Weeding out the truth: Can marijuana combat opioids?
- Volume 23
- / Issue 42
Cover Design Credit:
Scott Southwick
Cover Photography Credit:
A number of WNC lawmakers have co-sponsored a bill that would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana. Is trading plants for pills a prescription for fighting the raging opioid epidemic? And what are the chances of legalization in this state, anyway? Xpress takes a look.
arts
The life and times of blues artists Walter and Ethel Phelps
“They were the kind of people who you gravitated to and wanted to hang out with,” says local musician Dan Lewis. “There was something about their music that was spontaneous…Two local artists follow their passions in the RAD
The River Arts District's Spring Studio Stroll takes place over Mother’s Day weekend — Saturday and Sunday, May 20 and 21.Open mic at Catawba Brewing Co. celebrates local songwriting
To celebrate the open mic and jam session's third anniversary, organizer Jon Edwards is returning Musicians in the Round to its roots: Every Monday in May is devoted to songs…Smart bets: The Muses of Terpsicorps
The promising dancers perform at at Diana Wortham Theatre on Sunday, May 14.Skunk Ruckus celebrates ‘Pearls Before Swine’ with an album-release party
Currently a four-piece (banjo player Jim McCarthy and guitarist Dave Gilbert plus bassist Max Steel and Ween drummer Claude Coleman Jr.), Skunk Ruckus originally came together around the core duo…Smart bets: Con Brio
Con Brio headlines Asheville Music Hall on Saturday, May 13.Theater review: ‘The Realistic Joneses’ at 35below
The play, produced by the locally based Ellipsis Theater Company, is a tale of new neighbors and rocky relationships.Smart bets: Jarrod Harris and Lace Larrabee
The comedians will perform on Saturday, May 13, at The Grey Eagle.Smart bets: Aaron Burdett
Award-winning Appalachian musician Aaron Burdett will celebrate the release of his new album, Refuge, at Isis Music Hall on Friday, May 12.
food
Don’t chain your dog
Asheville, NCCafé at the Cradle: A ‘hidden gem’ in Pisgah National Forest
Asheville chef Zika Singogo is partnering with local farmer and food supplier Kendall Huntley to provide sustainability-focused food at the Cradle of Forestry.True mountain dew: New WNC distillers seek Appalachian terroir
Booze is big business in Western North Carolina these days, and everyone seems eager to cash in on the opportunity. There are 34 breweries operating now in the Asheville area, the…Small bites: Pretzel Fest at Whistle Hop Brewing Co.
The Pretzel Fest highlights the unique flavors offered by Asheville Pretzel Co. Also: Posana supports ASAP's Growing Minds Program, Postero dinner benefits St. Gerard House and The Market Place hosts…Beer Scout: Eurisko Beer Co. lands on the South Slope
Focusing on flawless production of traditional beer styles, the new brewery is slated to open on the South Slope in late June or early July.
living
Become a master of mead
Brewing your own beer is all the rage, but for those who prefer the road less traveled, making mead at home is a more offbeat alternative. Marisa Percoco will offer…Ashevilleans seek solutions for isolation in the digital era
In a digital age in which we're purportedly more connected than ever, loneliness is a an epidemic, leading many Asheville residents to seek connection in new and surprising ways.Conscious party: A Taste of the Vineyard
Proceeds from the event will support the Henderson County chapter of Big Brother Big Sister, which currently serves 75 matches (a big and little) with mentoring in community and school…
movies
Screen scene: Local film news
Just Peace for Israel/Palestine’s Stories of Struggle, Conscience and Spirit film festival continues, UNCA students, faculty and alumni screen their collaborative film and more.
news
After 30 years without a home, Asheville veteran moves into his own apartment
As a steady rain falls outside, Philip Caruso stands in the bedroom of his new apartment. “I don’t care [that it’s raining],” he says. “For the first time in decades,…Backyard scientists fill gaps in weather tracking
This year's rainy spring has been keeping citizen science volunteers with the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network busy checking their gauges and recording the rainfall totals. The network…Blunt talk: Medical marijuana takes root
Buncombe County commissioners identified combating opioid abuse and increasing teacher salary supplements as top priorities. But is legal marijuana a viable strategy for achieving those goals, or merely smoke and…Student exhibit hints at multitude of options for Haywood Street site
An exhibit of design options created by Clemson University architecture students as part of their coursework provided a tantalizing, if brief, view of the kinds of possibilities that could become…P&Z approves its final big hotel
Asheville's Planning & Zoning Commission heard the last hotel zoning application submitted under the city's previous zoning rules, which changed on Feb. 14. The commission approved a 112-room Courtyard by…
opinion
Letter: Toxic chemicals cause harm even if unrecognized
"Too much of what we now call 'science' is bought and paid for by corporations with frankly appalling conflicts of interest."Letter: The butchering of Beaucatcher Mountain
"You will see where Beaucatcher is being deforested and bulldozed for new home construction, all plans apparently meeting city specifications. Am I the only one who is concerned about this?"Letter: Child care and early education generate jobs, millions in revenue
"Our local businesses rely on quality child care — many can’t do their job without it. Without safe, affordable options to care for their young children, parents may leave their…Letter: Duke Energy should overhaul energy-efficiency programs
"It has been suggested that Duke license and implement the eScore program, which was highly successful for the Tennessee Valley Authority. EScore is attractive to both homeowners and participating contractors…The Gospel According to Jerry: Cataclysmic change
"The scene at the depot was a depressing beehive as these raw recruits, many no more than young boys, had their last meal with their families at the Atlantic Quick…
