Could marijuana help treat painkiller and heroin addiction?

By: The Associated Press
photo - In this Friday, April 22, 2016 photo, a jar containing a strain of marijuana nicknamed "Killer D" is seen at a medical marijuana facility in Unity, Maine. A growing number of health experts and law enforcement officials are making the case that marijuana could help reduce the numbers of overdoses and redirect money into fighting heroin and other opiates. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
 
The growing number of patients who claim marijuana helped them drop their painkiller habit has intrigued lawmakers and emboldened advocates, who are pushing for cannabis as a treatment for the abuse of opioids and illegal narcotics like heroin, as well as an alternative to painkillers.
 
Full Article: 
http://gazette.com/could-marijuana-help-treat-painkiller-and-heroin-addiction/article/feed/341721

Arkansas AG approves wording of marijuana proposal

The Associated Press , KTHV

 
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has approved the wording of a proposal to legalize recreational and medical marijuana, allowing supporters to begin gathering signatures to put the measure on the November ballot.
Rutledge on Monday certified the proposed constitutional amendment by Mary Berry that would legalize the cultivation, production, distribution, sale and possession of marijuana. Berry must now gather nearly 85,000 signatures from registered voters to put the proposal on the ballot.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.thv11.com/news/local/arkansas-ag-approves-wording-of-marijuana-proposal/152997465

69-Year Old Says Cannabis Oil is Keeping Him Healthy and Strong Six Years After Mesothelioma Diagnosis

by
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Malignant mesothelioma, an aggressive malignancy caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure, is one of the rarest and most deadly cancers. Although scientists around the globe continue to develop and test new methods for diagnosing and combatting it, there is still no cure.
When Californian Andy Ashcraft was diagnosed with late stage pleural mesothelioma in 2010, he was told he might have as little as three months to live. At best, his doctors gave him a year. But Andy and his wife Ruth refused to accept those odds and went to work to find alternative therapeutic approaches for mesothelioma, including the controversial cannabis oil. Their experience is the focus of this special series.
 
Full Article: 
http://survivingmesothelioma.com/69-year-old-says-cannabis-oil-is-keeping-him-healthy-and-strong-six-years-after-mesothelioma-diagnosis/
 
 

Hemp Insulation: The Healthy Alternative for You and Your Home

By Kathy Garton

Getty
 
Every year thousands of Americans add fiberglass batts to interior walls, under floors and above ceilings to become more energy-efficient. However, this recommended material is made up of fibrous glass and has proven to be a potential health risk to occupants. Particles from fiberglass batts that are released into the air create skin and eye irritations, and a host of respiratory problems.
Hemp insulation is an alternative to fiberglass and holds many more quality factors. First off, hemp has the ability to absorb moisture. Fiberglas becomes ineffective when dampness is present and also makes a perfect climate for mold and mildew. Secondly, hemp is fire resistant. Fiberglass insulation will burn and let off toxic fumes to not only to those close by, but also to the environment. Thirdly, insects cannot penetrate hemp insulation and will be deterred from entering a home.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.marijuanatimes.org/hemp-insulation-the-healthy-alternative-for-you-and-your-home/

Cannabis: A Journey Through the Ages

Bryan Hill
‘Smokers hearts’ by Gabriel Ferrier, 1887
 
In 1997, a hemp rope dating back to 26,900 BC was found in Czechoslovakia, making it the oldest known object to be associated with cannabis.  Since that time, hemp has played an important role in humanity’s development.  For thousands of years marijuana was not only legal, but an important crop among cultures throughout history, and held commercial, medicinal, and spiritual value.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.ancient-origins.net/history/cannabis-journey-through-ages-003084?nopaging=1
 

California – 14 marijuana-related petitions aim for November ballot

By
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The fight to legalize marijuana is back this election season, with even more choices for California voters.
Right now, there are 14 potential marijuana ballot initiatives that have been cleared to collect signatures. The petitions need to be approved by the attorney general before they can be circulated for signature gathering.
If approved, the petitions will become initiatives on the November ballot.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.kcra.com/news/14-marijuanarelated-petitions-aim-for-november-ballot/39133402

Architects have high hopes for this Tiny+ home made out of hempcrete

By

 
Big things come in small packages, according to GreenBuilt‘s Jim Savage. Last year, his concept of making buildings out of hempcrete was introduced to the public. Now, Green Built is working on creating the first-ever fossil-fuel-free, 400-square-foot home called HempHome: Tiny+.
Made solely out of hempcrete — a natural, non-toxic, renewable material made from hurds (the woody part of hemp plants), lime and water — this tiny home is designed to provide a high-quality, permanent housing solution, as well as temporary shelter. Twelve-inch-thick solid hempcrete walls make up this home and provide a mold-, pest-, and fire-resistant insulation. Hempcrete provides good insulation against the elements, and the homes will have green roofs and heat recovery ventilation, which helps maintain airflow, to regulate temperature. The house is built with a solar photovoltaic thermal system that provides the home with electricity, heat, and hot water.
Full Article:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/home/greenbuilt-launches-hemphome-tiny-built-of-hempcrete/
 

Cannabis Seeds 101: All You Need to Know and More

By Ryland Derning
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Cannabis is a dioecious plant, meaning its female and male reproductive organs are found on separate individuals. Female cannabis plants are grown in an environment without males to produce what we find in medical and recreational stores: seedless, high potency marijuana flowers, traditionally known as “sinsemilla.”
In order to reproduce, the flower of a female plant must be pollinated by a male plant after which the female flower produces seeds. However, many varieties of cannabis can produce some male flowers alongside female flowers on the same plant, especially if exposed to environmental stressors or left to flower for a longer than normal period. This is known as thehermaphrodite condition, and sometimes these male flowers will produce viable pollen and self-pollinate the surrounding female flowers to create seeds.
Once the seeds are mature, the female plant begins to die, and seeds are either dropped to the ground where they germinate and grow into new cannabis plants the next spring, or they are harvested for processing into hemp seed oil, food products, or to be sown to become the next generation of plants.
 
Full Article:
https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/cannabis-seeds-101-all-you-need-to-know-and-more