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

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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

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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

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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.

Black Rose Book Distro, St. Louis Radical Pop Up Bookstore, Attacked By White Supremacists

The Black Rose Book Distro zine collection at one of their three locations

A shelf of free zines available for visitors to one of the Black Rose Book Distro's three locations in the St. Louis area. One or more white supremacists attacked this location, defacing & destroying books, but many books and zines were donated to replace lost stock. (Black Rose Book Distro)

February 26, 2018

Kit

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Black Rose Book Distro, St. Louis Radical Pop Up Bookstore, Attacked By White Supremacists

Posted in Creative Commons, Journalism, and Radical Media

Black Rose Book Distro, a network of radical “pop up” bookstores in St. Louis, was attacked by white supremacists in January.

I first heard about the incident via Twitter as the distro’s volunteers spread the word about the damage to their books, zines, and safer sex supplies.

Authors, publishers, and activists of all kinds quickly stepped up to replace almost everything, and all of the Black Rose Book Distro locations are open again. But I still think it’s important to spread word about what happened, because American nazis pose a growing risk to not just the physical safety of marginalized groups in the U.S., from LGBTQIA folks to immigrants and people of color, but also our culture and knowledge too. The members of Black Rose agreed when I approached them for an interview.

Kit Reviews The Top CBD Gummies Online

A close-up of a pile of gummy bears in a rainbow of colors. (Pixabay / Hans, public domain)

February 22, 2018

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Kit Reviews The Top CBD Gummies Online

Posted in Austin, Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

I adore the chewy delight of a gummy candy, and I loved getting the chance to pick out the best CBD gummies.

I may be a bit biased, because I’ve always enjoyed gummies, from gummy bears to gummy worms, and they’re even better when you add the healing power of CBD. Obviously I’m not alone: store shelves are full of gummy adult vitamins and numerous other nutritional supplements in candy shapes. When it comes to CBD oil, the beneficial supplement made from industrial hemp, it’s no surprise there are lots of sweet, chewy CBD treats for sale now, too.

The appeal of CBD gummies is obvious: the flavors and texture make CBD easy to ingest, particularly if people have trouble swallowing pills or dislike the flavor of conventional tinctures. While all gummy supplements should be kept out of reach of children, some kids do take CBD, particularly for especially serious forms of epilepsy, so CBD gummies have an obvious appeal for those parents. It can also be easier to take a precise dose with edibles like gummies compared to a dropper of liquid CBD tincture.

How A Texas Winery Created Hemp Wines Despite The Odds

Four different flavors of TVM hemp wines sit in a bucket of ice. (Facebook / TVM Wines)

February 11, 2018

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How A Texas Winery Created Hemp Wines Despite The Odds

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

You can wear hemp fashion, put hemp seeds on your oatmeal, even write on hemp paper, so would you try hemp wines?

It’s a product years in the making, but Americans in 37 states can now try hemp-infused wine, the creation of Texas-based TVM Wines.

TVM’s new hemp wines are actually wine cocktails, infused with flavors like “rum and Coke” and “Texas tea,” and graced with playful names like “Forbidden,” “Covert” and “Taboo” that invite drinkers to take part in something secretive and daring. However, for the wine’s creators, the product is about more than just capitalizing on an increasingly “hip” ingredient: they’re believers in the benefits of hemp too.