September 30, 2014

People of the Hemp, Part 2: Criminalizing Traditional Teachings

Indian Country
Laws criminalizing the use of hemp go contrary to traditional teachings, Crandy said. Although botanists and historians quarrel over whether cannabis was native to America, the Tuscaroras’ creation story tells of the origin of the seed.
The creator placed the Tuscarora on the land and gave them divine instructions to take care of the land. Meanwhile, a tree grew in the Sky World. Beneath the tree was a great hole, through which a pregnant woman fell. As she fell, she grasped at the tree and brought with her some of the seeds, along with instructions for how to use it.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/09/29/people-hemp-part-2-criminalizing-traditional-teachings-157082

People of the Hemp, Part 1: Losing Land, Culture, Tradition

Indian Country
The way Tracy Johnson tells it, the plateau of land overlooking Niagara Falls and nestled among the Finger Lakes of northwestern New York once was covered in fields of hemp.
The natural herb, interspersed with rows of corn, was evidence of centuries of inhabitation by the Tuscarora, now a dwindling tribe on a tiny sliver of land.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/09/26/people-hemp-part-1-losing-land-culture-tradition-157074

Cannabis Therapy's Hemp Harvest Paves Way to Commercialization

MarketWatch
Through an agreement with Rocky Mountain Hemp Inc., a relatively known micro-cap cannabis company will produce the first U.S.-grown hemp used in a commercial product in over 60 years. The low-THC and CBD-rich hemp will be used to support near-term commercial endeavors.
Cannabis Therapy Corp. CTCO, -5.56% developer of phytocannabinoid-based medicinal products for humans and animals, recently announced that it passed pre-harvest inspection by the Colorado Department of Agriculture and subsequently harvested its first ever hemp crop. With less than 0.3% THC content, the hemp will be legally integrated into product development and commercial applications. 
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cannabis-therapys-hemp-harvest-paves-way-to-commercialization-2014-09-30

Voorhees store seeks OK for hemp-based products

Courier-Post
A Voorhees health store owner wants a state judge to verify the hemp-based products he's selling are legal under state law.
In a lawsuit filed in Superior Court in Camden County, attorney Craig Mitnick argued the products are exempt under federal and state laws regulating the sale of marijuana and should be "declared legal for sale in New Jersey." Mitnick said he is one of the shop's investors.
The hemp-based oils and tinctures are sold as over-the-counter dietary supplements, which do not need approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
 http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2014/09/29/voorhees-store-seeks-ok-hemp-based-products/16451215/

At $21 a Pound, Roasted Hemp Seeds Look Like a Cash Cow

Westword
Hemp seeds have started infiltrating grocery-store shelves across America. They're often sold shelled and in bulk quantities, but some producers have also been packaging them as snack items. Roasted and seasoned, they're fine snacks -- they taste nothing like pot and don't get you high, but they're high in protein (nine grams in three tablespoons) and full of omega essential fatty acids.
But when we saw a bag of Ziggy Marley Hemp Rules -- seeds that are USDA certified organic -- selling for $7.99 for six ounces (before tax), we started considering the potential of hemp seeds as a cash crop.
http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/2014/09/roasted_hempseeds_must_be_an_insane_cash_cow_for_producers.php

September 28, 2014

Hemp batteries could be a reality

Digital Journal

Researchers have found a way to boost the energy density of supercapacitors through the use of more sophisticated electrodes. These electrodes are composed of hemp fibers, and they have a high energy storage capacity.

The development breakthrough has been made by a Canadian start-up company, led by Dr. David Mitlin. The idea arose from some applied thinking, when Mitlin's group decided to see if they could make graphene-like carbons from hemp bast fibers. 

Hemp holds potential for Alberta farmers — if they can grow long-fibre varieties

Alberta Farmer Express
In order to get hemp from the field into a material that companies like Cylab can manufacture, the fibre must first be separated from the internal hurd — ideally in a location close to where the crop is grown in order to maintain the fibre strength.

