THE BUZZ

Good Buds

This Massachusetts dispensary is making quality cannabis more a ordable.

In partnership with cultivator Revolutionary Clinics, Bud’s Goods dispensaries (with locations in Worcester and Abington, Massachusetts) recently launched an aff ordable cannabis product called Lil’ Bud’s—an eighth of an ounce of pre-packaged cannabis for only $30. Referred to by the company as “the people’s eighth,” the high-quality small buds feature the same cannabinoids and terpenes as many of their best-selling strains, without the high price tag.

budsgoods.com

BEYOND WORDS

This trippy art tackles spiritual and social issues.

Visual art has always had the power to make us think critically about the world around us. Michael Cannistraro, founder of Canman Creations—an art and design rm in Medway, Massachusetts—uses his creative skills to draw attention to cannabis-related and other social issues, including the negative social and economic impacts of drug laws. Cannistraro, who describes his style as “modern psychedelicism,” also designs product packaging and creates digital illustrations for use in media.

canmancreations.com

BY THE NUMBERS

105

DAYS

The approximate amount of time it takes to grow a mature sugar pie pumpkin from seed

SOURCE: Wildroseheritageseed.com

2,294

POUNDS

The weight of the heaviest pumpkin ever recorded in New England, at the Tops eld Fair’s 2019 New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-O

SOURCE: Tops eldfair.org

500

SEEDS

The average number of seeds found in a fully grown carving pumpkin

SOURCE: Theheartofnewengland.com

Anti-Anxiety Elixir Tone down the physiological e ects of stress.

Developed by Jónsi Birgisson of Icelandic rock band Sigur Rós along with VONA—a collective of Icelandic artists, researchers, and farmers—EXHALE CBD-based tincture combats stress by increasing the brain’s production of neurotransmitters that relax the nervous system. Each 1-ounce bottle contains 1,000 mg of broad-spectrum CBD, reishi mushroom extract, vitamin B6, holy basil leaf extract, and the amino acid L-theanine. ”Exhale” is also the opening track on Jónsi’s latest solo album, Shiver.

myvona.com

I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

—Lucy Maud Montgomery, 20th century Canadian author

BILITIES

BY STEPHANIE WILSON, EDITOR IN CHIEF

1 STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS STORY: The rst time I

ever got high, I went to a haunted house.

2 TRUE STORY: The girl who drove my friends and me that night had a last name pronounced doo-bie.

3 MS. DOOBIE [NOT HOW IT’S REALLY SPELLED] had

borrowed her mom’s car that night and picked up me and two other girls on the way to the haunted house on the other side of town. On the way there, one of the girls convinced her to pull o into a cul-de-sac so her three passengers could smoke a joint in the woods all stealth-like—my pu -pu right of passage.

4 THE HAUNTED HOUSE IN OUR TOWN WAS NO JOKE.

Kids and adults alike would line up at the spooky house on the hill outside of town to be subjected to ts of terror. Whether they knew it or not, they were there to get high on fear.

5 WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE FEAR, your body’s natural ghtor- ight response triggers the release of endorphins and dopamine into your system. When that happens in a safe environment (like a haunted house or while watching a scary movie), the pleasure response is heightened even further. That’s why safe-but-still-so-scary attractions exist: We’re just seeking our next dopamine hit.

6 IN MY FIRST-TIME-HIGH STATE, my inhibitions were lowered

and my guards were down. I let myself be scared—terri ed—at every turn, as did my friends, and the three of us found ourselves huddled in a pile together in the corner of one dark room at the end of the tour, giggling and crying good tears, and giggling some more.

7 TURNS OUT, getting safely scared with friends is a bonding experience. Science says so, as does my anecdotal experience: Twenty- ve years later, those two girls remain my bestest of friends, although I don’t know whatever happened to the girl named Doobie.

THE MAINE EVENT

Celebrate the Pine Tree State’s emerging cannabis culture at this annual convention in Portland.

Returning to the Portland Sports Complex in Portland, Maine, on October 16 and 17, the sixth annual Maine Cannabis Convention will feature a variety of vendors and exhibitors from throughout the state, including Cold War Organics, Atlas Seed, and MCR Labs. Sponsored by the New England Cannabis Network (NECANN), the convention, last held in 2019, is Maine’s largest networking event for cannabis industry professionals and consumers.

Attendees can take advantage of educational programming covering topics such as best practices for growing cannabis, marketing skills and techniques for dispensaries, and the latest research on cannabis’ medical potential.

The Maine Cannabis Convention is open to anyone age 21 and over. Get tickets (from $20 to $35 per day) via the event’s o cial website.

necann.com

VOX POPULI Question: What was your favorite Halloween costume?

MARCIA CASSIDY

PR rep Lowell, MA

___________________ My favorite was Grapes of Wrath. I wore purple balloons (grapes) with scowly faces on them, and my husband was Tom Joad.

MEG WILLIAMS

Financial analyst Nashua, NH

___________________ Male cent! She’s just a great character.

ANNETTE LANGKOPF

Dental assistant Dracut, MA

___________________ I was a pair of dice once. Cute, but not at all practical.

ROBERT HAMILTON

Sales executive Sunderland, MA

___________________ Braveheart. It was fun to wear a kilt.

SALLY BING

Receptionist Pawtucket, RI

___________________ I was Bubbles, one of the Power Pu Girls. It was a kids’ costume, but I made it t!

Sinners at Sea

Start Halloween weekend o right on this haunted party cruise.

PHOTO COUTESY OF SINNERS & SAINTS HAUNTED PARTY CRUISE Put on your favorite Halloween costume and enjoy spooky cocktails, ghoulish treats, and tunes spun by a live DJ while sailing Boston’s inner harbor. The 21+ Sinners and Saints Haunted Party Cruise, held on the 500-passenger Provincetown II, will set sail on October 29 at 7 p.m. from Commonwealth Pier off of Seaport Boulevard. The cruise includes a costume contest. Tickets range from $20 to $40. Note that food and beverage sales on board are cash only.

THE FARTHER WE'VE GOTTEN FROM THE MAGIC AND MYSTERY OF OUR PAST, THE MORE WE'VE COME TO NEED HALLOWEEN.”

—Paula Curan, October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween