Growing Marijuana Legally In The US

The legalization of using, purchasing, and growing marijuana has been spreading rather rapidly throughout the US as of late, but the push for legalization is not a straight or simple path. State laws, federal rules, and more local rulings can all make the legality of growing cannabis tricky to wrap your head around at first.

This infographic takes a closer look at how the legality of growing weed is determined from state to state. First, we break down what the federal laws say about growing marijuana across the whole state, but then we look into how each state interprets federal law. It’s the state’s interpretation that is enforced, though there may be some local ordinances that change even that to some degree.

When looking at the legality of growing cannabis in the US, we have to break it down into three categories that all states more or less fall under at this stage. These are the states in which is not legal to grow marijuana, states where is legal, and states where it is only legal to grow marijuana if you are a medical patient. The color-coded map helps break things down into easy-to-understand graphics.

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4 Reasons You Could Be Feeling Stressed

Do you constantly find that you feel stressed and overwhelmed? It’s important not to underestimate the impact that stress can have on your life. Stress can impact your mental and physical health in both the short and long term. That’s why you need to find ways to cope with it effectively. However, to do this, you need to understand the cause of your stress. So, let’s explore the potential issues that could be at play here.

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No Outlet

It’s possible that you are feeling stress because you have no way to work off the tension. This will usually be the case if you don’t have an outlet in your life. One of the best outlets that you might want to explore is exercise. A solid workout can definitely help you tackle the tension that you might be feeling. You can leave it on the road running or you can even work out in the comfort of your office. It’s entirely up to you but it’s important that you don’t let the tension that you are feeling continue to build up over time.

Trouble In The Office

Of course, it could be the case that your stress is due to an issue in the workplace. Perhaps the environment that you work in isn’t providing the emotional support that you need. This will be due to the failure of your employer to deliver a healthy office environment. If that’s the case, then you might want to think about switching jobs or even switching careers. Remember, we spend more than a third of our waking lives in the office or at work. As such, it’s important to find a position that makes you happy and that you love or enjoy. It’s never too late to move towards a change in your career.

Deep-Rooted Problems

You might find that you can’t quite pinpoint the cause of your stress. If that’s the case then it’s possible that the issue is more deep-rooted than you might want to admit. That’s why you may want to explore therapeutic solutions. With a telehealth solution, you can get the support you need in the comfort of your home and ensure that you don’t have to worry about needing to take extra time in your day to see a therapist. Instead, this can easily be fitted around your personal schedule.

People

Alternatively, it could be that the stress is being caused or at least made worse by the people who have a strong presence in your life. In your social group, you might have people who provide the support you need and others who drain you. It’s important that you are not surrounding yourself with people who are constantly depending on you to provide support. This is going to mean that you feel overwhelmed. You may even have toxic people in your life who take and take giving nothing back. It may be worth reevaluating who they are and assessing whether they provide a positive connection to you.

We hope this helps you understand some of the key reasons you could be feeling a high level of stress in your life.

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Hearing Health Hacks: Simple Ways To Protect Your Ears

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of dancing around to your favorite song or hearing your kids laughing their heads off. Many of us take our hearing for granted, and it’s not until we start to notice that we can’t hear as well that the importance of sound becomes clear. It’s not always possible to prevent hearing loss, but there are some simple ways to protect your ears. Looking after your hearing now will have a positive impact in the future.

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Protecting your ears at work
Some people have jobs that involve exposure to high levels of noise, and many more may encounter risks on their way to work. If you live in a big city, or you commute via train, metro or subway, it’s a great idea to invest in some earplugs to shield your ears during your daily travels. If your job carries a risk of hearing loss, your boss should provide you with the relevant personal protective equipment. If you’re worried that you don’t have sufficient protection, talk to your employer. Examples of jobs that require hearing protection include construction and manufacturing roles, music production and performance, DJing, working at clubs and live music venues, transport and logistics jobs and engineering positions. You might also benefit from wearing earplugs if you’re a dentist using a drill or a flight attendant.

Keeping the volume down
Many of us enjoy listening to music when we work, we clean the house, we exercise or we travel on a train, bus or plane. If you’ve got a playlist on, or you’re listening to a podcast or an audiobook, make sure the volume isn’t too high. If other people can hear music coming from your headphones, you could be doing serious, long-term damage to your ears. If you find that you have to turn the volume up to hear properly, this could be a sign of hearing loss, so it’s a good idea to book an assessment.

Seek advice if you have any problems
If you have any problems with your ears, or you’re worried that your hearing may be deteriorating, it’s crucial to seek advice as soon as possible. Ear pain can be a sign of infection or a build-up of wax, and it’s usually best to intervene early if you experience recurrent bouts of tinnitus or your hearing seems to be compromised. It may be possible to treat underlying causes of hearing loss or to find a solution for tinnitus or long-term hearing problems.

