It’s time to revisit some of Bay State’s most popular cannabis products with this year’s People’s Choice judging event.

2023 marks the third year that our High Times Cannabis Cup: People’s Choice Edition has been held in Massachusetts. Soon, starting between Oct. 9-11, we’ll be conducting our behind-the-scenes preparations by collecting product submissions from across the state through our official intake partner for this year, Nova Farms. Stay tuned for a full article on the history of Nova Farms and how they are truly a Beast of the East. Those products will be organized and packed into kits by a dedicated team between Oct. 12-15, and by the following week those bags of goodies will be on their way to participating dispensaries (including Nova Farms and others still to be announced).

But one of the most important dates for our fellow fans and judges in Massachusetts is October 21, aka when kits officially go on sale! Starting on that same day until Dec. 24, participants will begin to try products and record their opinions and ratings for each one, including rankings from 1-10 on Aesthetics, Aroma, Taste, Effects and more, plus a comments section where Judges are responsible for providing 2-3 sentences about their thoughts and experience. Not only does each judge’s dedication determine our winners for 2023, but it also provides essential feedback to help all of the brands continue to improve their products as well.

With best wishes for both judges and participating brands celebrating various holiday traditions, High Times will calculate the results and announce the winners on Jan. 8, 2024! Not a bad way to ring in the new year.

For 2023 we are offering two new categories to our lineup, including infused pre-rolls. Our concentrates category has been split into two, featuring solvent-based concentrates and also non-solvent/rosin concentrates.

Entry Categories:

1. Indica Flower (28 slots available, 2 entries max per company)
2. Sativa Flower (28 slots available, 2 entries max per company)
3. Hybrid Flower (28 slots available, 2 entries max per company)
4. Pre-Rolls (28 slots available, 2 entries max per company)
5. Infused Pre-Rolls (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
6. Solvent Concentrates (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
7. Non-Solvent/Rosin Concentrates (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
8. Rosin Vape Pens & Cartridges (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
9. NON-Rosin Vape Pens & Cartridges (10 slots available, 1 entries Max per company)
10. Edibles: Sativa Gummies (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
11. Edibles: Indica Gummies (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
12. Edibles: Chocolate Non-Gummies (10 slots available, 1 entries max per Company)
13. Edibles: Fruity Non-Gummies (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
14. Edibles: Beverages (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
15. Topicals + Tinctures + Capsules (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)

For brands interested in participating this year, please review the following guidelines for submissions depending on the category, as well as pricing based on the number of submissions.

Entry Requirements:

• Flower: (228) 1-gram, individually packaged and labeled Units. We will not accept any 3.5-gram units. 
• Pre-Rolls: (228) individually packaged and labeled Units capped at a 2g flower each.
• Infused Pre-Rolls: (228) individually packaged and labeled Units capped at a 2g flower & .5g Concentrate each.
• Solvent Concentrates & Vape Pens: (228) .5-gram individually packaged and labeled Units. We will not accept any 1-gram units. Batteries required for Carts.
• Non-Solvent Concentrates: (100) .5g units individually packaged and labeled units. We will not accept any 1-gram entries.
• Edibles: (100) individually packaged and labeled Units with 50mg THC max per package. We will not accept anything above 50mg THC packages.
• Topicals+Tinctures+Capsules: (100) samples. individually packaged for retail.
• Capsules: 100mg THC max per sample / Tinctures: 500mg THC max per sample

Entry Pricing:

One entry: $250, Non-refundable

Two entries : $100 each entry, Non-refundable

Three Entries: $100 refundable deposit per entry. All Deposits returned after 100% of reserved entries are submitted

Entry fees waived for top-tier sponsorships

Our primary retail partner this time around is Nova Farms, which has dispensary locations in Attleboro, Framingham, and Dracut, Massachusetts, as well as Greenville, Maine, and Woodbury, New Jersey. Nova cultivates its own cannabis on a 90-acres farm in Sheffield, Massachusetts, making it one of the largest outdoor cannabis farms in New England. They don’t use any pesticides and use only the power of the sun to grow their plants. With sustainable farming practices and the goal of keeping a low carbon footprint, Nova Farms is dedicated to producing amazing cannabis without compromising quality.

We revealed a variety of winners for the High Times Cannabis Cup Massachusetts: People’s Choice Edition in 2022. In our multiple strains categories, Happy Valley and Rythm took home two trophies, in addition to wins from other cultivators such as NETA (our intake partner from last year), Bailey’s Buds, and Nature’s Heritage.

