Mary Kate Nelson

 
Step aside, “granny pods” — it’s all about “hemp homes” now.
That’s according to Pat Rasmussen, the Washington state resident behind a project aimed at building affordable, tiny homes for seniors using hemp materials and solar panels.
The specific hemp material—hemp hurd—can be mixed with water and lime to make “hempcrete,” which can then be poured to create a wall, Rasmussen wrote in a recent article for Mother Earth News. Hemp hurd is non-toxic, mold-resistant, pest-resistant, breathable, sustainable, fire-resistant and more, Rasmussen added—and the tiny homes made from hemp hurd would be highly affordable, compared to typical rents in Washington state.
 
Full Article: 
http://seniorhousingnews.com/2017/06/08/are-hemp-homes-the-new-granny-pods/

Robert W. Wood

(AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)
 
As governments try to exact on taxes to cash in, the idea of a tax-free ticket to the industry is not lost on Native Americans. Some tribes are considering changes to tribal laws as well as looking at commercial opportunities. California’s Pinoleville Pomo Nation was poised as the first tribe to grow medical marijuana. Federal law still outlaws marijuana, and this too could give Native American tribes big advantages. The Department of Justice has taken notice, issuing a memorandum that reviewed their policy on marijuana issues as they relate to Native American tribes. As a sovereign nation, a Native American tribe can open a marijuana resort even in a state where pot is illegal. With spreading legalization and taxes being levied right and left, tribal tax advantages could also be huge.
 
Full Article: 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2017/06/06/pot-casino-native-american-tribe-sparks-marijuana-business-tax-free/#6a8623df462d

BY LINDSAY TUCKER

 
Living in Colorado in 2017 means hearing about marijuana daily: the medicinal benefits, new grow operations, and (let’s face it) the recreational puff-puff pass, are all the rage right now. What we don’t hear much about, however, is the actual hemp plant — a specific variety of Cannabis with myriad uses from health products to construction materials. So when we heard that Nature’s Root spa, the world’s first-ever hemp spa opened outside of Denver (with plans to open new locations in New York, Oregon, and Jamaica) we had to check it out.
 
Full Article:
http://www.allure.com/story/weed-facial-at-natures-root-spa-colorado
 

By Ricardo Oliveira

 
Hemp plants grow considerably tall and thick, and in the period of just one year they accumulate a large biomass. Surprisingly, this rate of growth requires little human input and is largely constant across different environmental conditions. The fact that hemp has been planted from the tropics up to the Arctic circle stands as an example of its robustness.
 
Full Article: 
https://news.lift.co/scientific-secret-behind-hemps-efficiency/

By Pat Rasmussen

Pat Rasmussen in front of tiny home built by Joseph Becker of ION Ecobuilding for his small family. Courtesy Michelle Burke
 
I dream of living in a tiny home with hemp insulation and solar panels on top. Suddenly finding myself 71, I’ve realized I need a safe, secure, warm home, a tiny home on wheels.
Many seniors on social security find themselves forced to live on less than $800 a month — you have to be creative to do that! Some, like me, worked for nonprofits that didn’t set aside retirement. Others lost their retirement and their homes in the 2007-2008 financial meltdown.
The energy efficiency of hemp insulation means no heating bills and solar means no electrical bills. Paying $300 or $400 a month to live in a tiny home in a backyard helps the senior with affordable housing and helps the homeowner pay their mortgage. This is doable.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/seniors-build-the-first-hemp-tiny-homes-zbcz1705

By Ivy Jackson

 
According to a 2016 study by the health app Clue, in partnership with the International Women’s Health Coalition, only 34 per cent of Canadian women feel comfortable talking about periods. This might explain why so many of us remain oddly discreet about menstruation, quickly tucking a bullet-shaped bit of rayon or cotton into our pocket and making a mad dash for the washroom in secret.
But it’s not just general period talk we’re struggling with; it’s the sharing of valuable and sometimes life-changing information we fail to discuss with our lady friends. Case in point: marijuana to ease period cramps and other symptoms.
While much of the data on menstrual pain and marijuana is anecdotal—there is scientific evidence that proves the plant reduces pain in general, but not specific to women’s reproductive issues—many are finding it helpful for periods. But we’re just not talking about it as loud and proud as we should be, for whatever reason (stigma, embarrassment, feeling shy—take your pick).
 
