When the drug-drenched nation legalized all drugs within its borders, most critics predicted disaster. Instead drug use has plunged dramatically.

Hemp Seeds: High in essential fatty acids, the fats we need to get from our foods, hemp seeds can play a crucial role in our skin integrity. Healthy omega-3 fatty acids as contained within hemp seeds ensure a subtle glow as well as potent anti-inflammatory properties.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/meghan-telpner/sun-protection-organic_b_892077.html?ref=fb&src=sp

While humans are living longer, the prevalence of dementia is also on the rise. And many researchers believe factors such as stress, accumulation of toxic waste products as well as inflammation accelerate aging in the brain.
However, scientists are also learning that certain mechanisms can protect the brain from deterioration and even repair defective structures.
For example, in a study of mice, European researchers have recently discovered a  previously unknown function of the cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1). A receptor is a protein that can bind to other substances, triggering a chain of signals.
Cannabinoids such as THC — the active agent in marijuana — and endocannabinoids formed by the body bind to the CB1 receptors.
The existence of this receptor is also the reason for the intoxicating effect of hashish and marijuana and perhaps the upbeat feeling of a runner’s high after intense exercise.
Not only does the CB1 receptor have an addictive potential, but it also plays a role in the degeneration of the brain.
“If we switch off the receptor using gene technology, mouse brains age much faster,” said Önder Albayram, a doctoral student at the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn in Germany and principal author of the study. “This means that the CB1 signal system has a protective effect for nerve cells.”
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http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/07/13/researchers-study-methods-to-reduce-age-changes-in-brain/27697.html

Baker’s twine is all the rage, but conventional cotton leaves a lot to be desired, from an eco perspective. Hemp twine to the rescue!

 
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http://craftingagreenworld.com/2011/07/12/hemp-twine-an-eco-alternative-to-bakers-twine/

When Barack Obama became president, there was a tremendous push in the political realm to embrace green technologies and renewable energy research as an alternative to fossil fuels. Four years later, not much has changed. and the economy is a wreck.
This summer, we are facing ridiculous gas prices, pundits will blame everyone else but their own party and President Obama will give a big, fat speech. Meanwhile, corporate and political interests serving Big Oil—one our biggest fossil fuel suppliers—will continue to make a sizeable profit.
One way to wean our nation off fossil fuels is to find an alternative to gasoline for our cars. One alternative to gasoline is methanol, a type of fuel usually derived from corn oil. However, the process is difficult and doesn’t produce a lot of fuel.
Hemp can also produce methanol, and is a better choice because it grows a lot faster than corn and produces far more fuel. Corn yields an average of 1,550 liters of methanol per acre grown. Hemp yields up to 10,000 liters.
Hemp fuel is also biodegradable, burns without creating sulfur dioxide and won’t damage the environment. Hemp cellulose can be processed to create clothing, paper, plastic and feed for animals. So, where can we find a processing plant to turn hemp into oil?
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http://www.theweedblog.com/can-your-car-run-on-hemp-fuel/

Just days after the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) insisted that there is no medical value to marijuana, the White House appeared to contradict the position, saying in a report that there may actually be “some” medical value to “individual components of the cannabis plant” after all.

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http://www.presstv.com/usdetail/188810.html

A state bill that would allow farming of industrial hemp in Kings, Kern and three other counties could hit Gov. Brown’s desk in September.
Senate Bill 676, authored by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Rafael, would create an eight-year pilot program in five counties. The other three counties are San Joaquin, Imperial and Yolo.
The legislation passed the Assembly Committee on Agriculture last week and earlier was approved by various other committees in the Senate and Assembly. The bill goes before the Assembly Appropriations Committee and a potential floor vote in August. Approval there would take it back to the Senate for a concurrence vote and a potential trip to the governor’s desk.
Kings County was included in the list because local farmers have expressed interest, according to Leno’s office. Most if not all of that interest has come from Charles Meyer, a Stratford farmer who has for years been a vocal advocate for industrial hemp.

The film follows the lively exploits of activists for (and against) the movement for the legalization of the hemp plant in America. It features Woody Harrelson, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and a whole host of farmers, politicians, businessmen, and laypeople as they search for the truth about this mysterious and demonized plant.
http://www.hempstersthemovie.com/

Women suffering from post-traumatic stress as a result of sexual assaults are being prescribed psychiatric medicines, even though there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that medical cannabis is another potential solution
By Ariela Bankier
D., a 26-year-old woman from the north of Israel, says she began to suffer from nightmares about seven years ago, after her partner raped her. After undergoing various forms of therapy, she thought she had largely put the trauma behind her. Then, two years ago, she chanced to see the rapist not far from her home. The nightmares came swarming back.

“I fell into a depression that went on until not long ago, during which I hardly slept or ate,” she says in a quiet voice. “My whole life turned upside down. I left my job. Everything came to a stop. I went back to taking antidepressants and tranquilizers – Cipralex, Lustral and Prozac; sleeping pills that made me addicted. It was a nightmare. There was no way I could get through the day without those pills. Then I discovered cannabis.”
Of approximately 6,000 Israelis currently being treated with medical cannabis (aka medical marijuana ), most suffer from chronic pain and terminal illnesses. The therapeutic potential of cannabis has been known for many years and is recognized by the Health Ministry. But many patients – for example, victims of sexual assault who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD ) and have a psychiatric recommendation for treatment with medical cannabis – encounter bureaucratic obstacles.

A year and a half ago, Dr. Yehuda Baruch – the chair of the Health Ministry’s advisory board for medical cannabis – recognized the effectiveness of the substance for PTSD sufferers. Within a year, 142 requests by such patients for treatment were approved. Dozens of soldiers who suffer from PTSD as a result of their army service were, and continue to be, treated with medical cannabis, with the authorization and support of the Health Ministry and the Ministry of Defense. However, victims of sexual assault have been left out in the cold.
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http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/reefer-madness-1.372173