Ten marijuana brands took home trophies from the inaugural MJBowl, a bi-coastal cannabis competition presented by MJBizCon and social review platform Budist.
From rosin gummies to hash holes: Meet the winners of MJBowl is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs
As the mainstream acceptance of cannabis use rumbles ever forward across the globe, the time when families and friends can gather around the Christmas tree vaporizing top-shelf cannabis may not be as far off as it once seemed. Those who choose to honor their health and turn away from the mulled wines and spiked egg nog this year should not have to hide their enjoyment of our favorite flower.
That signature scent of most flowers and plants, including the pine tree propped in the living room, originates from terpenes. As master horticulturalist Ed Rosenthal explains in his Big Book of Buds series, terpenes are also the components of cannabis responsible for the different effects and odors of the many varieties of marijuana.
“Pinene is the familiar odor associated with pine trees and their resin,” Rosenthal writes in the Big Book of Buds, volume 4. “Pinene probably gives true skunk varieties, the ones that stink like an animal, much of their odor… The smoke seems to expand in your lungs and the high comes on very quickly since a high percentage of the substance will pass to the bloodstream and brain.”
Pinene, which is most dominantly found in cannabis as the compound alpha-pinene, is the terpene that has established a solid reputation for tasting and smelling like a pine tree. The following three strains are sure to bring on this unique flavor so often associated with the holiday season.
Jack Herer – This world-renowned strain was named after and bred in honor of the legendary author and cannabis activist, Jack Herer. “Upon the first draw, you immediately begin to identify its complex flavors,” West says. “It’s almost as if you can roll the smoke over the different parts of your tongue and taste each one individually. After exhaling, you will enjoy the lingering taste of the haze and lemon cleaner. A single experience smoking this strain is all it takes to be able to confidently identify it in the future as well as recognize strains with which it has been bred.”
Super Silver Haze – This selection comes compliments of Strainhunter Franco Loja. Loja is the manager of Green House Seed Co. and says Super Sliver Haze offers the highest levels of alpha-pinene. This strain is an uplifting sativa and bursts with skunk-like notes alongside the sweet floral of its Haze parentage. Super Silver Haze is a great choice for keeping your energy going today.
Bubba Kush – This Green House Seed Co. offering is known for causing powerful sedative effects. Enjoy this strain after the company has left for the day. It’s a great solution towards ensuring the new year begins in a state of complete relaxation and reflection.
What are your favorite strains? Tell us in the comments below.
The post Cannabis for Christmas: Strains to Celebrate the Season appeared first on Cannabis Now.
From yoga sessions with edibles to paint-and-puff nights, marijuana lounges are the next chapter for the cannabis industry.
Are consumption lounges the ‘next frontier’ for legal cannabis? is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs
A former state lawmaker believes Nebraska medical marijuana should never have happened.
Nebraska Supreme Court hears argument to cancel medical marijuana legalization is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs
Minnesota’s adult-use cannabis market is facing a logistical hurdle – a shortage of licensed transporters – that has left retailers with empty shelves.
The logistics crisis plaguing the Minnesota marijuana market launch is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs
After harvest, most cannabis growers focus on traditional drying and curing in jars. However, there is a lesser-known but highly effective method to obtain a purer and smoother smoke: water curing.
This refinement process consists of submerging already trimmed buds in clean water for several days, changing the water daily. In this way, most soluble impurities (chlorophyll, sugars, mineral salts, nutrient residues) responsible for harsh combustion are removed. The result: a smoother herb to smoke, less irritating to the throat and lungs, while preserving all cannabinoids.
Water curing produces a smoother smoke.
Water curing is a post-harvest technique developed as an alternative to classic cannabis curing. Its principle is based on the fact that many substances responsible for the “green” or unpleasant taste are water-soluble. Instead of waiting several weeks for these compounds to naturally degrade inside a jar, the water bath accelerates the process by extracting them directly.
This method is especially useful when the plant was not properly flushed before harvest or when improving flowers that retained a fertilizer taste.
Water curing of cannabis
Before performing water curing, keep the following characteristics in mind:
Drying is very important after water curing.
Water curing produces noticeably smoother, less irritating smoke because it removes chlorophyll and residues responsible for bitterness. However, this smoothness comes with a loss of aroma: some volatile terpenes dissolve in water, making the smell and flavor more neutral. The flowers therefore lose part of their aromatic appeal, but gain in comfort when smoked or vaporized.
Cannabinoids (THC, CBD, etc.) are not water-soluble, so they remain intact. The effect stays the same, although some users notice the experience feels more direct, as the absence of aromatic terpenes leaves a “purer” sensation without flavor modulation.
Water curing is a simple, fast and effective technique to obtain a final product of exceptional smoothness. Although it slightly reduces the natural aroma of cannabis, it compensates with clean, light and pleasant smoke. It is especially recommended for users seeking a more comfortable experience or to improve a harvest with an overly aggressive taste.
The post Water Curing: the secret to ultra-smooth smoke appeared first on Alchimia blog.
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.
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.
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.