Keeping your ears a foreign object free zone
Many of us will have been tempted to stick something down our ears to remove wax or tend to an itch. Although this might seem like a good idea at the time, it can actually do more harm than good. If you’ve got excess wax inside the ear canal, inserting something like a cotton swab can push the wax further inside the ear, increasing the risk of the wax hardening and causing pain. Your ears are capable of cleaning themselves, but if you are concerned about a potential build-up of wax, it’s important to seek expert advice.

It might not be possible to maintain perfect hearing for the rest of your days, but there are ways you can reduce the risk of hearing loss.

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These Daily Practices Support Your Wellbeing More Than You Think

We all know that achieving wellbeing is a massive challenge. The world is full of things that seek to bring us down and get in the way of lasting happiness.

But it turns out that you can fight back using some pretty simple daily techniques. If you find your mental health is suffering, check out these ideas:

Prioritize Sleep

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According to the Sleep Health Foundation, sleep is one of the most important things that people can do to support wellness. The more shut-eye you get, the more able you feel to take on the challenges of the day and overcome them.

Being Mindful

Being mindful is a common practice these days, but nobody seems to know precisely what it means.

Fundamentally, mindfulness is an act of self-surveillance. Whenever you engage in it, you’re trying to observe yourself from the outside and become aware of the way you’re thinking.

Mindfulness, for instance, is helpful if you’re the type of person who has a habit of ruminating over your fears. If you find yourself playing over events in your mind again and again, the practice helps you intervene. You can step in and break the cycle, thereby improving your mental health.

Invest In Others

The root of suffering for many people is unfulfilled desire. There are all of these things that you want in your life – money, love, power – but you feel perpetually distanced from them. No matter how much cash you have in the bank or how far you progress in your career, it doesn’t feel like enough. There’s always another mountain to climb.

Investing in others, however, helps to reorientate your psyche. Instead of focusing on what you can get, you help other people achieve their goals. This change in focus is powerful because it undermines unfulfilled desires. You stop thinking about what life can give you, and instead focus on what you can give it.

Speak With A Counselor

As Carmel Psych Associates telehealth services make abundantly clear, speaking with a professional counselor is still possible, even during a pandemic. Today, there are more opportunities than ever to connect with experts through the internet. And doing so daily sessions can have a profound effect on your mental state. These people provide an anchor that you can use to pull yourself out of a mental health crisis and feel better about your situation.

Work On Something Creative

Life shouldn’t just be about solving problems. We should all have something creative that we do that makes it worthwhile getting out of bed in the morning. We need something that inspires us and pushes us forward.

If you’re an artist, then perhaps this is your calling. Creating music, painting, or coming up with a new dance are all things that can inject a little meaning and passion into your existence. Many of the most troubled people in the world turned to art in their time of need as a way to express how they felt.

Once you put daily practices in place, you can enhance your mental health tremendously.

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Laying The Foundations For Long-Term Health: Steps To Take Today

Most of us are aware that aging increases the risk of developing certain illnesses and health issues. While it’s not possible to avert every disease or symptom, there are steps you can take to maximize the chances of enjoying good health later in life. It’s never too early to start paving the way for better health and wellbeing in the future.

Living an active lifestyle

Exercise is one of the most effective means of slowing the aging process, reducing the risk of poor health and boosting mental well-being. If you work out on a regular basis, or you have an active lifestyle, you’ll reap the rewards for many years to come. Physical activity improves circulation, strengthens muscles and bones and protects mental health. As you get older, you might find that you have to adapt your routine slightly or embrace different activities, but there’s no reason why you can’t remain active. Many people who are in their 70s, 80s or even their 90s still like to get moving. Inactivity is a significant risk factor for obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

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Protecting your vision and hearing

Many of us associate hearing loss and changes in vision to aging. Getting older does take its toll on our senses, but often, the decisions we make in our younger years play a part. If you are exposed to loud noises, for example, this could increase the risk of premature hearing loss. When you’re listening to music, or you’re commuting via the subway, bus or train, it’s crucial to use earplugs or noise-canceling headphones and to set the volume at a level that won’t damage your ears. Hearing aids is an effective solution for hearing loss, but it’s best to try and prevent issues. For optimum eye health, take regular breaks from phone and computer screens, install eye protection software and book an eye test if you do notice any changes in your vision.

Avoiding drinking and smoking

Drinking excessively and smoking have long-lasting implications for your health. Regular drinking is linked to liver cirrhosis and it can also put you at risk of some types of cancer and heart disease. Smoking is a major risk factor for many forms of cancer and respiratory diseases. If you’re worried that you’re drinking too much, keep a diary and calculate how many units you consume in an average week. Even if you have a glass of wine with dinner or you pop for a couple of drinks after work every Friday, you might find that you’re exceeding the recommended intake. You can reduce your consumption by changing your social activities, alternating soft drinks and alcoholic drinks or opting for low-alcohol or alcohol-free beverages. If you’re keen to quit smoking, there is help available. See your doctor and ask about local support groups and treatment options such as nicotine replacement therapies.