“To turn this product here in Canada into a product that I can use, you need decortication,” said Boag.
http://www.albertafarmexpress.ca/2014/09/05/hemp-holds-potential-for-alberta-farmers-if-they-can-grow-long-fibre-varieties/ 

High-voltage HEMP filters from API protects sensitive electronic equipment

Military Embedded Systems
API Technologies Corp. is now offering high-voltage High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) filters that are designed to protect sensitive electronic equipment for military and telecommunications applications.
http://mil-embedded.com/news/high-voltage-hemp-filters-from-api-protects-sensitive-electronic-equipment/ 

The World’s Most Eco-Friendly Car: Made From Hemp!

Green Ideal
The material for the Kestrel is being supplied by Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures, a provincial Crown corporation. The hemp is being grown in Vegreville, Alberta.

The car’s body will be made of an impact-resistant material produced from mats of hemp, a plant from the cannabis family. What’s more, the Kestrel’s hemp composite body shell passed its crash test in strong form and unlike steel, the panels will bounce back into shape after impact.

Hemp is mechanically similar to glass, but it’s even lighter, which helps boost fuel efficiency.
http://www.greenerideal.com/vehicles/0926-worlds-eco-friendly-car-made-hemp/ 

German Patents Method for Making Hemp Juice

Nutritional Outlook
Who is Galathea Bisterfeld von Meer, you might wonder? She’s the inventor of a now U.S.-patented method for making hemp juice.

It appears that while much of the United States was busying itself with news about hemp pilot programs earlier this year, this German lady straight up took a piece out of the future hemp juice market. In February, she and a group called Claremont Collection GmbH (Hamburg, Germany) secured a patent for both a method of obtaining hemp juice and a method for making hemp beverages, wherein hemp juice is mixed with yeast and then fermented.
http://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/140926/hemp-juice 

September 26, 2014

Growing our way out of climate change by building with hemp and wood fibre

The Guardian
From domestic housing to the Science Museum, plant-based construction materials cut reliance on scarce resources and build healthy, efficient and zero carbon buildings.
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/sep/25/hemp-wood-fibre-construction-climate-change 

Canadian Hemp Guitars Give Literal Meaning to “Stoner Rock”

 Noisey
“I love walking up to people and saying, ‘Guess what my guitar is made from,’” says Stewart Burrows, a professional musician who co-founded Canadian Hemp Guitars with Pellow in 2011. While the concept of hemp guitars definitely raises eyebrows and invites its share of questionings, the rationale behind their invention is totally sound. The use of hemp materials in guitars minimizes the role of the instrument in deforestation and the use of endangered woods, and under Pellow’s careful construction they sound great, too. 
http://noisey.vice.com/blog/canadian-hemp-guitars-give-literal-meaning-to-stoner-rock 

September 23, 2014

Why All Cannabis Advocates Should Support Hemp Legislation

Ladybud
Hemp legislation is not going to prevent or usurp any cannabis legislation. In fact, it will open a door on Capitol Hill that leads to removing stigma about the cannabis sativa plant. It’s not an either-or situation; if a person says, “I support cannabis and THC, so therefore, I’m against hemp”, it sounds ridiculous, petulant and closed-minded. Congress moves very slowly.
http://www.ladybud.com/2014/09/03/why-all-cannabis-advocates-should-support-hemp-legislation/

6 Unexpected Uses for Hemp and Marijuana

Wall Street Cheat Sheet
Here are six little known or unexpected uses for marijuana and hemp that may break into the mainstream in coming years.
http://wallstcheatsheet.com/business/6-unexpected-uses-for-hemp-and-marijuana.html/?a=viewall 

University Develops Hemp-based Super Capacitors

Gas2 - Green Cars that Don't Suck
Super-capacitors can store and release electricity like a battery, but can be recharged in seconds instead of hours. At the moment, they are usually made from graphene, a man-made super material that is 100 times stronger than steel by weight, conducts electricity better than copper, and is more flexible than rubber. Unfortunately, graphene is very costly to produce. A team of researchers led by David Mitlin at Clarkson University in New York have found a way to produce super-capacitors from an inexpensive hemp fiber left over from textile and building material construction that could pave the way for a mainstream super-capacitor.
http://gas2.org/2014/08/25/hemp-based-super-capacitors/

