Pilot Has “Mushroom” Breakdown, Magnolia Bakery’s Edibles, Illinois’ Diversity

A pilot’s “mushroom-fueled” breakdown, Magnolia Bakery’s edible line, and Illinois’ cannabis industry makes strides in diversity.

Let’s dive into this week’s canna-news.

Midflight Madness

An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot is in hot water after attempting to disable a plane’s engines mid-flight. The off-duty pilot, 44-year-old Joseph D. Emerson, blames “magic mushrooms” for his erratic behavior. Are the psychedelics really the culprit? Let’s dive into the facts behind Emerson’s strange outburst.

The incident occurred late last month on a flight from Washington state to San Francisco. Emerson was riding in the cockpit, as off-duty pilots are allowed. Emerson told police he believed he was dreaming, and that the only way to “wake up” was to cut off the aircraft’s engines. Emerson reached for the handle of the fire extinguishing system but was stopped by one of the pilots before he could pull it. A confrontation ensued as Emerson and the pilot wrestled for a few seconds before Emerson calmed down.

Emerson blamed his behavior on magic mushrooms he took 48 hours before the incident. The mushrooms, Emerson admitted, were a sort of medication for his ongoing fight with depression. He also admitted that hadn’t slept in the last 40 hours. While Emerson put the bulk of the blame on mushrooms, health professionals say there is more at play.

CNN talked to Matt Johnson, a Johns Hopkins professor who studies psychedelics, about Emerson’s strange situation. Johnson said it was highly unlikely that psilocybin would remain in Emerson’s system a whole 48 hours after use. However, Johnson did say that it’s possible Emerson might’ve had a “mushroom hangover” that nonetheless impaired his motor function. Instead of placing the blame solely on the mushrooms, Johson says Emerson’s behavior might’ve been caused by a perfect storm of depression, and sleep deprivation — with minimal impact from prior psilocybin use.

Since the incident, federal courts charged Emerson with interfering with a flight crew. The state of Oregon also charged Emerson with 83 felony counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment, and one count of endangering an aircraft. Emerson pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Magnolia Bakery’s Edible Goodies

New York City’s famous Magnolia Bakery is venturing into cannabis, infusing its offerings with THC to create Incredibles by Green Thumb Industries. The first of the bakery’s THC-infused limited edition bars are available in Rise Dispensaries in Illinois, Nevada, and Massachusetts. The bars come in mouthwatering flavors like Swirled Famous Banana Pudding and Red Velvet Piece Ahhh Cake. Each bar contains 10mg of THC per piece.

The infused bars were made in collaboration with Green Thumb Industries. However, this does not mean that Magnolia Bakery took a hands-off approach to this project. A testament to Magnolia Bakery’s commitment to exceptional products, all of the bars are made using only quality ingredients. The Banana Pudding Bar, for example, is loaded with creamy vanilla pudding, vanilla cookies, and freeze-dried bananas.

Have you tried Magnolia Bakery’s Incredibles by Green Thumb Industries? Let us know how you liked them in the comments!

Illinois’ Diversity Efforts Pay Off

Illinois’ young cannabis industry is making major strides when it comes to diversity, according to the state’s Cannabis Regulation Oversight Officer (CROO).

On launch day in January 2020, 100% of cannabis businesses in the state were White-owned. In fact, only one business was majority women-owned. The most recent CROO report shows that:

• Black-owned cannabis companies increased from 0% to 27%
• Latine companies increased from 0% to 5%
• Asian-owned companies increased from 0% to 3%
• Women-owned businesses now make up 16% of licenses

The report is based on a survey from the CROO with 132 respondents.

Want to take advantage of Illinois’ quickly diversifying cannabis industry? Find out how to get your Illinois MMJ card with Veriheal.