WICHIT CHANTANUSORNSIRI

 
Thailand Tobacco Monopoly is making an unprecedented move: it is considering planting hemp and processing it for use in consumer products.
The state enterprise is particularly interested in producing the byproduct hemp seed oil, as well as rolling papers, the materials used for hemp cigarettes.
For hemp rolling papers, Thailand Tobacco is seeking a partnership with the private sector, Daonoi Suthinipaphan, the enterprise’s managing director, told the Bangkok Post in an interview.
Hemp seed oil can be mixed into cigarettes to reduce the quantity of nicotine and tar residues, and its flavour is similar to that of traditional cigarettes. Hemp rolling papers do not burn when they are lit, which reduces the dispersion of harmful cigarette smoke.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1245774/in-search-of-a-healthier-puff

By PETER SCHARPE Minnesota Farm Guide

The new 2017-2018 Minnesota State FFA officer team. Top row (L-R) Maddie Weninger-State Sentinel, Eleora DeMuth-State Reporter, Kylee Kohls-State Secretary. Front row (L-R) Katie Benson-State President, Emily Pliscott-State Vice President, Spencer Flood-State Treasurer.
 
The 2017 State FFA convention came to a close on Tuesday April 26, following the fourth general session. For many FFA members, the convention is always a memorable high school event.
“I would have to say that this convention was probably one of the most successful as a FFA member. The sessions were so well planned out and that is in huge part due to the state officers from this past year as well as Mr. Joel Larsen, Ms. Rada and Ms. Tolosky,” said FFA member Maddie Weninger during a recent phone interview.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.minnesotafarmguide.com/news/another-successful-year-for-minnesota-ffa/article_9f8d7db2-31c4-11e7-b98b-0b5b49676cc2.html

By Johann Hari

 
It is now one hundred years since drugs were first banned — and all through this long century of waging war on drugs, we have been told a story about addiction by our teachers and by our governments. This story is so deeply ingrained in our minds that we take it for granted. It seems obvious. It seems manifestly true. Until I set off three and a half years ago on a 30,000-mile journey for my new book, Chasing The Scream: The First And Last Days of the War on Drugs, to figure out what is really driving the drug war, I believed it too. But what I learned on the road is that almost everything we have been told about addiction is wrong — and there is a very different story waiting for us, if only we are ready to hear it.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/the-real-cause-of-addicti_b_6506936.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

By Keith Mansur

 
A United States Congresswoman from Nevada told the Nevada Assembly that they need to advance the marijuana legislation they are considering, telling them to, “Puff, puff, pass that bill.”
In comments on Tuesday, April 18th, Rep. Dina Titus told the Nevada state legislators the Trump administrations immigration enforcement were “xenophobic policies” that had negatively impacted tourism in the state. She commended the legislators for the economic outlook for the state, and she encouraged them to pass their current marijuana legislation that will start the roll-out of the adult-use cannabis in the Silver State.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.occnewspaper.com/u-s-congresswoman-tells-nevada-to-puff-puff-pass-that-bill/

BY LISA GUTIERREZ lgutierrez@kcstar.com

Joshua Lee, a disabled Missouri veteran, found viral fame last week when he posted a photo of 9,828 Smarties representing the pills he takes every year for his medical problems. Courtesy Joshua Lee

You don’t have to guess how many Smarties candies Joshua Lee stuffed into the plastic bag he holds in a photo that has gone viral.
He’ll tell you the number: 9,828.
They weigh just shy of 10 pounds. On most days it hurts for him to lift that much weight.
The disabled Missouri National Guard veteran went to two bulk candy stores in Jefferson City and Columbia to round up all those sugary pellets. When the stores didn’t have enough in bulk he bought wrapped ones.
He and his wife, Julia, unwrapped piles of the tiny rolls.
Lee, who is 33, posted his photo online last week, where it was met with shock and awe: Those candies represent the number of medications he takes on an annual basis.
“My medication schedule is a handful in the morning, six or eight at noon and another handful in the evening,” said Lee, who lives with his wife and two sons in Holts Summit.
The photo is the first salvo in Lee’s new mission: He’s become a foot soldier in the grassroots crusade to get medical marijuana legalized in Missouri.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article144193514.html

Christopher Gallagher

 
Now, there are CannaBosses and there are CannaBOSSes. When you are the guy who writes the definitive book exposing the true causes behind Prohibition; when you have one of the all-time great cannabis strains named in your honor; when PBS does a documentary about your work in support of cannabis; when you spend your life traveling hundreds of thousands of miles advocating for the plant we love until you have had a stroke after one speech and a heart attack that claims your life after another. When this is your resume, the, you can join Jack Herer in that latter category as a stone cold CannaBOSS.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.dgomag.com/articles/1717-the-bossest-of-them-all-jack-herer

HANNAH BARTLETT

 
Full Article: 
http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/91083770/steep-block-of-land-earmarked-as-nelson-special-housing-area

DONNELL ALEXANDER

 
Full Article: 
https://www.leafly.com/news/pop-culture/let-timmy-smoke-time-open-baseballs-hidden-cannabis-culture

Bruce Y. Lee

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recent reported position on marijuana may make him more
 
As a Philadelphia Eagles fan, I by definition cannot agree with anything that the Dallas Cowboys do, unless they choose to send all of their top players to the Eagles. However, at the recent National Football League (NFL) owners-only meeting in Arizona, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones may have offered an interesting suggestion: stop banning marijuana use among NFL players. Of course, I wasn’t part of this meeting, since owning an Eagles game ticket stub does not constitute owning the team. Therefore, this information is based on reports from Mike Florio on Pro Football Talk. Before jumping to agree or disagree with Jones’ suggestion, let’s take a look at the situation.
 
Full Article: 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2017/04/02/cowboys-owner-jerry-jones-reportedly-wants-nfl-to-stop-banning-marijuana/#7ea9d2fd5c87

CHUCK LUDLEY

 
In a landmark ruling this morning, the Western Cape High Court in South Africa ruled that keeping weed illegal is unconstitutional. The decision marks a significant change in South Africa’s cannabis laws, effectively legalizing private cannabis use.
 
Full Article: 
https://www.greenrushdaily.com/2017/03/31/south-africa-legalized-cannabis/