Marijuana-infused wine is making a comeback. What originally began as a novelty in the 1980s is becoming more commonplace as winemakers look to ferment grapes with THC-laden leaves. 
“While it neither got me stoned nor made me want to ditch the glass of 1985 Roumier Bonnes-Mares that I was holding in my other hand, it was certainly a novel experience.” - Michael Sternberg at The Daily Beast

Marijuana-infused wine is making a comeback. What originally began as a novelty in the 1980s is becoming more commonplace as winemakers look to ferment grapes with THC-laden leaves. 

“While it neither got me stoned nor made me want to ditch the glass of 1985 Roumier Bonnes-Mares that I was holding in my other hand, it was certainly a novel experience.” - Michael Sternberg at The Daily Beast

An amiable chocolate Lab has unwittingly landed at the center of a  Fourth Amendment battle, as the Supreme Court considers a case  questioning the constitutionality of drug-sniffing dogs.

An amiable chocolate Lab has unwittingly landed at the center of a Fourth Amendment battle, as the Supreme Court considers a case questioning the constitutionality of drug-sniffing dogs.

Why are kids smoking more weed than ever before? Think about it this way: In 1978, 40 percent of 12th-graders admitted to smoking pot. Now most of them are 50 years old with kids of their own. “Would those parents who smoked marijuana in high school be very upset if they found out their kids were doing it?” asks Janice D’Arcy at The Washington Post. Probably not. It’s math, really. More theories

Why are kids smoking more weed than ever before? Think about it this way: In 1978, 40 percent of 12th-graders admitted to smoking pot. Now most of them are 50 years old with kids of their own. “Would those parents who smoked marijuana in high school be very upset if they found out their kids were doing it?” asks Janice D’Arcy at The Washington Post. Probably not. It’s math, really. More theories

Surprising new research has found that pot smokers are actually thinner than those who don’t indulge in marijuana. What’s behind this phenomenon?

A team of South African scientists want to exhume Shakespeare’s remains to confirm rumors that he was an avid marijuana smoker.

A team of South African scientists want to exhume Shakespeare’s remains to confirm rumors that he was an avid marijuana smoker.

The green movement: Not so green.
A new study by a U.S. government energy analyst (working on his own  time) found that marijuana  cultivation is a huge power suck, and a significant contributor to  greenhouse gas emissions. How not-green is weed? The study’s author,  Evan Mills of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, estimates that  before anyone even smokes it, pot growing uses 1 percent of U.S.  electricity and creates 17 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. That  means each joint equals two pounds of carbon emissions. 
Photo CC BY: Torben Bjorn Hansen

The green movement: Not so green.

A new study by a U.S. government energy analyst (working on his own time) found that marijuana cultivation is a huge power suck, and a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. How not-green is weed? The study’s author, Evan Mills of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, estimates that before anyone even smokes it, pot growing uses 1 percent of U.S. electricity and creates 17 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. That means each joint equals two pounds of carbon emissions.

Photo CC BY: Torben Bjorn Hansen

Marijuana without the high: A painkiller breakthrough
Scientists believe they can isolate the pain-easing benefits of medical marijuana — so sufferers can consume it without becoming foggy and paranoid.

Marijuana without the high: A painkiller breakthrough

Scientists believe they can isolate the pain-easing benefits of medical marijuana — so sufferers can consume it without becoming foggy and paranoid.

Willie Nelson may evade pot charges with a song
When U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped  Willie Nelson’s tour bus in  rural west Texas last November, they found several ounces of marijuana  onboard. But although Hudspeth County  Attorney Kit Bramblett could have  made an example out of Nelson — recommending the maximum 180  days in  jail and $2,000 fine allowed under Texas law — he  suggested a plea deal of $100 instead… plus a courtroom  performance by Nelson of his 1975 hit “Blue Eyes Crying in  the Rain.” “You can bet your ass I’m not going to be  mean to Willie Nelson,”  Bramblett said.

Willie Nelson may evade pot charges with a song

When U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped Willie Nelson’s tour bus in rural west Texas last November, they found several ounces of marijuana onboard. But although Hudspeth County Attorney Kit Bramblett could have made an example out of Nelson — recommending the maximum 180 days in jail and $2,000 fine allowed under Texas law — he suggested a plea deal of $100 instead… plus a courtroom performance by Nelson of his 1975 hit “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.” “You can bet your ass I’m not going to be mean to Willie Nelson,” Bramblett said.

Today in weird news

  • The world is experiencing an “obesity tsunami”
    From 1980 to 2000, the worldwide rate of obesity more than doubled, and now more than one in 10 adults is considered obese. But we won’t say anymore. We’ll let the numbers speak for themselves. 
  • A company wants to open a resort staffed only by blondes
    In an effort to celebrate blondes — or to exploit stereotypes about them, depending on your point of view — one company plans to open a resort in the Maldives, the small island nation southwest of India, that will feature a staff made up entirely of fair-haired men and women.
  • A Connecticut pot grower called the cops on himself
    Robert J. Michelson of Farmington, Conn., wasn’t sure about the legal implications of growing weed in his house. So he called someone guaranteed to know — the cops. Listen to the audio of the 911 call here.

…and creative Christmas-inspired ways people hide their drugs, including one man who put a tiny bit of marijuana wrapped in a bow behind every door of his advent calendar. Then there’s the guy who decorated his six-foot-tall pot plant like a Christmas tree. Creative, but not enough to avoid getting caught, I suppose.

Here is the full list. Enjoy, and happy holidays, Tumblr!