hard to make the #healthcare system work for all Americans,” Dieguez said on LinkedIn.

— Biotech startup Synthesize Bio named Ariel Brumbaugh as senior director of business development. In the role, Brumbaugh will help the company partner with biopharma companies interested in using Synthesize’s AI-based research platform to accelerate and de-risk drug development.

Seattle’s Synthesize Bio was founded by leaders from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Last month it announced $10 million in funding from Madrona.

Brumbaugh joined the startup from the San Francisco biotech company Gladstone Institutes.

— Sophie Brougham is director of philanthropic operations for the recently launched Clean Economy Project. Nicknamed CleanEcon, the effort includes past employees of the Bill Gates-led Breakthrough Energy and is a policy and advocacy platform promoting clean power.

Prior to Breakthrough, Brougham was with the Paul Allen holding company Vulcan (now known as Vale Group) for more than a decade, where she was a senior manager and led programs including philanthropic and grants management.

— Seattle’s Jake Laes is now executive director of AI Tinkerers, a global network of AI engineers and builders. Laes joined the group from Deel, where he helped facilitate partnerships between investors and accelerator programs. Laes is the founder of YoungTech Seattle, and his background includes mentoring and leadership roles at the University of Washington’s CoMotion and Techstars.

— Pranam Kolari, VP of search and recommendations at Coupang, is resigning from his role next month. Coupang is South Korea’s largest e-commerce platform and is headquartered in Seattle. Kolari, based in San Jose, Calif., was previously at Walmart Labs for nearly a decade where his roles included vice president of engineering for search.

— Datavault AI appointed Pete Scobell as VP of global security. The Beaverton, Ore.-based company helps businesses monetize their data and create digital twins of physical objects. Scobell is a decorated U.S. Navy SEAL veteran and will oversee Datavault AI’s security operations, risk management and asset logistics.

— Erin McHugh Saif, a former Massachusetts-based Microsoft executive, is CEO of an as-yet unnamed data and AI venture to serve “place-based partnerships,” which are networks of nonprofits, government agencies, and educational entities that aim to address education, jobs and housing needs.

“With better access to data, these organizations will leap ahead in this moment of AI transformation, gaining faster insight into which programs deliver the greatest improvement to significantly scale their impact,” Saif said on LinkedIn.

The effort has the support of the Ballmer Group, a philanthropic organization co-founded by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie, and the nonprofit TechSoup.

— Karen Ng was promoted to executive VP of product at HubSpot. Ng has been with the company since 2022, joining as senior VP of product and partnerships. Past employers include Common Room, Google and Microsoft, where she was chief of staff across the company’s developer tools business. Ng is based in the Seattle area.

Tami’s Vegetable and Cut-Flower Garden

FineGardening

By: GPOD Contributor

7 October 2025 at 23:00

To deal with ravenous rabbits, a gardener creates a solution that adds even more beauty to the landscape

A Summer on the Green With Vlasic Classic Charity Golf Tour

Cannabis Now

By: Melissa Reid

12 September 2025 at 08:33

The Vlasic Classic golf tour is growing into a uniquely powerful networking event. Founded by cannabis entrepreneur Willy Vlasic, the annual nationwide charity golf tournament is a movement built on purpose, community and philanthropy, all while spending a day on the green—literally and figuratively.

Now in its third year, Vlasic Classic supports organizations like the Last Prisoner Project and Freedom Grow to secure the freedom of those unjustly incarcerated for non-violent cannabis offenses. The tour made stops in both Michigan and Missouri, bringing together industry leaders for a weekend of golf, connection and charity.

The Michigan Classic

The first stop was the Cardinal Golf Course at St. John’s Resort in Plymouth, Michigan, on June 28. The venue was a deliberate choice, as the resort itself is a nonprofit, with all funds supporting local and international humanitarian efforts.

As one participant noted, it’s rare for cannabis brands to get to play on such an impeccable course, and the opportunity was not lost on the attendees. The location also holds a key connection to the broader golf world, as the course is a host for the LIV Golf Team Championship, making it a powerful landmark in both the sports and cannabis spaces.

The atmosphere was a unique blend of professionalism and personal touch. The entire event was a family affair, produced with the intimate, hands-on involvement of Willy Vlasic and his team. Willy’s father and nephew even came out to welcome players before the first tee-off. This personal touch extended to every detail, from the laid-back, friendly atmosphere to the generous and thoughtfully curated gift bags.

Beyond the course, the event included a lively welcome party sponsored by Kushy Punch and a culminating after-party at Willy’s home, complete with a live rosin-press demo by Access Rosin, pizza and a DJ. It was a perfect mix of a professional, large-scale event with a personal, communal feel.

Activations at every hole—from a longest-putt contest with a weed stalk putter to a $10,000 hole-in-one challenge—kept the energy high, all while driving donations to the cannabis prisoners’ cause.

The blend of local Michigan brands, such as hardware company Vapin’ Ape, and national companies like Sweed, an e-commerce platform for dispensaries, also facilitated valuable interstate networking opportunities.