Rural Colorado county approves first hemp greenhouse

Capital Press
The goal of the greenhouse will be to develop a stock of hemp seed suited to growing in Colorado.
http://www.capitalpress.com/Research/20140828/rural-colorado-county-approves-first-hemp-greenhouse

Sterling hemp farm hosting festival

Journal-Advocate
How many of the 25,000-plus uses for hemp can you name?
Attend the Colorado Hemp Project's inaugural Hemp Festival this Sunday and learn more about this variant of the cannabis plant, which company co-founder Bill Billings calls "the new agriculture in America."
http://www.journal-advocate.com/sterling-local_news/ci_26586302/sterling-hemp-farm-hosting-festival

The hemp renaissance and how not to write a press release

The Street
So from an investment perspective, the problem isn't finding opportunities; the real challenge is filtering out the good ones from the bad. And here's a secret.
http://www.thestreet.com/story/12871410/1/the-hemp-renaissance-and-how-not-to-write-a-press-release.html

Hemp Eyewear Launches Kickstarter Campaign

Transworld Business
As more and more companies look to ways to create sustainable products and manufacturing processes, new start-ups are popping up across the board that have foundations in that philosophy. Hemp Eyewear, a new sunglasses brand created by Sam Whitten of Glasgow, UK,  is one of those companies. Whitten has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds needed to begin the first round of production, coming off a successful New Designers 2014 tradeshow in London. The frames, made from a hemp composite material consisting of hemp and flax fibres,  are formed through a compression moulding process, creating a strong, lightweight, sustainable product, according to Whitten’s Kickstarter page. All the materials used in Hemp Eyewear’s production are sustainable and eco-friendly, the brand says.
http://business.transworld.net/153283/news/hemp-eyewear-launches-kickstarter-campaign/

September 21, 2014

Flameret, Inc. Begins Shipping Orders as Initial Order Flow for Cannadol Hemp Oil Exceeds Internal Expectations

 Yahoo! Finance Canada

Flameret, Inc. (FLRE) announced today that Royal Hemp Corporation, its wholly-owned Colorado subsidiary, has begun shipping high CBD hemp oil orders. The company previously announced the launch of Cannadol™, its high CBD (cannabidiol) hemp oil. Over the first three days after the product launch was announced, the company received orders from 21 different customers. Further details regarding initial revenues will be announced in the company's financial statements that will be filed at http://www.otcmarkets.com

Cannadol™ is a dietary supplement sold as a hemp oil rich in CBD. It consists of 200mg of cannabidiol cold pressed from industrial hemp in an oral suspension of 1 ounce of hemp oil. None of the statements regarding Cannadol™ or the potential therapeutic benefits of cannabidiol have been evaluated by the FDA.
 https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/flameret-inc-begins-shipping-orders-120000361.html

Hemp Shield(TM) Expands Distribution

Yahoo! Finance
Hemp Shield, www.hempshield.net, headquartered here and creator of a new generation of waterborne Hemp Oil Stain and Sealer, has announced a new partnership with Val-Test, www.val-test.com, a buying and marketing group with over 100 distributor/members that distribute to 22,000+ retailers throughout North America.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/hemp-shield-tm-expands-distribution-121100719.html;_ylt=AwrBEiQe5R5U5EEAfzDQtDMD

September 20, 2014

Green Cures & Botanical distribution Inc. announces distribution program with Nutritional Products International and marketing program with InHealth Media

Yahoo! Finance Canada
With the assistance of Nutritional Products International and InHealth Media, Green Cures plans to be among the first companies to introduce high-quality, hemp-infused products to conventional markets such as nutritional, health and wellness, sports, and functional beverage.  Based on management's review of these markets, management believes that the combined annual revenue of these industries in the United States exceeds $190 billion. While certain hemp-infused products have been available in the market for some time, Green Cures management believes that no other company or entity has given the level of exposure and marketability to their hemp-infused products that Green Cures will give its products through the implementation of its marketing plan, in conjunction with Nutritional Products International and InHealth Media.
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/green-cures-botanical-distribution-inc-171900031.html