Another year is drawing to a close AKA the holiday season is upon us. As the usual holiday hustle and bustle settles upon us like a layer of fresh snow, our thoughts have turned to all things Christmas. This includes thoughtful gifts, delicious feasts and family visits. While Everclear may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Christmas, the creative uses of this versatile and high-proof spirit will have it become your secret ingredient for making this holiday season extra special for the cannabis lover in your life (yes, that includes you!)
With an odorless, flavorless and colorless composition, Everclear offers a blank canvas with which you can let your imagination run wild. The clean palette of this American-made, 190-proof grain alcohol encourages you to unleash your creativity and concoct a range of creations in the kitchen—and beyond. Everclear can also be used for many other purposes in your home, from making your own perfume to cleaning and more.
In this article, we’ll unwrap the magic of Everclear and explore five creative uses that will transform your Christmas celebrations.
Christmas is often synonymous with indulgent feasts—and Everclear can be your culinary ally in the kitchen. With its high alcohol content, Everclear is an excellent choice for extracting flavors from herbs, spices and fruits, creating vibrant extracts that elevate your recipes. Whether you’re infusing holiday cookies with a burst of citrus zest or crafting a homemade vanilla extract for your cakes and desserts, Everclear’s neutral flavor profile and exceptional extracting power make it a valuable addition to your holiday baking arsenal.
Ditch the canned berries for delicious, homemade cranberry sauce. In this recipe by acclaimed cannabis chef Vanessa Dora Lavorato, Everclear softens berries and captures their sweet/tart taste in this fresh take on the seasonal sauce.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Preparing your home for holiday guests can be daunting, but Everclear is here to help. Its potent disinfectant properties can be harnessed for creating DIY cleaning solutions that leave your home sparkling and fresh. From sanitizing countertops to reviving dingy glassware, Everclear-based cleaning solutions are effective and eco-friendly, ensuring your home is a welcoming and pristine haven for your loved ones. It also helps to eliminate the smell of cannabis, too.
The creative uses of Everclear can bring a delightful and personal touch to your Christmas presents. Consider gifting homemade liqueurs, flavored extracts or even handcrafted cocktail kits featuring your favorite Everclear-based concoctions. The pinch of effort and a sprinkling of love you’ll put into creating these thoughtful gifts will surely warm the hearts of your recipients, making the holidays feel even more special. Get some inspiration here.
One of the most straightforward and efficient ways to neutralize cannabis odors is by making an Everclear spray. You’ll need a spray bottle, Everclear (preferably 190 proof) and water. Mix equal parts of Everclear and water in the spray bottle, shake it well and you have a powerful, odor-fighting solution at your disposal. Everclear will eliminate persistent cannabis scents from your home thanks to its high alcohol content, which acts as a potent deodorizing agent.
Everclear can bring a delightful and personal touch to your Christmas presents. Consider gifting homemade liqueurs, flavored extracts or even handcrafted cocktail kits featuring your favorite Everclear-based concoctions. The pinch of effort and a sprinkling of love you’ll put into creating these thoughtful gifts will surely warm the hearts of your recipients, making the holidays feel even more special. Get some inspiration here.
Tinctures have been used for centuries to extract the beneficial properties of herbs and spices—and Everclear makes the ideal base. Cannabis tinctures are traditionally made with food-grade, high-proof grain alcohol to remove terpenes and cannabinoids from the plant’s foliage. With a concentration of 95% alcohol by volume (190 proof) and 75.5% (151 proof), Everclear is one of the best choices for making tinctures. That’s because the higher the alcohol percentage, the more effectively it dissolves the plant’s compounds—resulting in a more efficacious end product. Ed Rosenthal has an easy-to-follow technique for making tinctures you can read here.
The holiday season wouldn’t be complete without a proper old-fashioned toast to good times. Everclear can be your secret weapon for crafting signature cocktails to impress your guests. From vibrant fruit punches to festive flavors, the high proof of this grain alcohol allows you to create bold libations that will add joy to your celebrations. And of course, you can always add a drop or two of your cannabis tincture if you prefer.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
This Christmas, let Everclear be your versatile holiday helper. The creative uses are endless!
PLEASE ENJOY RESPONSIBLY. Everclear® Grain Alcohol is 75.5%-95% Alc./Vol. (120-190 Proof), ©2023 Luxco®, Inc., St. Louis, MO.
The post 5 Creative Uses for Everclear This Holiday Season appeared first on Cannabis Now.
In a deal that reflects cannabis industry excitement over Virginia, Curaleaf announced plans to enter the market with a $110 million purchase.
Curaleaf to enter Virginia marijuana market with purchase of competitor is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs
Cannabis operators need more than marijuana rescheduling - and have to craft growth plans that they can execute without it.
How cannabis operators are preparing for federal marijuana reform is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs
Marijuana multistate operators are among the 12 companies selected to enter the rapidly expanding Texas medical cannabis marekt.
Marijuana MSOs enter Texas as medical cannabis market rapidly expands is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs
“Reading the room” is about understanding the histories, identities and experiences of the people you’re trying to reach.
How brands can achieve cultural competency and market to diverse communities is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs
A House Republican lawmaker is "cautiously optimistic" President Donald Trump will move forward with marijuana rescheduling before the November 2026 midterms.