Last year  our edibles-related category winners also put the spotlight on a variety of delectable treats, from Munchèas’ chocolate macarons and honey sticks, chocolate bars from Insa and Meltdown, and a selection of infused beverages from Happy Valley, Vibations, and Wynk. Not to mention an extensive collection of gummy offerings from brands like Incredibles, Cannatini, Kanha, Hashables, and Treeworks.

Source: https://hightimes.com/events/announcing-the-high-times-cannabis-cup-massachusetts-peoples-choice-edition-2023/

“The smell, oh my gosh,” Maria Sakkari said.

The US Open is not played on grass, but there was apparently still plenty of green on Monday as the year’s final tennis grand slam began in New York. 

On the women’s side, the eighth-seeded Maria Sakkari lost in an opening round upset to the unseeded Spaniard Rebeka Masarova in straight sets –– a match that the Greek Sakkari let slip away.

Leading 4-1 over Masarova in the first set, Sakkari reportedly complained to the chair umpire about a distinct smell that lingered over the court.

“It was weed,” Sakkari said after the match, as quoted by the Associated Press.

Sakkari never won another game in that set, ultimately losing in straights, 6-4, 6-4, to Masarova.

“The smell, oh my gosh,” Sakkari said. “I think it’s from the park.”

The US Open, held annually in Flushing, Queens, unfolds in a very different setting than most tennis tournaments. Nearby subway trains can be clearly heard inside the venues, and the area –– also home to the New York Mets’ stadium and a park –– attracts plenty of revelers. 

Since 2021, when recreational marijuana was legalized in New York, the familiar odor of cannabis has also become part of the US Open experience. 

At last year’s Open, Australian men’s player Nick Kyrgios also noted the aroma during his second-round match.

“You don’t want to remind anyone not to do it or anything?” Kyrgios said to the umpire in the match, which he won in four sets.

After the match, Kyrgios said that the smell is a hindrance for him on the court.

“People don’t know that I’m a heavy asthmatic so when I’m running side to side and struggling to breathe already, it’s probably not something I want to be breathing in between points,” Kyrgios said at the time.

CNN reported at the time that the umpire in Kyrgios’ match “reminded fans to refrain from smoking around the court as play got back underway.”

Sakkari, for her part, did not have many complaints about the smell, and downplayed its role in her loss on Monday.

“You don’t really think about it, because all you care is just to win the match,” Sakkari said, as quoted by the Associated Press. “I smelled it, but that was it. Like, it wasn’t something that I paid attention to.”

“Sometimes you smell food, sometimes you smell cigarettes, sometimes you smell weed,” she added. “I mean, it’s something we cannot control, because we’re in an open space. There’s a park behind. People can do whatever they want.”

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which plays host to the US Open every year, has a strict policy against smoking on the grounds.

“Refrain from smoking, as this is a smoke free environment,”  reads the venue’s code of conduct.

Adult-use marijuana was made legal in the Empire State in 2021, when then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law ending the prohibition. The law immediately enabled adults aged 21 and older to toke up wherever smoking is prohibited. 

But Cuomo’s successor, current New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, signed a bill into law last year that limits where New Yorkers can get high.

The bill explicitly prohibited smoking “in all state-owned beaches, boardwalks, marinas, playgrounds, recreation centers, and group camps.” 

“Smoking is a dangerous habit that affects not only the smoker but everyone around them, including families and children enjoying our state’s great public places,” Hochul said in a statement after signing the bill. “I’m proud to sign this legislation that will protect New Yorkers’ health and help reduce litter in public parks and beaches across the state.”

Hochul’s office explained at the time that many “municipalities and local governments already have restrictions or bans on smoking in public spaces. This additional penalty will enforce a statewide prohibition and includes a fine that will be collected by localities,” 

“In addition to the health risks posed by secondhand smoke, cigarette butts are a major environmental hazard due to the non-biodegradable filters that are discarded. They are the leading item found during cleanup projects. Through this prohibition, parks and beaches will be kept cleaner and safer as will our local ecosystems,” the governor’s office explained in the press release issued at the time.

Under the new law, which applies both to smoking tobacco and cannabis, violators will be subject to a fine of $50.

New York’s legal cannabis market officially launched late last year, with the opening of a dispensary in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan.

Under the state’s marijuana law, the first 100-200 dispensary license holders will be individuals with prior pot-related convictions. 

“New York State is making history, launching a first-of-its-kind approach to the cannabis industry that takes a major step forward in righting the wrongs of the past,” Hochul said last year. “The regulations advanced by the Cannabis Control Board today will prioritize local farmers and entrepreneurs, creating jobs and opportunity for communities that have been left out and left behind. I’m proud New York will be a national model for the safe, equitable and inclusive industry we are now building.”