“Willy and his team put on an incredible event,” says Kellen O’Keefe, president of Sweed. “What’s really great is that we’re dealing with the decision-makers. We’re going straight to the qualified purchasers and the people that we’re looking to sit down with. To be able to play golf with them for four hours and talk about our product is an amazing opportunity.

Brandy, an account executive for Northern Michigan at Kushy Punch, echoed the sentiment. “This is my second Vlasic event, and business-wise, today went really well,” she said. “There’s a lot of really good possibilities and potentials available, especially for Kushy Punch, just being able to kind of re-establish themselves.”

Alex Sturton, owner of Vapin’ Ape, highlighted the shared values, saying, “We really like the intersection of sports and cannabis of the Vlasic Classic. There are a lot of people who like to smoke and go and participate in something competitive.”

The Missouri Classic

The Third Annual Missouri Vlasic Classic continued the mission August 22-24 with a weekend of golf, fun and philanthropy at Old Kinderhook. The event was a testament to the community’s support, with 124 golfers and 37 sponsors, representing over $1 billion in annual revenue from across the Missouri cannabis industry and beyond.

The tournament’s playful energy, featuring rocket ball launchers, drone drops and a “Beat the Pro” hole, was balanced by its serious philanthropic goals. The event successfully raised over $16,000, with $10,000 going to Freedom Grow, $5,000 to the Last Prisoner Project, and $1,300 to Deshaun Durham to help him start his pre-law degree. The weekend culminated with a huge raffle, including a 3-day golf trip to Kiawah Island.

A Champion’s Perspective: An Interview With Ricky Williams

Among the sponsors in Missouri was Highsman, the cannabis brand founded by NFL legend and Heisman and NFL MVP winner, Ricky Williams, one of the pioneers of the evolving relationship between professional sports and cannabis advocacy.

Williams sees his partnership with Vlasic Classic as more than just a business move; it’s an extension of his life’s work. “I’ve never seen cannabis as just a brand play; it’s always been about healing and making things right after decades of prohibition,” he says.

For Williams, Highsman’s support for the Last Prisoner Project and Freedom Grow isn’t charity, but “justice in action.” He believes in the power of an event like this to create real equity in the industry, and it’s a mission that resonates deeply with him.

The vibe on the course was a perfect representation of Williams’s brand ethos, “Spark Greatness.” He says that the atmosphere was one of “pure competition, but with a lot of laughs and good energy.” He believes this is the “sweet spot” where having fun and pushing yourself can be done for a larger purpose. “As an athlete, I know connection comes from playing together, and when that same spirit fuels philanthropy, the impact is real,” he says.

When discussing the impact of the Vlasic Classic, Ricky Williams emphasizes that “impact is what matters.” He finds it deeply meaningful to see tangible results from the event’s fundraising efforts. “When I see real dollars going to free people and support equity in this industry, that’s when advocacy earns respect,” he says. “It’s powerful to watch change actually happen. That’s what keeps me grounded in the work.”

Williams believes that the cross-state unity on display at the Vlasic Classic is “absolutely essential” for the future of the industry. “It’s how we create scalable change, shift public perception, and level the playing field,” he says. “When industry players join forces across borders, we’re not just growing revenue—we’re rewriting the rules for equity, access and innovation.”

For a man who has constantly challenged norms, from his football career to his personal life, being an advocate in the cannabis space is a natural fit. “I’m not here just to put my name on things, I’m here to disrupt, to empower and to be real,” Williams says. “It’s about paving a new path so the next generation doesn’t have to fight the same battles.”

The Power of the Green

The Vlasic Classic is about so much more than a golf tournament. As Willy Vlasic stated, their mission will continue “until everyone is released from prison for non-violent cannabis offenses.” It’s a bold promise that is being backed up by real action, one swing, one sponsor and one freed prisoner at a time.

The event is a celebration of the power of the cannabis community, showing that when the industry comes together for a purpose, it can make a tangible difference that resonates far beyond the green.

The next round of the Vlasic Classic gold tournament tees off again on November 8 at Vegas Vlasic Classic with Nuwu. Expect a day filled with golf, good causes and a whole lot of green at the The Wolf Course at Paiute Resort.

The post A Summer on the Green With Vlasic Classic Charity Golf Tour appeared first on Cannabis Now.

How to Dry and Preserve Flowers, Leaves, and Pods for Crafting

Garden Therapy

By: Stephanie Rose

1 September 2025 at 08:30

Everyone knows that ornamental gardens are gorgeous when they’re in full bloom, but you don’t normally think of ... Read More

The post How to Dry and Preserve Flowers, Leaves, and Pods for Crafting appeared first on Garden Therapy.

KRIe - Linux Kernel Runtime Integrity With eBPF

KitPloit

By: Unknown

12 January 2023 at 06:30

KRIe is a research project that aims to detect Linux Kernel exploits with eBPF. KRIe is far from being a bulletproof strategy: from eBPF related limitations to post exploitation detections that might rely on a compromised kernel to emit security events, it is clear that a motivated attacker will eventually be able to bypass it. That being said, the goal of the project is to make attackers' lives harder and ultimately prevent out-of-the-box exploits from working on a vulnerable kernel.

