Centuries old, hemp grows in popularity for home building

By Adam Popescu / New York Times News Service
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Nathaniel Brooks/The New York Times
 

One of the biggest untapped markets for the cannabis plant itself could be as a building tool

The Romans have been using it since the days of Julius Caesar, but not to get high. Both Washington and Jefferson grew it.
Now that several states have legalized the use of marijuana for some recreational and medical purposes, one of the biggest untapped markets for the cannabis plant itself — at least one variety — could be as a building tool.
The most sustainable building material is not concrete or steel — it is fast-growing hemp. Hemp structures date to Roman times. A hemp mortar bridge was constructed back in the 6th century, when France was still Gaul.
Now a wave of builders and botanists are working to renew this market. Mixing hemp’s woody fibers with lime produces a natural, light concrete that retains thermal mass and is highly insulating. No pests, no mold, good acoustics, low humidity, no pesticide. It grows from seed to harvest in about four months.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20180311/centuries-old-hemp-grows-in-popularity-for-home-building

Healthy Homes With Hempcrete: How Hemp Promotes Healthier Houses


hempcrete shreds
 
Growing interest in a lesser known building material could create healthy homes all over America.
It’s called hempcrete. This combination of chopped hemp shiv and lime binder is durable, sustainable and carbon negative. Lime is an abundant quarried material and hemp is a renewable biomaterial — both safeguarding the sustainable future of hempcrete and our planet.

HOW DOES HEMPCRETE PROMOTE HEALTHY HOMES?

Hempcrete is a breathable matter, absorbing moisture from the air when humidity is high and releasing it again when humidity levels drop. This ensures that water vapour can pass in and out of the wall rather than becoming trapped and causing damp problems.
 
Full Article: 
https://ministryofhemp.com/blog/healthy-homes/

Pure Farming 2018’s New Trailer Shows That Fans Like It

By Richard Walker

 
Techland has released a new trailer for the upcoming Pure Farming 2018, ahead of its release next week. The video takes a look at some Polish fans of the genre playing the game and offering up some opinions on it. Apparently, they rather like it.
In Pure Farming 2018, you can obviously cultivate your land and grow crops like hemp (purely for medicinal use, of course), coffee beans, cherries and olives, as well as breeding livestock, but you can also travel between Europe, Asia and the Americas to plant crops specific to those regions and use dedicated farm vehicles to harvest them.
 
Full Article: 
https://www.xboxachievements.com/news/news-29363-Pure-Farming-2018-s-New-Trailer-Shows-That-Fans-Like-It.html

Police and crime chief calls for cannabis to be sold over counter

PHOEBE SOUTHWORTH FOR MAILONLINE
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones thinks trying to prohibit drugs is a waste of police time
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones thinks trying to prohibit drugs is a waste of police time
 

A police chief has called for cannabis to be sold in off-licenses and heroin and cocaine to be available on prescription, claiming the war on drugs has failed.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones thinks trying to prohibit drugs is a waste of police time and kills people unnecessarily.

The former police officer and Plaid Cymru member sees no reason why cannabis shouldn’t be sold in the same way as alcohol – over the counter in licensed shops.

But Mr Jones, who has appealed to MPs at Westminster to legalise narcotics, thinks hard drugs like heroin and cocaine should only be available on prescription from pharmacies.

‘A lot of the problems around drugs are caused by prohibition and strong enforcement. It just doesn’t work,’ he told the Daily Post Wales.

Full Article: 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5483255/Police-crime-chief-calls-cannabis-sold-counter.html

Be.e bio-based e-scooter finally ready to roll


Van.Eko is now taking pre-orders for its colorful Be.e electric scooter
Van.Eko is now taking pre-orders for its colorful Be.e electric scooter(Credit: Van.Eko)
 
Amsterdam-based startup Van.Eko has been developing its funky electric scooter for what seems like an age, last registering on our radar in 2014. Now the Be.e is going up for pre-order, with deliveries to a limited number of buyers scheduled to take place before the end of 2018.
Arguably the most interesting feature of Van.Eko’s e-scooter is the monocoque body that serves as both the outer skin of the Be.e and its supporting structure. It’s molded using a bio-based composite made mostly from hemp, clocking up plus points for sustainable design.
 
