Cannabis has an astonishing potential as a medicine, for which the body evidence continues to pile up.  It can be used both to relieve symptoms of pain and mental trauma, as well as to actually reverse the effects of chronic diseases and ailments.

But cannabis’s powers of enhancement are not confined to the medical world. The herb can also be handy in the bedroom as a potent aphrodisiac, according to a love doctor of sorts that I had the great pleasure of interviewing, named Lisa “Mamakind” Kirkman. Kirkman is a sex advice columnist, cannabis activist and author of Sex Pot: The Marijuana Lover’s Guide to Gettin’ It On. Just in time for the lovers’ holiday, she chatted with me about such eyebrow-raising topics as why sex and pot go so well together, smoking fetishes and strains recommended for the best sex.

Pot enhances sex for both biological and social reasons, according to Kirkman. She said we experience a heightened state of arousal because oxytocin—which is naturally released during breastfeeding, sexual arousal and orgasm— is also stimulated when cannabis is consumed.  Kirkman noted that some of the earliest recorded cannabis use is related to childbirth because cannabis strengthens contractions. So, the muscle-contracting properties of cannabis could be utilized to enhance sexual performance.

That said, here’s a sexy cannabis guide, derived from Kirkman’s most stimulating facts and tips in our interview. Share it with your Valentines, this week and beyond:

1. Social Lubricant: 

Socially, pot can amplify sex appeal because smoking is commonly a shared activity.  Sharing pot creates an enjoyable, communal experience. Kirkman said it’s also a good way to meet other pot loving singles. Share your stash with a cutie at a party. Your mutual appreciation of pot will be an easy conversation starter as you puff, puff, pass with your new friend.

2. The Neck Rub of Pot Heads:

For some, the act of smoking is sexualized into a fetish.  The use of the mouth, the spark of fire, lips on a piece of beautiful, ornate glassware and lilting plumes of smoke can be a turn on, Kirkman notes. She recommends sharing a joint, shotgun style (blowing the smoke directly one mouth to the next), with your lover.  It’s the “neck rub for pot heads,” as Kirkman puts it, and can lead to much more.

3. Sexiest Strains: 

So, what pot strains are especially good for sex? Kirkman said strains with a 70/30 percent hybrid ration are better than 100 percent pure strains. Pure strains can cause extreme effects like paranoia—in Sativas— and sleepiness—in Indicas, especially with inexperienced and occasional pot users.

With the caveat that everybody is different and may not have the same reaction to these strains, here are a few recommendations to boost male and female libidos, starting with the basics.

For energy- Sativa are uplifting and awakening. As Kirkman puts it, “Sativa get you going.”  Any Sativa strain, good for physical activity like dancing, is also good for “horizontal dancing.”  Kirkman’s Sativa favorites are “ Flo” and “Skunk #1.”  

For relaxation- Indicas relax the muscles, relax the mind, relax it all. Kirkman notes that sometimes just relaxing a little bit is what someone might need to have better, more fulfilling sex. Kirkman mentions “Blueberry” as a favorite relaxing Indica.

What’s in a name, you ask?- Some strains, by name alone, suggest a fun roll in the hay, like: “Fucking Incredible,” “Burmese Fucking Incredible” and “Matanuska Thunder Fuck.”

Just like Viagra- What strains are specifically heralded for their Viagra-like effects?

Click here to read the rest of the interview!

 

Consumer Confidential photos: limited edition Hemp Hoodlamb fabric patterns

Here’s a collection of pot culture essentials for the stoners and midnight tokers you know and love.

Across the board marijuana legalization seems to be right around the corner. Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, has dubbed 2013 the “Best Year Ever in Drug Policy Reform,” and says “we’ve hit the tipping point” when it comes to marijuana legalization.

The latest national Gallup poll found a 10 point jump in support for legalization of marijuana, up from 48% last year to 55% this year, and the legalization victories in Colorado and Washington last year were remarkable. On top of that, the entire nation of Uruguay made weed legal last month.There’s much to celebrate.

What better time to revel in these victories than the holidays, and what better way than with fun and funky pot presents and “cannagifts?”

Maybe you live in Colorado or Washington where legalization has already kept thousands out of jail and saved taxpayers millions of dollars, or maybe you just want to spread the joy, humor and social style of that surrounds this miraculous herb as the end of prohibition spreads across the country and the world.

Whatever your motives, here’s a collection of cannabis culture essentials for the stoners and midnight tokers you know and love this holiday season and beyond.

1. Comics and Books:

• Tales of the World Famous Drive Thru Bud—In this comic book series from Golden Frog Press each tale is laced with cannabis humor. For example in “Sinsemilla Ninjas from Mars” the space ship is hilariously attacked by the Super Spider Mites from Mars. The series is based on characters created by Northern California illustrator Pat Ryan, and the serial characters, Baron Von Bongenheimer, Humboldt Honey and Super Skunk, among others live out their funny high society adventures via brief and hilarious stories.

• The Emperor Wears No Clothes—Every stoner must have a copy of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, by Jack Herer. Herer is the father of the modern cannabis movement and this book, first published in 1985, is like the “Bible” of the cause. It compiles the historical uses of hemp and marijuana and the political and business developments leading up to modern marijuana prohibition.

• G.R.A.S.S.—Herer’s 1973 title, G.R.A.S.S. or Great Revolutionary American Standard System: The Official Guide for Assessing the Quality of Marijuana on the 1 to 10 Scale is another underground classic. G.R.A.S.S details a rating system for marijuana quality and a scale to determine your buzz level in the days when Panama Red and Acapulco Gold were mythical varieties of premium imported marijuana.