KRIe has been developed using CO-RE (Compile Once - Run Everywhere) so that it is compatible with a large range of kernel versions. If your kernel doesn't export its BTF debug information, KRIe will try to download it automatically from BTFHub. If your kernel isn't available on BTFHub, but you have been able to manually generate your kernel's BTF data, you can provide it in the configuration file (see below).

System requirements

This project was developed on Ubuntu Focal 20.04 (Linux Kernel 5.15) and has been tested on older releases down to Ubuntu Bionic 18.04 (Linux Kernel 4.15).

golang 1.18+
(optional) Kernel headers are expected to be installed in lib/modules/$(uname -r), update the Makefile with their location otherwise.
(optional) clang & llvm 14.0.6+

Optional fields are required to recompile the eBPF programs.

Build

Since KRIe was built using CORE, you shouldn't need to rebuild the eBPF programs. That said, if you want still want to rebuild the eBPF programs, you can use the following command:

# ~ make build-ebpf

To build KRIE, run:

# ~ make build

To install KRIE (copy to /usr/bin/krie) run:

# ~ make install

Getting started

KRIe needs to run as root. Run sudo krie -h to get help.

# ~ krie -h
Usage:
  krie [flags]

Flags:
      --config string   KRIe config file (default "./cmd/krie/run/config/default_config.yaml")
  -h, --help            help for krie

Configuration

## Log level, options are: panic, fatal, error, warn, info, debug or trace
log_level: debug

## JSON output file, leave empty to disable JSON output.
output: "/tmp/krie.json"

## BTF information for the current kernel in .tar.xz format (required only if KRIE isn't able to locate it by itself)
vmlinux: ""

## events configuration
events:
  ## action taken when an init_module event is detected
  init_module: log

  ## action taken when an delete_module event is detected
  delete_module: log

  ## action taken when a bpf event is detected
  bpf: log

  ## action taken when a bpf_filter event is detected
  bpf_filter: log

  ## action taken when a ptrace event is detected
  ptrace: log

  ## action taken when a kprobe event is detected
  kprobe: log

  ## action taken when a sysctl event is detected
  sysctl:
    action:    log

    ## Default settings for sysctl programs (kernel 5.2+ only)
    sysctl_default:
      block_read_access: false
      block_write_access: false

    ## Custom settings for sysctl programs (kernel 5.2+ only)
    sysctl_parameters:
      kernel/yama/ptrace_scope:
        block_write_access: true
      kernel/ftrace_enabled:
        override_input_value_with: "1\n"

  ## action taken when a hooked_syscall_table event is detected
  hooked_syscall_table: log

  ## action taken when a hooked_syscall event is detected
  hooked_syscall: log

  ## kernel_parameter event configuration
  kernel_parameter:
    action: log
    periodic_action: log
    ticker: 1 # sends at most one event every [ticker] second(s)
    list:
      - symbol: system/kprobes_all_disarmed
        expected_value: 0
        size: 4
      #      - symbol: system/selinux_state
      #        expecte   d_value: 256
      #        size: 2

      # sysctl
      - symbol: system/ftrace_dump_on_oops
        expected_value: 0
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/kptr_restrict
        expected_value: 0
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/randomize_va_space
        expected_value: 2
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/stack_tracer_enabled
        expected_value: 0
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/unprivileged_userns_clone
        expected_value: 0
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/unprivileged_userns_apparmor_policy
        expected_value: 1
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/sysctl_unprivileged_bpf_disabled
        expected_value: 1
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/ptrace_scope
        expected_value: 2
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/sysctl_perf_event_paranoid
        expected_value: 2
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/kexe   c_load_disabled
        expected_value: 1
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/dmesg_restrict
        expected_value: 1
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/modules_disabled
        expected_value: 0
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/ftrace_enabled
        expected_value: 1
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/ftrace_disabled
        expected_value: 0
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/sysctl_protected_fifos
        expected_value: 1
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/sysctl_protected_hardlinks
        expected_value: 1
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/sysctl_protected_regular
        expected_value: 2
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/sysctl_protected_symlinks
        expected_value: 1
        size: 4
      - symbol: system/sysctl_unprivileged_userfaultfd
        expected_value: 0
        size: 4

  ## action to check when a regis   ter_check fails on a sensitive kernel space hook point
  register_check: log

Documentation

The first version of KRIe was announced at BlackHat 2022, during the briefing: Return to Sender - Detecting Kernel Exploits with eBPF

License

The golang code is under Apache 2.0 License.
The eBPF programs are under the GPL v2 License.

Download Krie

Gift from Tor Project

0ut3r Space

By: hoek

19 November 2020 at 06:20

I got a letter from Tor Project yesterday! Do you remember my article about adding Onion address to standard website? There was a part about Onion Location.

Since 8th of July 2020, it is