LiveWire Ergogenics, Inc., Through Its International Partner, Receives Chinese Government Approval for CBD Production in China

Yahoo! Finance

LiveWire Ergogenics Inc. (OTCQB: LVVV), through its international partner, Lu'an Kaixuan Hemp Company Ltd., has obtained Chinese government approval for CBD (Cannabidiol) extraction from industrial hemp in China. This landmark approval is believed to be the first time a partnership between a Chinese and a U.S-based company has been given approval for CBD production in China, the world's largest producer of industrial hemp. This opportunity came together after four months of designing strategic relationships with the local government, university, and the largest hemp-related company in Lu'an, China.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/livewire-ergogenics-inc-international-partner-130000525.html;_ylt=AwrBJSCYkh1U2D8AJ_fQtDMD

API Technologies Introduces Transient Energy Suppressant High Voltage HEMP Filters

Yahoo! Finance Canada
API Technologies Corp. (ATNY), a leading provider of high performance RF/microwave, power and security solutions for high-reliability applications, now offers high voltage HEMP (High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse) filters that protect sensitive electronic equipment from potentially destructive energy transients due to line surges, lightning, and electronic pulses.
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/api-technologies-introduces-transient-energy-152600253.html

September 19, 2014

Why You Will Soon Be Building Your Home With Hempcrete

GOOD Magazine
As state after state slowly moves towards marijuana legalization, it seems like everyone is trying to cash in on the pot-farming boom. But legalization opens the door to a world of innovation and entrepreneurship that’s a lot wider than new, inventive ways to get high, like weed sodas. In “green rush” states like Colorado, farmers are taking advantage of the new legal environment to sow fields of hemp, marijuana’s THC-deficient cousin. Because of its relationship to cannabis, hemp has been illegal in America for over 60 years, despite a consistent chorus of supporters who have touted its use as a natural fiber and food supplement in Canada and Europe. Compared to the economic potential of legalized marijuana, that of pot’s fibrous cousin seems like small potatoes. Yet one use of the plant could revolutionize construction in the U.S., creating a new, lucrative industry for growers: Hempcrete. 
http://magazine.good.is/articles/a-house-of-hemp 

Colorado hemp field coming into bloom in Boulder County

The Cannabist
Activist opens up her private hemp plot to visitors, talks pollination and possibilities for industry
http://www.thecannabist.co/2014/08/22/colorado-hemp-field-spotlights-industry-struggles-aspirations/18407/

Global Hemp Group Partners With Mali's National Agricultural Research Institute on Hemp Research

CNN Money
GLOBAL HEMP GROUP INC. ("GHG" or the "Company") (OTCQB:GBHPF)(CSE:GHG)(FRANKFURT:GHG) announced today it has signed a letter of intent with the Institut d'Economie Rurale ("IER"), the national agricultural research institute of the Republic of Mali, to begin moving toward jointly researching hemp cultivation in the West African nation. 
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/1145371.htm

Group laying groundwork for industrial hemp co-op

Highlands Today
CARBONDALE, Colo. (AP) — A recent tour at a small experimental hemp plot by a group of advocates who want to develop a local hemp growers cooperative revealed some of the challenges the fledgling industry faces before it can become established in Colorado.

http://highlandstoday.com/list/highlands-agri-leader-news/group-laying-groundwork-for-industrial-hemp-co-op-20140917/

The Resurgence of Industrial Hemp

Mother Earth News, Sept. 2014
Get ready for America’s newest billion-dollar industry: Industrial hemp. Well, it’s not really new. As prohibition on hemp’s psychoactive cousin unravels, bestselling author Doug Fine explains why one of humanity’s longest-utilized plants is poised to rejuvenate the US economy.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/industrial-hemp-ze0z1409zcalt.aspx#axzz3DmWZVzvw