Aging increases the risk of developing many illnesses, but the decisions you make now will also have an impact. If you look after your body and mind now, you can reduce the risk of health issues further down the line.

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Keeping It Clean: 3 Key Tips For Going Outside During Lockdown

Wherever you are in the world, the chances are your life has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It doesn’t take a genius to tell you that things are different now, and with the vaccine seemingly far away in the future, our new normal might last longer than we think. Although, of course, the best advice is to stay at home and try to flatten the curve, sometimes going out is unavoidable. Many people are struggling to feel safe while going outside, while others seem to be going stir crazy at home, trying to find things to do while they’re on lockdown.

Despite the anxiety-inducing circumstances, there are things you can do to keep your hygiene as the top priority when you take outings. Essential medical needs, like taking a hearing test or picking up a prescription, involve going into a pharmacy, where others have been coming in and out all day. Likewise, visits to the supermarket are inevitable; while social distancing rules are being applied in some places, taking responsibility for your own safety is the smartest thing to do.

Mask up!

While it’s been stated by medical professionals that wearing a non-medical grade mask will not protect you from others’ illnesses, it will protect others from you. Even if you feel fine, you could be carrying coronavirus without realizing it, so wearing a mask assures your sense of social responsibility. Plus, having your face covered will prevent you from touching your nose and mouth – something we all do, often without realizing it.

Additionally, making your own mask can provide a fun lockdown activity for all the family. You can choose your colour and design of the mask, and introduce the idea of mask-wearing to your children in a fun, stress-free way. Everybody wins!

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Hands off!

As human beings, we can’t be conscious of where we put our hands all the time. However, this crisis is requiring us to be hyper-aware of the dangers we pose to ourselves by touching things unnecessarily. When you’re shopping, keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in your pocket, using it often. It’s tempting to pick up products to examine them carefully, then put them back on the shelves – but try to avoid this, as you might be leaving bacteria on the object, which will then be transferred to another person.

Leave your phone behind!

This might seem counter-intuitive. Most of us consider our phone as an extension of our arm by now. However, mobile phones are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. When was the last time you cleaned your phone screen? Exactly. We use our phones all day, every day, pressing them against our faces, without realizing that everything we touch is transferred onto them. When you’re out and about, using your phone in a public space can transfer particles from your phone into your surroundings, and vice versa. It’s important to stay vigilant and leave it behind – it might even feel good to be phone-free for a few hours.

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3 ‘Healthy’ Drinks That Aren’t As Healthy As You Think

It’s not rocket science that good nutritional habits contribute to a healthy life. However, most of you probably associate food with nutrition. You think about the different things you eat – and that’s great. This is definitely something you should be more conscious of. The only problem is that we often neglect what we drink. Drinks form part of your nutrition as well, and they can often be what holds you back. You can eat well, but if you drink two massive bottles of Coca Cola every day, then you’re hardly going to be healthy.

Therefore, it’s normal to seek out some healthy drinks that we believe are good for us. Many times, these drinks are actually really healthy. But, there are some ‘healthy’ drinks that are actually much worse for us than we realize…

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Smoothies & fruit juices

Believe it or not, but smoothies and fruit juices aren’t as healthy as you think. What could possibly be bad about two drinks made from fruits?! Well, it’s all to do with the sugar content. You see, when you eat a piece of fruit, it has sugar in it. This is naturally occurring, but it’s not bad for us because we eat it along with the fiber in the fruit. When you blitz fruit up for smoothies or juices, it breaks apart the sugar and fiber. This makes it harder for the body to digest and use the sugar, so it gets stored in the body and can cause insulin spikes and other problems. In simple terms, these drinks aren’t that healthy because they contain far too much sugar. Limit your intake to 150ml a day, rather than a whole 330ml bottle!

Sports drinks

How can a sports drink not be healthy?! They contain electrolytes and other things to help replenish our energy stores and prevent fatigue. However, much like smoothies, these drinks contain an absurd amount of sugar. This instantly makes them less healthy than you think. To add to this, many isotonic sports drinks can also include caffeine or other potentially harmful ingredients. In truth, you can get electrolytes from natural sources – like fruit – rendering these drinks somewhat useless.

Water

Okay, okay, listen to what I have to say before you go crazy. Water is the healthiest drink out there, but there are instances where it isn’t as healthy as it can be. Mainly, it’s when you drink it from your tap in the kitchen. This water can often contain chlorine, mercury, carbon, lead, and even asbestos. If you keep drinking this water regularly, you might get sick or develop skin conditions. Thankfully, you can remedy the situation with a water filter. There are plenty out there, and there’s always a big debate over PUR vs Brita for which one’s are the best. Either way, a filter gets rid of all this stuff and makes your water healthier. So, the drink itself isn’t unhealthy, it’s just the type of water you might be drinking.

Hopefully, this has opened your eyes just a little bit. Stop drinking things that do more harm than good! Be more conscious of what you drink as it can help you be healthy.

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