Rumors swirl around President Trump’s marijuana rescheduling plans is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs
Several jurisdictions around the world now permit some level of legal cannabis activity by consumers, patients and, in some cases, entrepreneurs. In places where cannabis is legal for medical or adult use, there has never been a better time to be a cannabis patient or consumer since the dawn of cannabis prohibition. Those freedoms did not come about randomly. They were only achieved thanks to the tireless efforts of local cannabis activists, and it is important that, as the global cannabis industry continues to spread, activism efforts continue.
While it is hard to pinpoint the first official cannabis activism effort, it is a safe bet that many such efforts began immediately and simultaneously after jurisdictions around the world enacted prohibition. Cannabis prohibition has been a harmful public policy since the very beginning, and sensible people with compassion and empathy have pushed back against it in various ways.
The first major cannabis reform victory occurred in 1973 in the State of Oregon when lawmakers approved a cannabis decriminalization measure. For the first time in nearly four decades in the United States, consumers no longer faced jail time for possessing a personal amount of cannabis (one ounce) in Oregon. Instead, they were fined and faced no criminal charges.
Another major cannabis reform victory occurred in 1996 in California when the state’s voters approved Proposition 215, making California the first state in the U.S. to legalize medical cannabis. Suffering patients in California were finally able to gain safe access to their medicine without fear of any penalty. The Proposition 215 victory ushered in a new era for state-level medical cannabis legalization in the U.S., and by extension, inspired countries around the world to enact medical cannabis policy modernizations of their own.
The next frontier for cannabis policy modernization came in 2012, when Colorado and Washington State both adopted adult-use cannabis legalization measures on Election Day. The following year, Uruguay made history by becoming the first country to adopt a national adult-use cannabis legalization measure.
Zoom forward to today, and several countries have adopted national recreational cannabis legalization measures. Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, South Africa, and the Czech Republic have all joined Uruguay in adopting such measures, with Czechia’s law scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026. All of the victories that have piled up came about as a result of the work of passionate cannabis advocates.
The collective cannabis community mustn’t get complacent and make the mistake of taking newly afforded freedoms for granted. Just because medical and adult-use policy modernization victories have been achieved does not mean that there is no chance of policy regressions. One needs to look no further than Thailand to find a real-world example of this phenomenon occurring.
Lawmakers in Thailand approved a historic cannabis measure in 2022 that yielded exponential growth for the nation’s emerging cannabis industry. Thailand’s Narcotics Law was amended in 2022, resulting in cannabis being removed from the nation’s list of controlled drugs. That led to the country becoming one of the top cannabis tourism destinations on the planet.
Unfortunately, the Pheu Thai party eventually won control of the nation’s government and tightened regulations earlier this year. The policy change banned retailers from selling cannabis to customers without a prescription and reclassified cannabis as a controlled substance. Ongoing efforts are underway to take cannabis laws and regulations backwards in other jurisdictions as well.
One of the most noteworthy examples is in Germany, where the Federal Cabinet recently approved a measure that would amend the Medical Cannabis Act (MedCanG). The measure was drafted by the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), and if approved, would require personal contact between the patient and doctor before a cannabis prescription can be approved. Restrictions on mail-order medical cannabis are also part of the proposal. Both changes would negatively impact suffering patients, particularly patients who live in rural areas or have mobility limitations. The proposal is sure to be a top focus at the upcoming International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin on April on April 13-15, 2026.
Even in the United States, where two dozen states have adopted adult-use cannabis legalization measures, efforts are in full swing to reverse state-level legalization provisions. For example, in Ohio, the House of Representatives recently approved a measure that, while not a full legalization reversal, would revise the state’s legalization law to remove certain protections of adult-use cannabis activity. Cannabis opponents are waging a citizen initiative in Massachusetts that seeks to drastically roll back that state’s legalization model as well.
These are just a few examples of efforts by cannabis opponents to reverse the progress that cannabis advocates have made in recent years. All such efforts serve as reminders that the battle is never over when it comes to cannabis reform, and cannabis patients, consumers, and advocates need to refrain from getting too comfortable. Always keep fighting for sensible cannabis policies. The future of cannabis depends on it.
The post Continued Activism Is Vital for the Future of Global Cannabis appeared first on Cannabis Now.
Your December 2025 horoscopes are here! The holiday season always kicks off with the sun in Sagittarius and it just makes sense.
The post Star signs and cannabis strains: December 2025 horoscopes appeared first on Leafly.
The Michigan Court of Claims heard arguments Tuesday over the constitutionality of a new 24% wholesale tax on cannabis products.
Michigan cannabis industry fights massive tax hike in court is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs
Executive Summary: The Paradigm Shift TL;DR — The 30-Second Brief For nearly two decades, “Autoflower” was a dirty word in serious cultivation circles. If you were growing Cannabis ruderalis hybrids in 2010, you were likely hiding a stunted, leafy “Lowryder” in a PC tower case, hoping for a quarter-ounce of 12% THC flower. It was […]
The post The Modern Grower’s Guide to Autoflowering Cannabis (2025 Edition) appeared first on The Weed Blog.
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