Adventures of a Gonzo Journalist
Posted in Audio, Gonzo Notes, Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp
The Industrial Hemp Farming Act, is a bipartisan effort before congress to legalize agricultural hemp. However, it’s deeply flawed in its current form. And a recent study on CBD oil shows many people are giving up prescription pharmaceutical or over-the-counter drugs in favor of CBD.
Finally, who are the antifascists? What is black bloc? Why do activists wear masks? And how are antifa getting involved in Harvey relief efforts?
Posted in Archive, Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp
A new bill before Congress could remove the last barriers to hemp growing in the United States, but only if legislators remove harmful provisions that prevent it from being a complete solution to hemp’s legal troubles.
In 2014, new legislation once again allowed the states to grow hemp for research purposes after decades of prohibition. Unfortunately, that law still leaves room for government agencies to threaten hemp growers and vendors, and falls far short of total legalization.
Industry advocates have spent years lobbying Congress for a bill which would completely legalize industrial hemp and remove it from Drug Enforcement Agency oversight and interference. Though deeply flawed In its current form, there’s hope that the Industrial Hemp Farming Act, currently making its way through Congress, could be an important step in that direction.
Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp
A new study shows that many consumers are giving up conventional pharmaceutical drugs in favor of CBD.
CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of dozens of cannabinoids found in hemp, but unlike THC it doesn’t cause people to get “high.”
In a study released in early August, market-research firm Brightfield Group surveyed 2,400 registered users of Hello MD, a medical cannabis education and advocacy website. One of the study’s most dramatic findings is that 42 percent of people who use CBD report that they’ve given up pharmaceutical drugs in favor of cannabis in some form. This figure includes both strains of psychoactive cannabis, a.k.a. “marijuana,” with high levels of CBD and CBD-only products like CBD oil supplements made from industrial hemp.
Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp
Though it’s legal to grow industrial hemp in Colorado, many farmers are breaking the law if they try to water their crops.
In western states, water rights are governed by complex laws that determine how farmers irrigate their crops. Even rainwater that falls on land owned by a farmer may be affected by federal water rights laws, and the federal government still essentially considers hemp illegal.
“That has been an issue almost from the onset that has stopped people from growing industrial hemp unless they had wells of their own or were using city water, which is difficult when you move into real agricultural areas,” said Duane Sinning, seed coordinator at the Colorado Department of Agriculture, in an interview with Ministry of Hemp.
Even as “true believers” in hemp, sometimes we’re still surprised to learn all the ways cannabidiol (CBD) can help.
Though we know that CBD supplements are used by people with everything from anxiety to arthritis, that was still the case when we first saw reports that it may also be an antipsychotic.
Considered one of several “psychotic disorders,” schizophrenia is a mental illness associated with serious distortions in a person’s thinking, which can include hallucinations or hearing voices. Other symptoms often include depression and difficulty maintaining interest in social activities and hobbies. While conventional pharmaceutical treatments often help, they also often have unpleasant side effects.
Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp
For a year and a half, Rick Trojan III and his friends traveled around the country demanding the legalization of hemp.
“We did 48 states total the last 18 months,” he told us when we talked to him by phone earlier this week.
Inspired by his experiences as a hemp grower in Colorado, Trojan wanted the Hemp Road Trip to show the nation why this valuable crop should be legal nationwide, and educate people about its numerous benefits. He found the biggest barrier was overcoming decades of fear driven by the War on Drugs, but most of those he met were open to listening and learning.
