Last Week in Hemp
Welcome to the first edition of Last Week In Hemp, brought to you by Randy’s Remedy. We have dug through all the weeks news and brought to you the ten most important stories related to hemp and natural cannabinoids.
1. PRO SURFER AND CLOTHING ENTREPRENEUR DISCOVERS HEMP
When Doug Mignola started Hoodlamb, he used hemp as a material for their products as a way to pay tribute to the cannabis plant. These days, using hemp just makes sense. It is an environmentally friendly source of natural fibers and is more durable than cotton.
Originally founded to produce a post-surf jacket, today Hoodlamb offers a wide range of stylish apparel that is quickly bringing hemp into the mainstream.
2. REGISTERED NURSE CLAIMS HEMP OIL HELPED HER ACNE ISSUE
A registered nurse with chronic cystic acne had tried nearly everything to control her acne over the years. Now she discusses how hemp oil helped clear her skin and gave her the clear complexion she’s always wanted.
3. OMAHA FORENSIC SCIENTIST TESTS NEBRASKA HEMP OIL, FINDS IT COMPLETELY LEGAL
In Omaha, Nebraska last week a local news channel, KETV, ran a news story profiling the opening of two storefronts in Omaha, Nebraska selling hemp products. Since that news report, the Governor of Nebraska has issued a statement on cannabidiol (CBD) throughout the state yet the confusion continues.
KETV took a sealed vial of the hemp oil being sold in Omaha to Christine Gabig, a forensic chemist for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, for testing. The report measured the amount of natural cannabinoids in the hemp oil and identified CBD as the highest and that the amount of THC was so minute as to be considered THC-negative. The legality remains confusing.
4. RAIDED OHIO SMOKE SHOP HAS HEMP OIL RETURNED AND NO CHARGES FILED
It’s been over a year since agents raided Poor Boys Smoke Shop in Marysville, Ohio. The raid, which seized 18 bottles of CBD (cannabidiol oil), presumed that the products were illegal and contained THC. The owner, Tom Neal, was adamant that the products were made from hemp and were perfectly legal. Union County Prosecutor David Phillips now agrees and no charges were filed against Poor Boys Smoke Shop or its owner, Tom Neal.
This is a big win for hemp and further highlights the confusion surrounding the subject at various levels of law enforcement.
5. UTAH SAYS HEMP IS OK IN HUMAN FOOD, BUT NOT FOR PETS. ORDERS DOZENS OF BUSINESSES TO CEASE SALES.
In what is a rather bizarre turn of events, the State of Utah has asked two dozen Utah businesses to pull pet treats containing hemp or hemp oil from their shelves. Hemp, according to the Utah State Department of Agriculture and Food, is not approved for use in pet food. This despite the fact that hemp is legal to use in food for humans and has a long history of use in animals.
The Director of the Utah State Department of Agriculture went on to claim, falsely, that there is little scientific evidence showing that CBD is safe for pets to consume, (There is).
6. DOCTORS IN BRAZIL ARE PRESCRIBING HEMP OIL TO TREAT PSORIASIS AND ALS
Globally, the trend to allow hemp oil to be used to treat diseases, is growing. In Brazil, doctors are now allowed to prescribe hemp oil to patients with psoriasis and ALS. Previously it’s use was limited to those with epilepsy. Today, multiple doctors have reportedly begun prescribing hemp oil for the autoimmune skin disorder, psoriasis, and the neurodegenerative disorder, ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Neither disease has any effective alternative treatment and both are chronic and debilitating.
7. ITALY USING HEMP OIL TO TREAT WOMEN WITH DYSAUTONOMIC SYNDROME FOLLOWING HPV VACCINATIONS
The HPV virus can infect men and women and has been linked to cancer. As people are becoming more aware of the HPV disease, HPV vaccinations are becoming more popular. However, while vaccines are tested for both safety and efficacy, they are not without risks or side effects. A recent open-label compassionate use study using CBD in 12 females age 12–24 years in age with severe somatoform and dysautonomic syndrome following HPV vaccinations found that CBD alleviated many of the symptoms these patients suffered from.
8. HEMP OIL PROVING POPULAR IN IRELAND
Ireland has similar policies to the United States regarding hemp and CBD, which has led to some confusion in the market. Never the less, while THC products remain illegal, hemp oil is legal and one shop owner in Limerick, Ireland says sales are growing exponentially. Many have realized they are able to find healing from the hemp health products. One Irish shop noted that their most popular customer base for the CBD oils were in the 60–80 year old range.
9. MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS LIFE CHANGING DRUG FOR YOUNG GIRL WITH SEIZURES
Despite the misleading headline calling it “Medical Marijuana,” a recent story about Lillyann Baker, a 3 year old with severe seizures, who suffered from a traumatic head injury as an infant, turned to hemp oil after two failed drug interventions. The story itself is terribly written, falsely claiming that hemp oil has psychoactive effects and referring to medical marijuana as a gateway drug. A clear differentiation of marijuana and hemp is not provided. None the less, the coverage and benefits of hemp oil were clear and continue to defy negative news coverage.
10. TOURETTES SUFFERER DESCRIBES HOW CBD OIL HELPS.
The Tab, a news network in the US and UK, has written a wonderful piece on Serena Bhandari who has Tourette’s Syndrome, a neurological condition ‘characterized by a combination of involuntary noises and movements called tics.’ Tourette’s syndrome has historically been portrayed in humorous or comical ways in movies, although the reality is much less funny.
Serena says much of what people see is not how life is. The article explores many areas of her life but in one particular section she discusses how she did not like the “weird drug effects” from marijuana but found that hemp oil provides many of the benefits without the negative side effects.
