Skinnygirl...Marijuana?

As we all know, now that marijuana is legal in four states, the real reason not to indulge in the occasional joint or magic brownie is because getting the munchies would ruin your diet. At least, that seems to be the assumption behind Bethenny Frankel's "Skinnygirl Marijuana" idea. Supposedly the TV personality and reality television star who created Skinnygirl Cocktails is now looking to branch out into cannabis by engineering a strain of pot guaranteed not to give you the munchies.

I feel like these are conversations my mother's generation never had to have.

As reported by Us Weekly, Frankel doesn't seem to be in it out of love for the bud, but rather as a potential moneymaker. "She read about how profitable the cannabis industry is," an insider told Us, "and wants to get in on that.” And it's certainly true that legitimate marijuana businesses are able to rake in a ton. So is there a niche in the market for munchy-less Mary Jane?

Well, there certainly seems to be space for a wide array of other marijuana products. From marijuana soda to marijuana pizza, even marijuana lube, cannabis isn't just for joints and edibles anymore. And it's also true that pot customers in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska are a little more discerning than a high school kid who just wants the dealer to "bring some of the stuff, okay?" A quick glance at their websites will tell you shops in these states don't just sell marijuana, they also pride themselves on their selection of different strains. So would Skinnygirl variety be a hit?

Well, at the very least there seems to be enough weed business going on to justify giving it a shot, as Frankel herself observed on a trip to Aspen this December.

Personally, I'm not thrilled about the idea of diet culture reaching into the world of marijuana (especially when marijuana should be hailed for its appetite-stoking effect on cancer patients), but then again, I'm just generally opposed to the idea that women should be counting calories or obsessing about our weight to begin with. If you want to get stoned and eat a bag full of Fritos, whether it's to unwind or hang out with friends or just for fun, you should be able to just do that (assuming it's legal where you are).

But then again, if fear of the munchies is going to make someone feel like they can't smoke, even though they'd like to, then I guess this could be a good thing.

Though, of course, it remains to be seen whether or not a cannabis strain that is actually guaranteed to never give anyone the munchies ever can actually be engineered. My understanding of weed is that no matter what the strain, it tends to affect people differently. So I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this turns out.

Either way, though, it's a weird world out there folks.