By Eric Limer

 

After decades of criminalization and a blatantly racist War on Drugs that has succeeded primarily in putting millions of people in jail, the tide is turning on marijuana. Today, on 4/20, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer came out in support of ending the federal prohibition on marijuana, one of many recent moves by politicians to decriminalize the commonly used, low risk drug.

Back in 1938, long before this modern wave of acceptance and approval, Popular Mechanicswas bullish on weed, though not for recreational purposes. Instead, we wrote about the economic potential for hemp, the so-called billion-dollar crop.

 
Full Article: 
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a19876318/popular-mechanics-billion-dollar-hemp/

by Steve Davis

 
In the decades-long battle against cannabis prohibition, when growing and possessing cannabis was illegal everywhere in the United States, a handful of brave soldiers stood out as leaders in the battle — and all of them were persecuted because of it.
Dennis Peron, long considered the father of medical marijuana, was shot by police, but survived to sponsor Prop. 215, the landmark California medical marijuana law that was the first in the nation.
Dr. Tod Mikuriya, the first medical marijuana doctor to give lifesaving cannabis recommendations to California Prop. 215 patients, was ruthlessly hounded by law enforcement, prosecutors, anti-cannabis proponents and medical associations.
And then there’s Jack Herer, one of the cannabis lobby’s most famous activists, authors and educators. The man worked so tirelessly to legalize the plant that his health suffered, and a series of heart attacks and strokes eventually led to his death eight years ago on April 15, 2010 at the age of 70. Before and since his untimely passing, Herer has been a major inspiration for cannabis legalizers, growers and consumers the world over.
 
Full Article: 
http://bigbudsmag.com/jack-herer-marijuana-activist-marijuana-strain/

By Calvin Hughes

 
A new makeup brand is looking to shake things up by introducing a line of cannabis-based mascara.
On 4/20, Milk Makeup will be releasing their new Kush Mascara line produced with the cannabis extract CBD. Milk is a vegan company and was looking for something to replace the beeswax often used as the thickening agent in mascaras. That’s when they turned to CBD.
 
Full Article: 
https://www.civilized.life/articles/cbd-finds-its-way-into-the-cosmetics-industry-with-cannabis-based-mascara/

by Cat Wolinski

Photo Credit: Ceria Beverages (ceriabeverages.com)
 
After announcing his retirement from MolsonCoors earlier this year, Blue Moon Brewing company founder and creator, Keith Villa has announced his next venture: THC-infused beer.
The new company, called Ceria Beverages, will be helmed by Villa as co-founder and brewmaster, and his wife, Jodi Villa as CEO. “Ceria” is named for a part of the University of Brussels campus, in Belgium, where Villa received his doctorate in brewing science.
This is no hemp beer. According to an announcement from Ceria, which is based in Arvada, Col., a suburb of Denver, the company has been working with cannabinoid research firm, Ebbu to develop a cannabis-infused beverage that contains THC, along with other cannabinoids and terpenes, to produce the psychoactive experience of being “high,” while having the same onset time as alcohol.
 
Full Article: 
https://vinepair.com/booze-news/ceria-cannabis-thc-beer/
 

By Adam Popescu / New York Times News Service

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

SALLY PERKINS

 
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/

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

PHOEBE SOUTHWORTH FOR MAILONLINE

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

Paul Ridden

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/

By Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland.com atobias@cleveland.com

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