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.
Read complete article here:
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/reefer-madness-1.372173

Associated Press

 
Missouri marijuana advocates want to ask voters next year to legalize the drug and regulate its medical use.
A group called Show-Me Cannabis filed its initiative request with the Missouri Secretary of State on Wednesday.
If the state approves the ballot language for the proposed Missouri constitutional amendment, supporters would need to collect enough signatures from registered voters by next May to get the question on the November ballot.

By David Jenison

 
Are video game competitors taking steroids to enhance their performance? Well, not exactly. They aren’t sticking needles in their butts, but many of them will smoke cannabis before a tournament.
“I’ve seen a number of players at national tournaments who came in ‘baked’ purely so they could play better,” said Alex Walker, the Australian World Cyber Games tournament director, in a recent interview with Gameplayer. They clearly thought it improved their game, and Walker had to agree. Still, cannabis’ influence on better play is hardly a trade secret.
COED magazine published “12 Jobs You’ll Do Better While Stoned,” and Video Game Tester made the list. “On the list of awesome things to do while stoned, right next to listening to music, is playing video games,” said the article. “Plus, since most of the people playing the game you’re testing are going to play it with a joint in their mouths; it’s really the only responsible course of action.”
Read complete article here:
http://freeculturemag.com/2011/07/news/joy-stick/

By Colleen Williams

 
While medical marijuana is used to treat dozens of ailments, one mother swears by it to help her severely autistic son.

In fact, she’s convinced pot has saved his life.

Meiko Hester-Perez gives her severely autistic 12-year old son Joey the marijuana in chocolate.

“When your son is knocking on deaths door there’s nothing you won’t do,” according to Meiko Hester-Perez. “It happened to be cannabis for our family.”

Hester-Perez didn’t make the decision lightly, two and a half years ago Joey only weighed 42 pounds. A stark contrast to his current weight of 112 pounds.

“My son was absolutely withering away. You could see the bones in his chest,” according to Hester-Perez.

Out of desperation, she Googled cannabis and autism, and realized she wasn’t the only one who made the connection.

Other parents and autism experts found success with medical marijuana as a treatment for autistic children.

The first time Hester-Perez gave Joey a pot brownie she saw almost immediate results.

“Everything has improved. Right now, he’s given one brownie every two to three days, whereas the other medications he was taking every single day, twice a day,” according to Hester-Perez.

 
Read complete article here:
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/125125964.html

by Phillip Smith


In a June 28 decision, Italy’s top court ruled that citizens may grow marijuana on their balconies and terraces. The small amounts produced in such grows “could cause no harm,” the Court of Cassation said.
Read complete article here:
http://www.theweedblog.com/italian-top-court-rules-citizens-may-grow-marijuana/

Nutrition’s top seed

by Paula Goodyer

Nutritional stars … dietitians seeking to overturn ban on hemp seeds.

This time next year a jar of hemp seed could be a respectable kitchen staple, nudging the rolled oats in your pantry cupboard – and giving chia and flax seeds some stiff competition in the health food stakes.
Although hemp seed in muesli bars, breakfast cereal – or even ice cream – wouldn’t raise eyebrows in the US, Canada or Europe, its use as a food is currently banned in Australia. But this could change in the next few months if a new proposal to overturn the ban is approved by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) – a move that’s backed by the Dietitians’ Association of Australia.
“As good foods go hemp seed is a rock star. It has a lot to offer and it would be a shame not to have it here,” says Accredited Practising Dietitian Camey Demmitt who was surprised to find no hemp seed on the menu when she moved to Australia from the US four years ago. A major benefit of hemp is that it’s a way of getting extra omega-3 fatty acids back into diets dominated by omega-6 fats, says Demmitt, a member of the DAA.

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“One of the problems with a typical western diet is that it includes an over abundance of processed foods which tend to be high in omega 6 fats – but not enough omega-3 fats from foods like oily fish, walnuts and flax seed. But hemp seed provides another good source of omega-3 fats that’s very easy to add to the diet – and it’s also a sustainable plant source at a time when there are concerns about over-fishing,” she points out.
Read complete article here:
http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/blogs/chew-on-this/nutritions-top-seed-20110704-1gyhr.html

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (AP) — State lawmakers will soon begin studying whether Indiana should amend its drug laws to decriminalize marijuana, create a medical marijuana program or make other changes.
The Post-Tribune of Merrillville reports that the General Assembly’s criminal law and sentencing policy study committee will examine different angles of the marijuana issue. The committee’s first meeting is next week, though it’s not clear whether marijuana laws will be discussed then or during future meetings.
State Sen. Karen Tallian, D- Ogden Dunes, pushed for the study committee and says Indiana has “draconian” marijuana laws.
“One day, I watched three young kids plead cases on possession of small amounts,” Tallian said. “I thought, ‘Why are we spending all of the time and money to do this?’ Frankly, I put marijuana in the same category as alcohol.”
Read complete article here:
http://www.wsbt.com/news/wsbt-indiana-lawmakers-to-study-legalizing-marijuana-20110704,0,2024586.story

By Silvia Pikal
 

While hemp can be used for food, textiles, paper, fabric, and fuel oil, the misunderstood crop breeds fear amongst politicians in the United Status and has led to the crop being illegal to grow without a DEA permit, which is pretty hard to get. But growing hemp is legal in Canada. Canadian company Motive Industries has taken advantage of this, and have been working on an electric car made of hemp plastic. Touted as Canada’s first bio composite electric car, the Motive Kestrel’s top speed is 135 km/h, with a range of 160 km. The ultralight car is a 3 door 4 passenger electric vehicle, and packs 16 kWh of lithium battery juice to keep the car going 160 kilometers per charge.
Now Motive has announced that bio composite materials derived from hemp and flax fibre will also be used in the car’s interior. They will be used to create the headliner, door panels, door trim, floor tub and center tunnel, instrument panel and the center console panel. The prototype should be coming out sometime this year, with a production goal of 2012.
 
Read complete article here:
http://www.mobilemag.com/2011/07/05/canadian-ev-to-be-pimped-out-with-hemp-bio-composite-interior/