A scheduled order is like any other order you can place on our website; however, it will be delivered the following day at a one-hour time window that works best for you. Let’s say you come home from work after a long and tiring day. You sit down, have a chance to breathe, and notice your cannabis supply is close to empty. After a quick mental calculation, there won’t be any left after tonight. You scroll through our menu, add a few items to your cart and notice your favorite item is in our next day exclusive category. The day is finally getting you to as your eyes get heavier and heavier. Before having a peaceful cannabis-induced sleep, you add that favorite item to your basket and place a scheduled order to arrive tomorrow from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM; around 30 minutes after you typically get home from work. 

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 Scheduled orders give more than peace of mind, they also provide a 10% discount and access to exclusive items available in big savings bundles or on limited supply. We see this as another way to create better deals on high-quality cannabis products at lower prices. 
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TO PLACE YOUR SCHEDULED ORDER TODAY CLICK HERE
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To receive the most bang for your buck, scheduled orders provide lower prices on all of the curated items added to the order. What’s not to like? :D I’m interested to hear your thoughts on this topic and any other ones you have in mind. Comment below or email me at peter@bentodelivery to further the discussion! Until next week, ARIGATO!

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​We use our weekly discussions as a means to understand our community which we call Bento Family and answers questions they may have. In a previous post, we mentioned experimenting with cannabis to understand what works best for you. We know that’s easier said than done. The lack of knowledge of this industry doesn’t help. That’s where we come in, trying our best to provide the most relevant information to you. A common question we hear is “what’s the difference between smoking flower and eating an edible?” There are many horror stories of someone eating an edible, having a bad experience, and never trying cannabis again. We don’t want that to happen to you, so this week’s discussion will clarify the differences between edibles and smoking. 

Effects can be felt faster from smoking than edibles. This is because smoking allows Delta-9-THC to travel through our bloodstream, thanks to the alveoli in our lungs, and binds to endocannabinoid receptors throughout our body, including our brain. Effects can be felt instantly or in a few minutes. When consuming edibles, it typically kicks in around 30-60 minutes. The edible needs time to metabolized through the stomach then liver.
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Although, edibles provide more potent effects. When consumed, Delta-9-THC converts to 11-hydroxy-THC or 11-OH-THC. A 1973 study showed 11-OH-THC may be more potent than Delta-9-THC. 11-OH-THC is water soluble, while Delta-9-THC is oil soluble. This means edibles are more effective in crossing the blood-brain barrier. As a result, the effects from smoking moderately can last anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours while edibles can last four to 6 hours.   

​Smoking is good for those who want to feel the effects immediately. Despite the fact smoking could irritate and inflame the respiratory tract. Edibles are great for those who don’t want to smoke, smell like cannabis, want a longer/stronger high, or prefer inconspicuous consumption methods. It is important to note some edibles have a stronger cannabis taste than others. If not careful, edibles come with the highest chance of over doing it. Understanding the perfect number of milligrams for you is important. So is taking into consideration your metabolism, how sensitive you are to THC, and what you ate that day. Start with 2.5mg or 5mg and if nothing is felt within an hour take another. Impatience leads to undesired results. 

Experimenting to understand what works best for you is encouraged. Additionally, we want to make sure you experiment in a safe manner. If you like the information we discussed and want us to compare other methods, please email us at peter@bentodelivery.com or comment below. Likewise, if there is something you want to learn more about, or if you have any feedback feel free to comment or email us along with any other questions you may have. After all, our discussions are focused on helping you. 

​Items on our menu have been showing up with the word smalls in the headline. But what exactly does that mean? Many from the Bento Family have raised this question along with, “is there’s anything wrong with them?” This week’s discussion will answer those questions and quite possibly leave you with a different perspective on cannabis bud structure.  

​If you’ve ever seen a picture of a cannabis plant its either short and bushy or tall and narrow. Just like any other plant, cannabis plants require sunlight to grow. The plant grows towards the direction of the sun, leaving colas (tight group of buds) near the top of the plant to absorb the most sunlight possible. Colas near the bottom of the plant don’t receive as much sunlight. As a result, they don’t turn into large, Christmas tree type nugs. You may not want to post a picture of it, but you will definitely feel the effects. 

​Smalls provide nearly the same level of cannabinoids (THC, CBD, etc.) and terpenes (taste, smell) as the Instagram worthy nugs. Farms and growers alike typically sell them for lower prices because of the lack of bag appeal with roughly the same aroma and trichrome production. In a previous discussion, we described trichomes as white crystals where cannabinoids and terpenes are produced/stored. Cannabis plants from a high-quality farm usually produce high quality effects. Smalls could give you the ability to buy high quality flower for lower prices. Additionally, there may be less stem weight associated with small nugs. Theoretically, smalls provide more flower so long as its properly trimmed.   

​Did our discussion change your perspective on packages labeled smalls? Is what we discussed aligned with your experience? Let us know by emailing us at peter@bentodelivery.com or by commenting below along with any other thoughts you may have including feedback on our delivery service and future topics. The conversations we have with you make our weekly discussions worth it!

​At the end of March 2019, CVS and Walgreens decided to carry cannabidiol (CBD) products in select stores. The announcement rose cannabis’s credibility by filling shelf space on some of the largest, US pharmaceutical chains. With a growing shift towards cannabis acceptance in the US and globally, it makes sense for pharmaceutical company to adapt. One survey with over 2,000 respondents showed around 40% of US adults 21 and older are willing to try CBD “under the right conditions”. But there is still a lot of confusion as to what CBD is and how it effects our body. This week’s discussion will center around why a store like CVS and Walgreens would carry CBD items. 

​CBD is a natural alternative to a variety of medication because of the way it interacts with our body. CBD is similar to THC as they provide therapeutic benefits; however, CBD differs since it binds to receptors outside of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). They take many pathways to reach their destination. There are over 65 molecular targets for CBD. Here’s a link to a previous discussion where we brought up the ECS. If you want to go more in depth, search up how a receptor interacts with CBD. Serotonin receptors and vanilloid receptors are a good start. Once CBD binds to a receptor, it has the ability to strengthen or hold the receptor’s message; thereby regulating activity. While CBD doesn’t bind to ECS receptors (CB1 & CB2), it does reduce CB1’s ability to bind with THC. 

​Last year, a panel of US Food and Drug Administration advisors recommended the approval of Epidiolex (CDB medication) for the treatment of two rare forms of childhood epilepsy. While CBD has evident therapeutic effects for epilepsy, the research is lacking for other medical benefits. This is not to say CBD doesn’t work, it merely shows the war on drugs restricted the ability to conduct research and clinical trials on the schedule 1 drug. Studies that try to prove CBDs medical benefits on other conditions aren’t as clear. Most studies are conducted on animals, with very few on humans. Now, more than ever, research is being done to prove the health benefits cannabis can offer. More evidence shows CBD can help with anxiety, pain, sleep Alzheimer’s disease, addiction, nausea, appetite, cancer, etc. 

Even with the growing number of evidence, the survey quoted earlier found seven out of 10 CBD users used a form of THC in the last three months. That’s why our menu contains pure CBD items like the CBD Protabs, as well as CBD and THC ratio items with the CBD Wellness Drops (1:1) and High CBD Wellness Drops (18:1) from Lightly Lifted. Our menu is everchanging, so new items may pop up at any time.

​We hope you were able to learn something new. Be sure to share what you found about CBD and receptors, along with anything else you’d like to share/talk about to peter@bentodelivery.com or by commenting below. We enjoy the conversations we have with our Bento Family, thank you for being part of our 10th weekly discussion!

​State legalization has brought up debates as to whether cannabis use is healthy. We started Bento Delivery during the prop 215 days. Helping medical patients live a better life was and still is a core value of ours. I say was because we’ve expanded to include the recreational market. This allows us to positively impact more peoples’ lives and create a meaningful community within the Bay Area. Since the legal cannabis industry is relatively new, education is more important than ever to understand what works best for you. Our Bento Family is diverse and spans across many communities. To address issues most relevant to you, emailing us at peter@bentodelivery.com is extremely helpful for us to know what type of information is best to discuss. Many Bento Family members raised concerns about psychosis. This week’s discussion will focus on what psychosis is, how cannabis use is linked to psychotic episodes, and how to reduce your chances of experiencing psychosis. 

Psychosis is a mental health issue that affects the mind. A psychotic episode can alter one’s reality by perceiving things that aren’t there. The best way to describe it is the feeling of paranoia after smoking a strong sativa. Although a psychotic episode would last longer and be accompanied by other symptoms. Symptoms can include jumbled or nonsensical speech, depression, anxiety, sleep problems, social withdrawal, lack of motivation, and an overall difficulty to function normally. 

​According to a study conducted by The British Journal of Psychiatry, psychosis could be brought on by daily, habitual use of high delta-9 THC products. Delta-9 THC is the main active cannabinoid in cannabis, which produces the psychoactive effects. Consuming large levels of highly potent cannabis over a sustained period of time may increase your chances of experiencing a psychotic episode. Chances could be higher if there is a family history of psychosis. Likewise if one consumed before their prefrontal cortex was fully developed. 

Simply put, the opposite of what the journal wrote. Using lower delta-9 THC products in an infrequent manner. For many suffering from one or several illnesses that cannabis use helps, a tolerance break isn’t possible, research shows CBD has antipsychotic properties.

Most studies presented during this article point to high THC products. Based on my anecdotal research, sativa strains bring out/heighten expressions of paranoia or other symptoms one may be experiencing; especially the high THC strains. I personally enjoy indica dominate hybrids because they bring me long-lasting effects without paranoia entering the fold. Although, I understand everyone and their endocannabinoid system is different. That is why we favor experimentation to understand what works best for you.  
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Our menu offers several CBD only, moderate delta-9 THC, and ratio’d CBD to THC products. We take the health of our community seriously and strive to provide a quality experience each and every time. Please let us know if this information was helpful by emailing us at peter@bentodelivery.com or by commenting below. If you have any other thoughts, such as what works best for you, we’d love to hear from you and further the conversation.  

​Since our discussion on health issues and THC vapes, many within the Bento Family have asked for updates. Two major news stories we would like to discuss is on the Center of Disease Control’s (CDC) adjusted stance of THC vape cartridges and the results from a test conducted on 18 THC vape cartridges in the California market. 

​The CDC issued a press release at the end of September explaining how unregulated THC cartridges may be the common factor. Of the 514 patients suffering from vape related illnesses, around 77% used THC products with or without nicotine based products. Since the study, there have been 805 confirmed lung related injuries from 46 states.

​Cannabis is either legal, illegal or allow for some medical use in these states. Cases stemming from a fully legal state like Illinois and a completely illegal state such as Wisconsin note virtually all THC vape products were purchased from “informal sources such as friends, family members, illicit dealers, or off the street.” Products bought off the street can be extremely dangerous due to their unregulated and untested nature. 

NBC News conducted a test on 18 THC cartridges from legal and illegal dispensaries in California. 13 samples came back testing positive for Vitamin E (click this link for a more in-depth look into Vitamin E and how it affects your body), and 10 contain myclobutanil. Myclobutanil is a fungicide, that turns into hydrogen cyanide when ignited. All of these samples were purchased from the black market.
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Three cartridges were purchased from legal shops and they came back negative for heavy metals, pesticides or residual solvents. The three brands are Select, Orchid Essentials, and Tikun. 

​We, at Bento, pride ourselves in providing our customers with high quality, tested, and safe products. We do not sell products that have not been tested by laboratories. The tests conducted look for similar things such as heavy metals, pesticides, residual solvents, etc. As the test shows, Select does not contain any of the harmful ingredients that black market cartridges have. Because we want our Bento Family to consume safely and affordably, a $119 for 3 full gram Select cartridge deal will go live on our menu. If you have any questions please feel free to comment below or email peter@bentodelivery.com to further the conversation.

​In a previous post we talked about terpenes in protabs and how they work with cannabinoids to enhance the strain’s/cultivar’s effects. Many are unfamiliar with terpenes, although they are all around us. There are more than 30,000 terpenes found in plants all over the world. In cannabis, there are over 200 terpenes. Rather than discuss terpenes as a whole, we’ll take a look at individual terpenes so that our community can understand which cultivars are right for them. The terpene we’ll focus on today is beta-caryophyllene (BCP).   

BCP’s medical benefits have been know for some time now. A 2008 study found a positive correlation between BCP and therapeutic treatments. Many spices and ingredients such as basil, oregano, lavender, rosemary, cinnamon, black pepper, and cloves contain the essential oil. This led the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve BCP as a food additive because of its ability to activate the endocannabinoid system (ECS).

The ECS is found throughout our body. There are two cannabinoid receptors appropriately named cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2). BCP binds to the CB2, which are located on white blood cells. CB2 differs than that of CB1 as no psychoactive effects are produced. Beta-caryophyllene can help regulate the immune and nervous system by providing aid/relief from pain, inflammation, digestion, depression, anxiety, insomnia, cancer development, weight loss, and many more.

​Many well know strains contain high levels of BCP such as Bubba Kush, Girl Scout Cookies, OG Kush, Pineapple Express, Super Sour Diesel, Trainwreck, Candyland, Cookies and Cream, Gorilla Glue #4, Super Silver Haze, Wedding Cake, and so much more. At the moment, our high BCP strains include Mimosa, Orange Cream Cake. We used to carry Pre-98 Bubba Kush. Many from the Bento Family purchased that strain because the effects were exactly what they were looking far. As time goes on, our menu changes so be sure to keep a look out for any of these strains and many others high in beta-caryophyllene!

​We hope this discussion was informative. If you learned something new, let us know! Are there any cultivars you want us to carry, any terpenes you want us to cover, questions you have, suggestions for topics or improvement for Bento in general let us know by emailing us at peter@bentodelivery.com or by commenting below. We’d love to hear your thoughts and further the conversation. 

​With more and more people trying cannabis each day, we thought it’d be a great idea to discuss the differences between being recreational vs a medical patient in California. 

To start, we’ll briefly mention the laws that allowed each in California. Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, allowed physicians to recommend cannabis for severely ill Californians to provide relief and treatment. Fast forward to 2016, Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, passed which allowed the sale and consumption of recreational cannabis for adults 21 and older.

​It wasn’t until January 1, 2018 when recreational use was legalized. That’s when the Medicinal and Adult Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) went into law. The MAUCRSA established the regulatory and commercial framework for California’s medical and adult-use cannabis market. 

Besides the heavy taxes, the law outlines what recreational users and medical patients can buy and possess. Medical patients can be 18 and older. They can buy and possess up to 8 ounces of dried cannabis or concentrates. Recreational users are 21 years or older and are limited to 1 ounce of dried flower and eight grams of concentrates. Although, there’s no limit on the amount of CBD products anyone can buy.
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Understanding the legal, California cannabis rules can help in making purchasing decisions as well as deciding whether to seek a doctor’s recommendation for medical use. We hope you learned something new and if there’s something unclear or you want to know more about please feel free to email us at peter@bentodelivery.com or by commenting below. We enjoy hearing your thoughts! 

As our first discussion mentioned, we are at the early beginnings of the legal cannabis industry locally and globally. That leaves opportunities for creative solutions to enter the market. In this discussion, I want to focus on a relatively new product category for the cannabis industry created by the San Francisco company Level; protabs. New items like these may leave many hesitant to give them a try. Many have praised protabs and added them to their go to list. To see if protabs are right for you we’ll break down what protabs are, how they are made, and who might enjoy them.  

​Protabs are cannabinoid specific tablets infused with steam distilled cannabis terpenoids. Breaking that down, Level blends a specific chemical compounds of the plant with fragrant oils. For example, the sativa, indica, and hybrid protabs contain Delta-9-THC; the central psychoactive compound in cannabis. Other protabs contain CBD, Delta-8 THC, THCA, and CBG.
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Protabs are not considered edibles. They are small, circular, mint-sized tablets categorized as capsules or orally consumable concentrates. That sets them out of the 100 mg limit placed on edibles. That’s why they come in 250 mg packages; ten capsules dosed at 25 mg each. Protabs are cannabinoid specific and scored down the middle, allowing for smaller doses. Protabs are swallowed with water followed by a 30-to-60-minute activation delay 

Steam distillation allows Level to isolate terpenes. The process starts by converting solid, cannabis material into vapor and then turning the terpene profile into a liquid oil. The steam distilled terpenoids are infused with the cannabinoid to create the entourage effect. The taste and smell of terpenes like myrcene and pinene interact with cannabinoids such as THC or CBD to enhance the intended results; a stronger high or medicated effect.
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Chris Emerson, PH.D., Cofounder, and Chief Scientist at Level understands everyone has a unique endocannabinoid system. Because of this, he encourages people to experiment with cannabis as they build confidence with what works for them. A single cannabinoid can be an effective treatment; however, combining cannabinoids can provide the most therapeutic benefits through the entourage effect. 

​Protabs can be attractive for multiple reasons. The higher mg count can appeal to those with higher tolerances. Bentonians who want to understand how specific cannabinoids affect them in isolation. Level appeals to the growing trend of microdosing by providing a discreet way to relive stress, enter the flow state, or maintain the high while being able to control the dosage. Someone who doesn’t smoke and/or is tired of eating candy or chocolate covered edibles can rejoice with the small, potent protabs. As you can tell, there are many reasons why someone may be attracted to protabs. 

​What do you think about protabs after reading this post? Have you tried any of the protabs? If so, which is your favorite? What made you want to try it? We’d love to hear what you have to say by emailing us at peter@bentodelivery.com or by commenting below.  We enjoy furthering the conversation with our community. 

This week’s discussion stems from a conversation we had following the release of our second ever weekly discussion. With reports coming from over half of the USA, vape related illnesses and deaths are sweeping the nation. While the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has yet to state a conclusive cause, there is a common link between samples collected from those are/were affected and their use of THC vape cartridges. Please not these health issues and deaths are appearing in other vape related products outside of the cannabis industry. 

​Because we’re a cannabis company, we want to focus on what officials have found in samples of the victims’ THC vape products. The link is vitamin E acetate. Vitamin E acetate is commonly used in every day products like lotion. Some black market producers use honey cut as a thickener in cartridges to give off the appearance of a higher quality product. These producers trick unsuspecting consumers in thinking the gold colored liquid is safe to inhale in the liquid format.

The thickener has serious, life threatening effects on our respiratory system. Symptoms from hospitalized patients include coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, and weight loss. A serious, life-threatening condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome could be developed where fluid fills up one’s lungs. As a result, preventing oxygen from flowing through the body. Death has resulted in some cases.

Luckily the California legal market requires testing of all cannabis products from licensed labs. Legal companies such as Bento Delivery receive a Certificates of Analysis (COA) for every product we sell. Therefore, making it nearly impossible for legal companies to sell products with life threating ingredients. That is why we recommend to not buy from products off the streets as they are untested.
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We are committed to being a positive force in the lives of each and every member of the Bento Family! Stop by our booth at Hempcon from September 13 – 15, 2019 at the Cow Palace in Daly City to learn more about us and our commitment to positive experiences! In the meantime, let us know your thoughts by commenting below or emailing us at peter@bentodelivery.com to further the discussion.