March 2018 - Kit O'Connell: Approximately 8,000 Words

Indiana Legalizes CBD, Ending Police Raids & Consumer Anxiety

Indiana legalizes CBD after previous epilepsy law led to police raids

The Indiana Capitol, home of the Indiana General Assembly, under a cloudy sky. A new state law in Indiana legalizes CBD oil after a previous law led to police raids on CBD vendors. (Flickr / Southland Gamers, CC-BY-NC-ND license)

March 23, 2018

Kit

Indiana Legalizes CBD, Ending Police Raids & Consumer Anxiety

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

A new Indiana CBD law makes the supplement legal for all residents without a prescription, ending months of confusion. It could also serve as a model for other states looking to address the legality and purity of CBD oil.

Last year, Indiana state police interpreted a state law designed to help people with epilepsy access CBD as a mandate to raid vendors who were selling it for other purposes. While CBD is known to relieve symptoms of severe epilepsy, its benefits are numerous and its popularity is growing fast nationwide. Legislators insisted they’d never intended to spur a police crackdown, necessitating the new bill which was signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday.

Now, “any consumer in Indiana by state law can consume hemp products with CBD without any repercussions,” said Brian Furnish, a hemp farmer from Kentucky and the president of the US Hemp Roundtable. Furnish served as a consultant to several Indiana legislators and their staff during the process of writing and passing the bill to legalize CBD.

March 22, 2018

Kit

Hemp & Garden Show Educates Austin Locals & SXSW Visitors About Hemp

Posted in Austin, Journalism, Ministry of Hemp, SXSW, and Video

The Texas hemp industry is booming despite the obstacles faced by Lone Star State entrepreneurs.

That’s the message of the Texas Hemp and Garden Show, which took place on March 13 and 14 in Austin, Texas, at a downtown nightclub near the heart of the popular SXSW festival and not far from the capitol building.

2018 marked the Hemp and Garden Show’s second year, and there were about a dozen different vendors or organizations represented when I dropped in on the second day. Activists helped passersby fill out voter registration cards on the sidewalk, a DJ spun tunes from a small stage outside, and inside a succession of experts spoke about topics ranging from agriculture to the war on drugs. At night, musicians took over for the speakers including a surprise appearance from rapper Lil’ Flip.

Seeking Justice In The Face Of Apocalypse & Tyranny (Gonzo Notes)

LGBTQIA rights still matter when resisting tyranny

Marchers carry a massive parachute-style rainbow Pride Flag overhead at a LGBTQIA rights event in Syracuse, New York. June 19, 2010. (Flickr / Kate, CC-BY-NC license)

March 17, 2018

Kit

Seeking Justice In The Face Of Apocalypse & Tyranny (Gonzo Notes)

Posted in Gonzo Notes, and Journalism

In the face of tyranny and environmental apocalypse, does our activism still matter?

I felt my heart sink recently when I saw an old comrade, largely retired from activism, questioning the value of his work. As a passionate advocate for LGBTQIA rights, he was one of the most radical and outspoken, never willing to settle down and wait for the human rights he deserved. I don’t in any way judge my friend for stepping back from activism, which is often a valid and eminently sensible decision. I’ve done it myself, lately, for various reasons including a legal battle I just won.

The stakes are higher now, to be sure. While Trump’s administration constantly seems on the verge of collapse, his election seems to signify a new era in which old standards of political behavior are abandoned in favor of accelerated, unchecked avarice and unmasked bigotry. Simultaneously, even the most pessimistic of climate scientists seems shocked at the rate at which things are getting worse for our planet.