 

2. Vape Pens:, Cloud 2.0 by CloudPenz, Trifecta by White Rhino, DabOTG, by DabOTG

Vaporizer pens are all the rage right now. Originally developed as a harm reduction tool for tobacco smokers, vape pens offer a convenient, odorless and portable way to puff cannabis. High Times Magazine recently tested 32 new vape pen models. With vigorous and repeated testing, the Cloud 2.0 by Cloud Penz won top honors for Best Mini and Trifecta by White Rhino was named Most Versatile.  Judges favored DabOTG with Best Overall and Best Hit awards.

Click to enlarge.

Photo: DabOTG vape pen.

Designed specifically for hash wax, High Times testers found the Cloud 2.0 pen easy to use and dependable. It comes in a variety of stealth colors or bold fashion patterns.  The Trifecta can vaporize flowers or hash wax and oil, making it the most adaptable vape pen. DabOTG, designed for hash wax, has a glass dome so you can see the vapors and four adjustable heat settings. The ceramic components make the Dab OTG a good choice for air travel.

 

Photo: Cloud 2.0 vape pen.

3. Hats: Grassroots California and Visual Fiber

• Grassroots California’s flat brim baseball caps—These blasé staples of sun care are crucial to cannabis style today, especially among the younger aficionados. Grassroots California has an extensive online catalog of hats, including artist editions, event and collaboration hats in almost any color or fabric combination. And, most designs have a secret stash pocket hidden within a stylish liner.

 

Photo: Grassroots California cap.

• Visual Fiber’s custom hats—This millennial-savvy business is located only on Facebook, and will custom-paint your chosen caps with in bold images of pop and pot culture. For elevating otherwise common headwear into unique works of art, Visual Fiber hats were the first, second and third place prizes at the recent Secret Cup, a national hash concentrate competition

 

Photo: Visual Fiber cap.

4. T-shirts:

• Kill Your Culture Apparel —Kill your Culture Apparel covers its T’s in popular cultural images and icons, with a 420 twist. Darth Vader becomes Darth Vapor as he puffs from a Volcano Vaporizer, while the Good Fellas transform the Dab Fellas. Designs are printed on soft, lightweight combed polyester and cotton blend fabric.

 

• Green Man Cannabis—Green Man Cannabis, a Medical Marijuana Center in Denver, designed the coolest yellow tank for women. On it, Wonder Woman saunters through a blue field of stars smoking a jay, her golden lasso at her waist.

 

Photo:Green Man Cannabis Wonder Woman tank.

5. Lighter Accessory: Kasher

The Kasher is a handy lighter accessory, especially useful to pipe smokers and dabbers. A simple metal sleeve fits snugly onto a BiC lighter, keeping it nearby when needed.

Slide the Kasher down the lighter and use the ingenious tool to stir and empty the pipe.  The newest Kashers, made of thicker stainless steel, can be used as a dab tool for concentrates.  They’re easy to clean and easy to reuse and attach to a new lighter.

 

Photo: Kasher ligher accessory.

6. Limited Edition Winter Coats by Street Artists Sam Flores and Jeremy Fish

Amsterdam’s hemp clothing company, Hemp Hoodlamb, released a limited edition run of signature winter coats patterned in fabrics designed by street artists Sam Flores and Jeremy Fish.

Sam Flores design for limited edition Hemp Hoodlab coats.

Hemp Hoodlamb coats showcase authentic hemp in a modern, metropolitan style.  From the hemp shell with organic hemp cellulose water proofing treatment, to the soft and warm Satifur liner made from hemp fiber and recycled bottles, Hemp Hoodlamb coats are high quality, and easy on the planet.

Jeremy Fish design for limited edition Hemp Hoodlab coats.

The coats are designed with lifestyle pockets:  a microfiber lined sunglass pocket on the chest, Satifur lined hand pockets, inside pockets for rolling papers and a secret pocket for your stash.  Hemp Hoodlamb coats can be purchased online, but the Limited Edition Sam Flores and Jeremy Fish coats are only sold at Hoodlab San Francisco and Hoodlab Denver.

7. Glass Pipe: Snodgrass Family Glass and Chubby Glass

• Bob Snodgrass is the inventor of the artistic glass pipe and father of the glass blowing culture in Oregon.  Check out his online shop for a hammer, sherlock or sidecar style pipe made with his signature color-changing glass.

 

Photo: Snodgrass pipe.

• Chubby Glass—a Boulder, Colorado collective since 2001—makes the Celtic Spoon pipe, a shiny or sandblasted matte hand pipe in white swirled with another color. The bold and simple design is visually appealing and the opaque white pipe always looks tidy. The red and white Celtic Spoon is especially festive for the holidays.

8. Nug Jar: Sirens of the Sea by Kemmish Pottery

Keep your stash in a lovely handmade nug jar from Washington potters, Kemmish Pottery.  Called Sirens of the Sea, jar depicts two sexy mermaids who perch atop a seaside rock overlooking the ocean and sky. It’s a pleasing handmade vessel with a wide mouth and cork lid.  This object d’art is found at the Hempfest Central online store. All purchases from Hempfest Central support the annual production costs of Seattle Hempfest, the largest cannabis event in the world.

 

Photo: Sirens of the Sea nug jar.