Source: https://hightimes.com/sports/tennis-star-catches-wind-of-pot-smell-at-us-open/

Muscle and Health interviewed Hulk Hogan and dove into the topics of getting off of alcohol and opioids, and getting on CBD.

Hulk Hogan, real name Terry Gene Bollea, is done with painkillers and alcohol, swapping the two for CBD, which is being studied for its role in battling addiction. He revealed the switch in a candid interview with Muscle and Health magazine.

A legend in professional wrestling, Hogan underwent some 25 surgeries over the course of his career, getting loaded up with opioids prescribed by doctors. But Hogan said he continued taking the opioids long after the physical pain was gone.

Now at age 70, he revealed that a combination of opioids and alcohol spelled a decades-long relationship with addiction. Going sober meant dropping vices that felt destructive. Muscle and Health Editor-in-chief Danni Levy sat down with the wrestling icon to discuss a variety of topics. 

“I’ve had a lot of practice drinking because I wrestled for about forty years, so those guys have a beer every once in a while,” he told Muscle and Health. “But about seven months ago, I decided not to drink any more alcohol. I was at a New Year’s Eve party and saw a bunch of stuff that I didn’t condone or like. I saw myself in this environment, and I went, “You know what? I don’t know how I got here, but I’m done.’ It was just that one thing.” 

It was then he realized it was a negative thing he didn’t want. Being around people who believed and behaved differently than he did, he decided he wanted out. And he says it feels much better to be clear-headed and that he’s no longer tempted to drink alcohol. 

Hogan explained how going sober meant losing some friends and gaining others. “I’ve had certain wrestlers look at me in the face and go, “If you don’t have a drink with me, you’re not my friend,” Hogan said. “Well, I am your friend, but I’m not going to drink with you. What are you going to do about it?”

Some consider the 1980s as the glory days when American pro wrestling was at a peak. In the October, 1981 issue of High Times, writer Chester Patton wrote about the history of American professional wrestling, from Clarence “the Kansas Demon” to “Animal” Steele, eater of turnbuckles. Wrestling led to blockbuster cameos and more for Hogan.

Like other high impact sports, wrestling injuries lead to surgeries and subsequently, painkillers. Opioids proved to be equally devastating, creating another dilemma. “I had doctors writing me prescription after prescription, and all of a sudden, it became a vicious cycle,” Hogan added. “I was hitting the pain pills hard because I’d had to endure twenty-five procedures, including ten to my back, facial operations from being kicked, knee and hip replacements and abdominal and shoulder surgeries.”

Most recently, the wrestling legend has been talking about Hogan’s Hangout, a restaurant he recently opened up in Clearwater, Florida.

Replacing Addiction with CBD

Hogan mentioned last May that he found success with CBD, and that he was planning to launch his own brand. He said it was another wrestling legend who actually introduced him to CBD. Wrestling icon Ric Flair launched a cannabis line “Ric Flair Drip” with Carma Holdings founder and president Chad Bronstein.

“Ric Flair, Mike Tyson and the founder and president of Carma Holdings, Chad Bronstein introduced me to CBD,” he reveals. Those three came at me like ‘The Royal Rumble.’ I didn’t have a chance.”

Hogan may be on to something: CBD can help lower cravings for tobacco and heroin under certain conditions, with research on humans to back it up, Peter Grinspoon of Harvard Medical School wrote. Animal models additionally suggest it may also help lower cravings for alcohol, cannabis, opiates, and stimulants.

“At first, I was confused because I’d never used CBD,” Hogan said. “I didn’t understand the health aspects of what it can do for you as far as energy, sleep or getting off hard drugs or pharmaceuticals slowly and winding down are concerned. It took me a while to figure it out because I am a little slow. I had to do a lot of research and do my due diligence. I figured this was something that really would benefit a lot of people that needed help—and I know it will.”  

Hogan also went into a lot of detail about how CBD specifically replaced opioids.

“We’ve found CBD is a logical alternative to prescription drugs that helps people to wind down slowly,” says Hogan. “I’m really focusing on helping people with their health, whether that’s guys coming back from the war, hardcore drug users or people who’ve got themselves into the prescription trap following illness or anxiety. CBD is amazing for sleep and can also help overcome alcohol abuse.”

Hogan’s brand Immortal, coming soon, will feature vapes, cartridges, pre-rolls, and more.

CBD is showing promising results in treating addiction, reducing inflammation, and a handful of other benefits as researchers continue to back it with science.

Source: https://hightimes.com/news/hulk-hogan-70-swaps-opioids-and-alcohol-for-cbd/