by James Bunn

South Africa on track to legalize medical cannabis (Source: Pixabay/Wikimedia)
 
South Africa may legally regulate medical cannabis as soon as April 2017.
The South African Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Health has said that the government will amend the Medicines and Related Substances Act 1965 (MRS Act). Under the reformed legislation, cannabis – known locally as “dagga” – will be downgraded from a banned Schedule 7 drug to a Schedule 6 drug, meaning it can be prescribed. The revision of the law is to be drafted by late January 2017 and may be implemented by April 2017, according to South Africa’s News24.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.talkingdrugs.org/south-africa-set-to-legalise-medical-cannabis
 
 

BY JON HILTZ

 
America has seen more cannabis reform in the last few weeks than in its entire history. As November 8th approached, all eyes were on the states looking to legalize recreational or medicinal pot, and most of them did not disappoint.
But the end of prohibition is not just being enjoyed on the U.S. mainland. Puerto Rico continues to show empathy for its citizens, this time by issuing an Executive Order that government employees will no longer be drug tested for cannabis — effective immediately.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/2016/11/puerto-rico-ends-cannabis-drug-testing-in-public-sector/

MERIBETH DEEN / Bowen Island Undercurrent

 
A rendering of the vision for the house upon completion. 
 

Sixteen years after delving into the world of natural building, Jayeson Hendryson and Kim Brooks say they are in full-on research and development road, and preparing to take their business to a whole new level.

This past week, the couple unveiled their plans for a “tiny hemp house,” one of which is currently under construction on their Bowen Island property.

The house is based on a smaller one they built for a mushroom farmer in Alberta. The current design is 530 square feet, with two loft-style bedrooms, built onto a metal skid that allows the house to be moved from place to place.

The walls, of course, are made from “hempcrete,” a material created by Hendryson, inspired by the couple’s quest for a “benign building material.”

“We used to live in a conventionally built house that had mold in the walls and I came down with pneumonia,” says Brooks. “So that was one issue. We also wanted something non-toxic, something that would last. And I hate rats, so we wanted something that was pest-proof – (lime is a primary ingredient in hempcrete, and it is toxic to rats and other pests, so they don’t bother with it. ) if rats or carpenter ants eat this stuff they die…”

Full Article:

http://www.bowenislandundercurrent.com/news/hempcrete-founders-look-to-go-global-with-tiny-house-design-1.2475995
 

BY DEVON ABELMAN

 
Read all about it:
http://www.allure.com/story/ardency-inn-mascara

By Ghuncha Shaheed

 
Hemp can be used to form bacteria-fighting fabrics. It has been known to resist staph to prevent lethal infections in hospitals. So there’s a major win for medicinal innovations.
 
Full Article: 
http://wccftech.com/marijuanas-high-tech-sister-drug-cant-get-you-high/
 

Christopher Peterson

 
“We saw a 42 percent reduction in opioid use,” reported Gruber. “This is significant, particularly for those of us in Massachusetts and other areas of the country where the opioid epidemic is ravaging so many. This preliminary finding certainly warrants deeper and broader investigation.”
 
Full Article: 
http://www.mcleanhospital.org/news/2016/10/18/mclean-hospital-study-finds-medical-marijuana-use-may-improve-cognitive-performance

By Zachary Babin

 
Democratic state Sen. Tick Segerblom envisions a pedestrian-centric outdoor entertainment district focused on giving visitors a new kind of “only-in-Vegas” experience centered around pot.
“It’s somewhere you do things you wouldn’t normally do,” said Segerblom, who’s so supportive of marijuana in Nevada that he sponsored a failed bill in 2015 to allow sick dogs and cats to use it. “Have fun, party, do things you wouldn’t do at home. Take a picture and brag about it.”
 
Full Article: 
http://www.cannabisradio.com/news/legal-weed-in-vegas-soon/

Kevin Seifert NFL Nation

 
In the survey, 61 percent of players said they believed fewer players would take pain-killing shots such as Toradol if marijuana were a legal option. Toradol is the most common anti-inflammatory taken by NFL players, and 64 percent of the survey’s respondents said they had taken an injection of it or another pain killer.
Marijuana has less known side effects than Toradol, and 41 percent of players surveyed thought it would control pain more effectively. Nearly 60 percent are worried about the long-term effects of chemical painkillers, and 42 percent believe they have had a teammate become addicted to chemical painkillers.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/17951858/nfl-players-legal-pot-equals-fewer-painkillers

STU ROBARTS

 
The “biobridge” in the Netherlands is built using hemp and flax fibers in place of alternative materials such as steel, concrete or carbon fiber.  Photo credit: New Atlas
 
Dutch students in the Netherlands have built a 46-foot-long footbridge out of hemp and flax fibers to demonstrate a use of more sustainable construction materials. Known as the “biobridge” the project was the result of a partnership between TU Delft, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), University of Twente and University of Wageningen.
 
Full Article: 
http://www.forconstructionpros.com/news/12275064/dutch-students-build-bridge-out-of-hemp-and-flax-fibers
 

Edward Dodge

Image via The Antique Cannabis Book
 
 
As efforts for cannabis legalization heat up, prohibitionists are quick to say that we need more research in order to know if cannabis is safe. Prohibitionists always seem to overlook that society has had a long history with cannabis and it is generally the federal government that has prevented adequate research from being done.
Cannabis use goes back thousands of years and it was a common pharmaceutical in the U.S. and Europe for a century, from the 1830s until the 1930s. Hundreds of articles were published in medical journals during the era that consistently reflect the same results we find today for medical cannabis uses, including treatments for epilepsy, digestion, sleep, pain, and more. The unpleasant effects from overdoses were well-documented in the 1800s, as well as the lack of fatalities those overdoses ever caused. Doctors were quite consistent in their views that cannabis is a fairly mild drug offering minimal toxicity, no buildup of tolerance or dependence, and overall being relatively safe.
 
Full Article: 
https://www.merryjane.com/health/how-scientists-testes-cannabis-medicines-in-the-old-days