Full Article: 
https://news.lift.co/four-canadian-women-explain-cannabis-made-period-better/

By Meg Bellemore

 

The concept of oil-based products being particularly compatible with our skin makes perfect sense. Oil-based things mesh well with other oil based-things. It’s simple science.

However when it comes to treating pimples, the formula often just doesn’t feel right.

Full Article: 

http://www.cosmopolitan.com.au/beauty/proof-oil-clears-acne-22401

BY JON HILTZ

 
Due to ongoing global marijuana reform, there are a number of places where people might feel comfortable traveling with cannabis seeds. The United Arab Emirates shouldn’t be one of those places.
In December of last year, an unnamed 34-year-old Austrian man was arrested at the Dubai International Airport after law enforcement found 960 grams of cannabis seeds in his luggage. The man was en route from Afghanistan back to Austria, where the seeds were intended to be for his wife who suffers from different neural diseases.
Instead of bringing the seeds of medicine home to Europe, he was jailed in Dubai. In February, the man was handed a ten-year prison sentence and fined the equivalent of $27,225 USD.
This week, however, must have been the best seven days of his life. The lawyer for the man, Faisal Alzarooni, managed to take the case to the appeals court and was successful in obtaining an acquittal by arguing that the cannabis was meant for medication and there was no criminal intent.
 
Full Article: 
https://www.marijuana.com/news/2017/05/10-year-sentence-for-960g-of-cannabis-seeds-overturned-in-dubai/

BRUCE BARCOTT

 
Thirteen years ago, Yirim Seck got caught with cannabis. It was a warm summer night, and the promising young musician, then 23, was enjoying the annual SeaFair Torchlight Parade in downtown Seattle. It was a routine charge, one of those small-time arrests that legalization opponents often write off as no big deal. Indeed, today his offense is no longer a crime in Washington state.
But even though marijuana is no longer outlawed, Yirim Seck continues to be penalized. A felony on his record prevented him from registering for Selective Service, which impacted his ability to find financial aid for his education. He can’t register to vote. He can’t legally own a firearm. Promising job opportunities have fallen through because of his blemished record. “Almost half my life I’ve been penalized for possession of weed,” he says.
Seck is now 36 and a leader in his Seattle community. The well-respected social justice advocate runs his own flooring company, maintains a thriving music career, and acts as a mentor to younger artists and immigrants struggling to find their footing. And now, finally, he’s clearing his record.

With assistance from the Rise Up social impact initiative, Seck is going through Washington state’s expungement process, which allows people convicted of nonviolent cannabis offenses during the prohibition era to remove the offenses from their records.
 
Full Article: 
https://www.leafly.com/news/politics/expungement-day-get-help-clearing-old-cannabis-arrest
 

Jennifer Bowman, Battle Creek Enquirer

 
Alyssa Schuck smiled as she pulled at the light brown hair sticking out of her daughter’s hat.
“A ponytail?”
For Nattaly Brown, this was a milestone. Her hair, now poking out of her glittery cap, had grown. And growing hair means so much more these days.
Nattaly was diagnosed three years ago with rhabdomyosarcoma, cancer that affects tissue and lymph nodes. The 7-year-old Battle Creek, Michigan, girl has battled rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and all the body-wrecking baggage that came with it, from vomiting to anxiety to a feeding tube.
She also uses medical marijuana.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.13newsnow.com/life/this-is-nattaly-brown-shes-7-has-cancer-and-uses-medical-marijuana/441075287