Full Article: 
https://newatlas.com/van-eko-be-e-electric-scooter-pre-order/53749/

Dennis Kucinich, candidate for Ohio governor, says legalizing cannabis can help with opioid crisis

Dennis Kucinich chats with activists following a marijuana policy speech on Wednesday, March 7 at the Cleveland School of Cannabis.
Dennis Kucinich chats with activists following a marijuana policy speech on Wednesday, March 7 at the Cleveland School of Cannabis. (Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland.com)
 
Democratic candidate for governor Dennis Kucinich wants to fully legalize marijuana, a move he said would have positive implications for criminal justice, agriculture and even the state’s ongoing opioid crisis.
Kucinich unveiled a sweeping marijuana plan on Wednesday, calling for allowing medical-marijuana patients to grow their own plants, fully legalizing recreational marijuana for adults, as well as legalizing the production of hemp, the less-potent cannabis strain with industrial and commercial applications.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2018/03/dennis_kucinich_candidate_for.html
 

Oklahoma House Unanimously Approves Bi-Partisan Industrial Hemp Bill; Moves to Senate

 TG Branfalt
Image result for Oklahoma House Unanimously Approves Bi-Partisan Industrial Hemp Bill; Moves to Senate
 
Oklahoma’s House has unanimously approved an industrial hemp pilot program bill which would allow the state’s farmers to obtain a license to grow the crop, KOKH reports. The measure is sponsored by Democratic Rep. Mickey Collens and Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols, a Republican.

“The potential provided in this bill is limitless. In the long term, industrial hemp could become a source of steady, recurring revenue for Oklahoma. Once we analyze results from this pilot program, our state can be on track to commercialize the product and strengthen our economic portfolio.” Dollens to KOKH
 

Full Article: 
https://www.ganjapreneur.com/oklahoma-house-unanimously-approves-bi-partisan-industrial-hemp-bill-moves-senate/

Hemp sweet home

Belinda-Jane Davis
Hemp sweet home
Hemp builder Shane Hannan, in front of the first house at Shepherds Ground that he has finished with the hempcrete. Picture: Marina Neil

It wasn’t all that long ago that if you mentioned your joint was made of hemp, you’d have the police scrambling.

But things are clearly changing.

The house could be mistaken for stone, or even an elaborate paint job, but it has, in fact, been made out of industrial hemp.

And the advantages are numerous.

It only took a week to build the walls once the timber frame and roof were constructed.

Dungog builder Shane Hannan is building four hemp houses at Shepherds Ground in Butterwick – the first eco village of its kind in NSW where people live in tiny, off-the-grid houses and collectively work the land.

Each hemp wall takes on the triple role of the exterior wall, insulation and the interior gyprock.

If that’s not enough, it’s easy to work with, quickly holds its shape, deters termites, is fire proof and boasts a long list of benefits for those wanting to cut their power bills and escape mould.

Full Article: 
http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/story/4909647/hemp-sweet-home/#slide=2

 

Inside L.A.’s First-Ever Cannabis Wedding Expo



A MODEL POSES WITH A WEDDING ARCH BY FLOWERS ON FLOWERS. YUP. THAT’S WEED. STEFFI VICTORIOSO
On Saturday at a Studio City event center, wedding vendor Doreen Sullivan cheerfully greeted brides-to-be as they stopped by her booth to peruse the chic, one-of-a-kind vintage vases she sells under the moniker My Bud Vase. With the right floral accompaniment, the delicate vessels—which come in colors from understated pastel pink to bold iridescent purple—make ideal centerpieces for rehearsal dinners or receptions, but still Sullivan says, “I didn’t realize they would register so strongly with weddings.” That’s because Sullivan’s vases have been retrofitted to double as bongs. “I’m so elated to be able to network and create products for the cannabis space,” she adds.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/cannabis-wedding-expo/

Former Head of Overstock.com Fights For Cannabis: “I Know My Body Better Than the Federal Government”

When Stormy Simon began as a temp at Overstock.com in 2001, she probably didn’t think she’d rise to become president of the ecommerce company — let alone step down from that position to advocate for cannabis 15 years later. At the time, she was a single mother coming off of welfare who needed a temporary job for a few months before going back to school. Admittedly, Simon wasn’t excited about the opportunity, as it was more of a means to an end. But over the course of the next few months, she dove head first into the world of ecommerce without ever having even shopped online before.
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