War on Drugs Archives - Page 3 of 11 - Kit O'Connell: Approximately 8,000 Words

U.S. Hemp Industry Thriving In 2018 Despite Legal Barriers

Representatives of U.S. Hemp Roundtable and Hoban Law Firm discussed hemp's legal future at the 2018 Hemp Industries Association Conference in Los Angeles. (Ministry of Hemp / Kit O'Connell)

November 7, 2018

Kit

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U.S. Hemp Industry Thriving In 2018 Despite Legal Barriers

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

The 2018 Hemp Industries Association Conference revealed a thriving industry that’s growing rapidly and passionate about the future of hemp.

Ministry of Hemp just returned from the Los Angeles Airport Hilton, where “HIACON 2018” took place from November 2 through 5. Hemp will be a billion dollar industry soon, even though this plant still exists in a legal gray area in the United States. Industry leaders and newcomers alike gathered at the conference to share their newest ideas, and get a better understanding of hemp’s future as those laws shift.

November 2, 2018

Kit

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VIDEO: An Introduction To Ministry Of Hemp

Posted in Journalism, Ministry of Hemp, and Video

After decades of prohibition, hemp is back in a big way in America.

In 2017, sales of hemp products reached a record-breaking $820 million, and that’s just the beginning. Currently legal under state programs, hemp could soon be fully legal from coast to coast, transforming American agriculture.

From hemp food to hempcrete homes to textiles, the uses of hemp are almost limitless.

Dallas Man Fails Drug Test Over CBD Oil, Rejected For Organ Transplant

A series of test tubes, some full of colored or clear liquid. CBD can actually cause people to fail drug tests, under rare circumstances. (Pixabay, Public domain)

August 23, 2018

Kit

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Dallas Man Fails Drug Test Over CBD Oil, Rejected For Organ Transplant

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

Doctors refused to give a Dallas-area man a liver-transplant after he failed a drug test, even though he only used hemp-based CBD oil, his family reports.

Contrary to popular opinion about drug tests and CBD, it is rare but possible to fail a drug test from using only hemp-based CBD supplements.

Rolando Rosa is in urgent need of a liver transplant. According to his daughter, Monica Garcia, her father had turned to over-the-counter CBD supplements to ease his chronic pain while reducing his use of his prescription opiate painkillers. Just when a transplant seemed within reach, doctors sent Rosa home due to testing positive for THC. Hospital officials suggested this reflected “noncompliance” with doctors’ orders.

Farm Bill Hemp Amendment Blocks People With Felonies From Growing Hemp

A pair of hands in handcuffs reaches upwards. Some advocates say a hemp amendment to the 2018 Farm Bill would legalize hemp at a cost to vulnerable people. (Pixabay / KlausHausmann, public domain)

July 11, 2018

Kit

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Farm Bill Hemp Amendment Blocks People With Felonies From Growing Hemp

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

A hemp legalization amendment in the 2018 Farm Bill prevents anyone with a felony drug conviction from growing hemp.

Some existing hemp entrepreneurs could even find themselves shut out.

“I have a very successful business, I’ve been in this from the get go,” said Veronica Carpio, an experienced hemp producer and president of Grow Hemp Colorado, at a hemp conference in New York last month.

Despite her undeniable contributions to the industry, a past felony cannabis conviction endangers her continued involvement. “If this bill passes, I’m out.”

2018 Farm Bill Could Fully Legalize Industrial Hemp In USA

The US Capitol building under a cloudy blue sky. An amendment to the Senate version of the 2018 Farm Bill could help legalize hemp in the USA. (Pixabay / inverewe, public domain)

July 3, 2018

Kit

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2018 Farm Bill Could Fully Legalize Industrial Hemp In USA

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

An amendment to the Senate version of the 2018 Farm Bill would fully legalize industrial hemp in the United States.

“This is a big day for hemp,” said Brian Furnish, a hemp grower from Kentucky and president of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable.

The amendment legalizing hemp began as a bill proposed by Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader in the Senate. The “Hemp Farming Act of 2018” fully legalizes industrial hemp and all products made from it including CBD oil. Under the new law, the Drug Enforcement Administration and other government agencies would no longer be able to interfere with hemp.

Hemp CBD Is Still Legal: What The HIA vs. DEA Lawsuit Really Means

A statue of "Lady Justice" holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other. The decision in the HIA vs. DEA lawsuit has spread confusion. (Pixabay / AJEL, public domain)

May 17, 2018

Kit

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Hemp CBD Is Still Legal: What The HIA vs. DEA Lawsuit Really Means

Posted in Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

The HIA vs. DEA decision, a ruling in a landmark lawsuit by the hemp industry, has caused a lot of confusion about CBD’s legal status.

The Hemp Industries Association sued the Drug Enforcement Administration last year in an effort to overturn a DEA rule declaring CBD oil illegal. When the court dismissed the case on April 30, based on what was essentially a technical matter, misinformation about the ruling quickly spread online. Since we’re hemp advocates and supporters of access to CBD oil, we knew we had to get to the bottom of the HIA vs. DEA decision and what it means for the industry.

“Our hope was that they would withdraw the rule or go back through the traditional rule making progress,” said Colleen Keahey, executive director at the HIA.