Tag: weed

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Seth Rogen is letting people rent an Airbnb to get high with him

Seth Rogen has teamed up with Airbnb to give regular folks a chance at smoking weed with him.

On February 7th, Airbnb users will be able to book a one-night, $42 USD (about $56 CAD) stay at a Los Angeles residence that’s inspired by the Vancouver-born actor’s Houseplant cannabis company. While there, you’ll be able to take part in one of Rogen’s favourite pastimes, pottery, with Rogen himself, soak in the sun and raid the fridge. Rogen says that he’ll also sample Vol. 2 of his unreleased Vinyl Box Set, a trio of vinyl records with tracklists curated by both him and longtime collaborator, fellow Vancouverite Evan Goldberg.

Unfortunately, there’s a catch. The three bookings that will go live to the public on the 7th are only available to U.S. residents. Yes, that means that Rogen’s fellow Canadians are excluded. There isn’t any other option, either, like some sort of contest to fly Canadians to the LA retreat. That’s despite the fact that the partnership comes in support of Hilarity for Charity, Rogen’s non-profit to support families affected by Alzheimer’s through comedy-related initiatives.

It’s unclear why Canada has been shafted, although it’s potentially due to Houseplant’s exit from the Canadian market in 2021 after a split with co-producer Canopy Growth. At the time, Rogen said the goal was to relaunch in Canada, noting it was an opportunity to “evolve the brand.” There hasn’t been any word since on a Canadian relaunch.

So to any potential U.S. readers — good luck on getting to blaze with Rogen. For our Canadian readers, though, we have to sadly accept that Rogen has forsaken us.

Source: Airbnb

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Uber Eats can now bring Torontonians weed and munchies

We’ve come a long way from buying weed from a guy in a 1994 Honda Civic in the parking lot of No Frills.

Toronto residents can now order cannabis products directly to their door via Uber Eats. This is the first time marijuana has been available to order in the province through a third-party delivery service. At launch, three cannabis retailers will be available on Uber Eats: Hidden Leaf Cannabis, Minerva Cannabis and Shivaa’s Rose.

“We are partnering with industry leaders like Leafly to help retailers offer safe, convenient options for people in Toronto to purchase legal cannabis for delivery to their homes, which will help combat the illegal market and help reduce impaired driving,” said Lola Kassim, the general manager of Uber Eats Canada in a statement.

To make the order, Uber Eats app users need to select the ‘Cannabis’ category. After selecting a retailer, a warning that you must be of legal age appears, followed by a menu of different marijuana products. After selecting your weed, the process is similar to a standard Uber Eats order. You’re notified when the retailer accepts your order and are given an estimated delivery time. And, of course, when the order arrives, the delivery person verifies the buyer’s age.

It’s unclear how much of a cut Uber takes of cannabis sales made through its app. The service typically earns a 20 to 30 percent commission on restaurant orders. The app also offers deliveries of products from Indigo Books, Dollarama, the Body Shop and several grocery stores.

According to a press release focused on the announcement, nearly 57 percent of cannabis purchases in Ontario between the start of January and the end of March were purchased through legal channels, leaving a large swath of weed still coming from the black market.

However, the results of this Statistics Canada survey are likely a little skewed given that those who purchase weed from illicit sources probably aren’t fond of telling the government about their illegal weed-purchasing habits.

This partnership with Uber Eats is an attempt by Ontario’s government to push back against the illicit marijuana market with a faster and more convenient delivery option than what the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) currently offers.

Uber Eats is available on iOS and Android.

Source: PR Newswire

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Study finds algorithm can use smartphone sensor data to detect cannabis use

Researchers from Rutgers University in New Jersey say they can use smartphone data and machine learning to detect cannabis intoxication.

The project started as a proof-of-concept way to passively detect cannabis use rather than rely on existing testing measures like blood, urine or saliva tests. The researchers published their findings in the Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal (via CTV News).

The study involved an experiment with 57 young adults who reported using cannabis at least twice a week. Researchers asked participants to complete three surveys a day over 30 days. The survey asked about how high participants felt at a given time, when they had last used cannabis and the quantity consumed. Participants reported a total of 451 episodes of cannabis use.

Additionally, researchers asked participants to download a smartphone app that analyzed GPS data, phone logs, accelerometer data and other smartphone sensor data and usage statistics.

The researchers found that when looking at the time of day, a machine learning algorithm could detect an episode of cannabis use with 60 percent accuracy. With just the smartphone data, the algorithm had an accuracy of 67 percent.

But with both time-of-day data and sensor data combined, the algorithm accurately predicted cannabis use with 90 percent accuracy.

The researchers said that GPS and accelerometer sensor data were the most important in detecting cannabis use — the study found that participants didn’t travel as far while high, while the accelerometer could be used to measure body movements.

While certainly interesting results, there could be potential concerns with applying the algorithm in real-world scenarios. For example, bias in the algorithm (unintentional or otherwise) could skew results. Another problem could be the accuracy — 90 percent is impressive, but if you fall in the 10 percent where the algorithm gets it wrong, that could cause problems.

The researchers say that this is the first study to examine how smartphone sensors could help detect cannabis intoxication. However, some of the researchers were involved in a similar 2018 study that investigated if smartphone data could be used to detect heavy drinking episodes.

Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence Via: CTV News