by Crop Protection News Reports

 
Kentuckians could see the production of nearly 13,000 acres of industrial hemp this year, thanks to the recent approval of such growth by the state’s agriculture department.
Although industrial hemp is still labeled a controlled substance, more than 200 Kentucky growers are expected to plant up to 12,800 acres as part of a pilot research program. The area is almost three times that approved in 2016.
 
Full Article: 
http://cropprotectionnews.com/stories/511069467-kentucky-nearly-triples-industrial-hemp-goals

BY LAUREN SHERMAN

Alexander Wang, Autumn/Winter 2016 | Source: InDigital
 
At a preview of their Pre-Fall 2017 collection, Creatures of the Wind designers Shane Gabier and Chris Peters had plenty to chat about — from new, waist-skimming silhouettes to a fabulous psychedelic print intarsia-ed onto a luxe fur coat — but they quickly homed in on a series of hand-embroidered looks. In particular, the deadstock army jackets and utilitarian shirting decorated with daisies, Victorian hookahs and several different varieties of cannabis plants, culled and redrawn from their “endless” archive of botanical prints. “Every single store is buying it,” Peters said.
Hyperbole or not, the heady days of pot-as-fashion are upon us, with Alexander Wang, Baja East, Jeremy Scott and others working cannabis motifs into their designs. It’s really no surprise, given that, even in the wake of the election of Donald Trump to the office of President of the United States, many leaders in the marijuana community believe that the drug is on the path to federal legalisation.
 
Full Article: 
https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/is-marijuana-the-luxury-industrys-next-big-opportunity

By Carson Gerber Kokomo Tribune

 
The American Legion Department of Indiana is set to vote next week on a resolution approved by area veterans asking state lawmakers to setup a statewide cannabis treatment program as a medical alternative for veterans.
The resolution was first submitted to Kokomo’s American Legion Post 6 by member Jeff Staker, who in July launched a full-on campaign to get medical marijuana legalized for veterans through his non-profit organization Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis.
Staker said the resolution was unanimously approved by members of the Kokomo post, and was then approved by the American Legion District 5, which covers 10 counties in north central Indiana.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.kokomotribune.com/news/kokomo-american-legion-post-passes-resolution-requesting-legal-medical-cannabis/article_7b541034-d2cc-11e6-b402-f7291d7f3f44.html
 
 

MADISON MARGOLIN

 
The therapeutic effects of cannabidiol, the non-psychotropic chemical compound in cannabis known as CBD, have been well documented. Now the United Kingdom has effectively moved past the stigma to the science and classified CBD as an actual medicine.
 
Full Article: 
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-uk-just-moved-to-classify-cannaboid-oil-cbd-as-medicine

 
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says fees and taxes on the state’s medical marijuana program should pay for its regulation, and that he doesn’t want lawmakers to eye the new program as a way to raise money for tax cuts or other budget needs.

 
Full Article: 
http://www.4029tv.com/article/gov-hutchinson-opposes-extra-taxes-on-medical-marijuana/8562170

GAGE PEAKE

 
The new year has brought a dramatic change of tone regarding the enforcement of marijuana laws in Texas. Earlier this week, new Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg declared that her office would no longer seek to put small-time cannabis offenders in jail. During her swearing-in ceremony on Monday, she said that “all misdemeanor possession of marijuana cases will be diverted around jail.”
Ogg added: “I’ve never felt good about putting marijuana users in the same jail cells as murderers. It’s just not fair, it doesn’t make any sense, and our country is resoundingly against that.”
 
Full Article: 
https://www.leafly.com/news/politics/houston-officials-set-new-cannabis-tone-texas

By Andrea Noble – The Washington Times 

 
Marijuana legalization activists in the nation’s capital plan to hand out thousands of joints during President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration as a way to raise awareness of about the fragility of legal pot under his administration.
The advocacy group behind the ballot initiative that legalized pot in Washington, D.C., in 2014 will take to the streets Jan. 20 to give away 4,200 joints — or somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 ounces of marijuana.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/3/marijuana-legalization-supporters-hand-out-4200-jo/

 
Cannabis gets a lot of press as a recreational drug and medicine, but there’s an industrial side to the plant few know. Hemp is a remarkably durable and versatile industrial product that comes from the cannabis plant. Hemp is so strong; you can build your house out of cannabis bricks made of Hempcrete.
Hempcrete is the concrete of cannabis. Made from the cannabis plant and mixed with limestone, Hemp bricks make a durable substance that can be an alternative to traditional concrete. Even though wet Hempcrete has a different consistency than concrete, it dries into a super-strong material capable of holding up houses.
Strength isn’t the only thing it has going for it either. Hempcrete has a high degree of thermal insulation, and it is also fire resistant.
 
Full Article: 
https://deephemp.com/hempcrete-change-way-build-everything/

by Koby Conrad

 
This will actually be the second time that Idaho mom Serra Frank will purposely disobey the law & smoke Cannabis on the steps of Idaho’s Capitol.
Her message is extremely clear – it’s time to legalize it.
 
Full Article: 
https://greenmajority.com/blogs/magazine/idaho-mom-serra-frank-will-smoke-cannabis-on-steps-of-idahos-capitol-standwithserra