APRIL_2023

From Farm to Feed:

Texas Approves Hempseed Oil and Meal for Horses and Chickens, Unlocking New Markets for Hemp Growers

BY CLAY MOORE

Hemp has been making headlines recently for its numerous health benefits, but did you know it can also be used as feed for horses and chickens? Texas has recently approved hempseed oil and hempseed meal as feed for these animals, making it the third state to do so. This new market segment is expected to be highly lucrative for hemp growers, processors, distributors, and retail channels.

Hempseed feed is beneficial for animal health, providing a naturally available plant-based protein that includes all 20 amino acids, plus Omega 3, 6, 9, and GLA fatty acids. The benefits of hempseed feed have been demonstrated in research trials with rabbits, horses, chickens, rough stock bucking bulls at Tarleton State University, and swine trials at Texas A&M University. This historic decision in Texas will help unlock many large markets, paving the way for wider use of hempseed feeds in the US and throughout the world.

It took a wide range of people and companies contributing over the years to make this approval happen. The Colorado certified seed for the trials was donated by International Hemp and was processed by SLV Hemp in Del Norte, Colorado. SLV Hemp has processed approximately 10 tons of finished products for the Texas universities’ trials to date. Former rodeo professional and current Texas Realtor, Mike Smith, generously contributed by

making introductions between key researchers and hemp industry resources. To assist in reducing transportation costs and avoid delays, Smith also transported the processed Hemp Feed from Colorado to Texas for the A&M and some of the TSU trials.

The goal of SLV Hemp is to help educate the agriculture industry and expand the availability of hemp feed processing plants for local markets across the country. The benefits of using hemp as feed for horses and chickens are clear, and this historic de-

cision in Texas is expected to accelerate the adoption of both these ingredients. Tests to define labeling, stability, and shelf-life of these products are moving forward.

The Texas Feed and Fertilizer Control Services (FFCS) of the Office of the Texas State Chemist regulates the manufacture, distribution, and sale of feed ingredients and feed. Texas Commercial Feed Control Act §141.008 authorizes the FFCS to approve new ingredient definitions for hemp in commercial feed: Hempseed Meal and Hempseed Oil, Mechanically Extracted, are new ingredients for use as a source of nutrients in the diets of foal, mare, breeding and maintenance horses and for broiler, layer and breeder chickens.

As the benefits of hemp continue to be discovered, its use in animal feed for horses and chickens is just the beginning. The versatility of hemp makes it a valuable crop for numerous industries, including textiles, construction, and bioplastics. It is a sustainable crop that can be grown with minimal water and pesticides, making it an eco-friendly alternative to other crops. With the recent approval of hempseed oil and hempseed meal for horses and chickens, the future of hemp looks brighter than ever before.

Clay Moore is an Undergraduate Researcher | Hemp Breeding & Genetics

Cannabis Hemp Innovation League | Texas A&M University Chilclub.com/tamu

MAU MAU CHAPLAINS’ MOE MONSARRAT TALKS LIFE, LOSS AND LEGALIZATION

BY RACHEL NELSON

For the past 15 years, 10-piece reggae act Mau Mau Chaplains has played Wednesday nights at Flamingo Cantina, a staple of Austin’s downtown live music scene. Singer and multi-instrumentalist Moe Monsarrat said people commonly refer to the standing gig as “reggae church.”

“It’s because it’s every Wednesday, and you can come and get a blessing from the music,” Monsarrat said. “We’re not preaching or anything like that. It’s nothing like that. We just play our stuff, and people feel like it’s kind of like a religious experience.

“To put it one way, I have a heart doctor, and I went to see him one day, and he said, ‘How’s the music business?’ I said, ‘It’s kind of like the doctor business.’ He said, ‘How so?’ I said, ‘Well, people come in feeling one way, and they leave feeling better.’”

Monsarrat’s love for reggae music began in the ‘70s. In his older years, he said he has stepped into a new level of confidence musically.

“When you’re younger, you kind of wonder, ‘Am I really that good?’ You kind of doubt yourself,” he said. “I don’t doubt myself anymore. I’ve been doing it too long to doubt myself anymore.”

Regarding cannabis, Monsarrat said the band partakes regularly and is happy to see the changes that are happening in Texas.

“[Cannabis is] certainly part of our daily lives,” he said. “It’s something that’s important to all of us, and it’s something we’ve always had between us, and that’s where we stand.

“I’m really happy that Austin is kind of relaxed about it, and of course, the police are pouting because they no longer have a reason to search you. They know that even if they find weed, the [district attorney] won’t prosecute it, so it’s a waste of time. So give

thanks for that, and give thanks for the medicinal legalization. We can only hope that the recreational part will be passed soon. We’re great supporters of Texas NORML, and I play their golf tournament. They have their meetings here at Flamingo when they have public meetings.”

Last year, tragedy struck the band when drummer Miguel Pankratz lost his battle with cancer.

“It broke everybody’s heart, but you know, we’ve got to carry on,” Monsarrat said. “The show’s got to go on, and that’s the way he wanted it. So that’s where we’re at, you know? Jah bless him, you know, because he was our brother, and we think about him every time we get up to play. There are certain songs that

were his favorite songs, and we try to always include those. It’s a difficult thing, but when you’re getting older, it’s around you more and more all the time — like more and more of your friends die.”

While Tom Leslie now leads the band’s rhythm section, Monsarrat said he will never forget the friend he shared the stage with for three decades.

“While we’re playing it’s pure bliss, and Tom Leslie is a great drummer,” he said. “We never have to worry about anything being on time or mistakes or any of that kind of thing, so we couldn’t really be in a lot better shape as far as the players go. But nobody could play it like Miguel because we played it for so long together, so sometimes I miss little things that he did that Tom doesn’t know about or plays it differently, which is the way it should be, but still I do miss certain things about it.”

Aside from Dreadneck Wednesdays at Flamingo Cantina, Mau Mau Chaplains can be spotted playing events and the occasional out-of-town gig. They also live-stream their Wednesday night performances on Flamingo Cantina’s Facebook page at 10:30 p.m.

“It’s a wonderful thing for us to perform. We’re very thankful to be able to still do that,” Monsarrat said.

Why California-based CBD Seed Labs is an ideal supplier for Texas hemp farmers

BY RACHEL NELSON

“I was in charge of the school garden,” said Marinelli, who has a degree in horticulture from UCLA. “I have a love for horticulture and growing plants.”

The two soon realized their common love for hemp farming. When it was federally legalized in 2019, they embarked on a venture to discover, breed and refine what they believe to be the best legal CBD seeds for their particular climate. That’s when CBD Seed Labs was born.

Although located in Southern California, the business caters to Texas farmers because of the environmental similarities.

“A lot of what we do in our genetic development is called climate tuning, which means picking out the best varieties to reproduce that tolerate the challenges of a particular climate,” Levin said. “The particular climate that we’re in has a variety of challenges that match very well with what the Texas farmer has.”

From heat and high humidity to sometimes cold temperatures, CBD Seed Labs breeds plants that are resistant to those challenges, giving the seeds an advantage to those that are produced in Colorado, Oregon and other states where there are vast climatic differences.

Additionally, “If you grab a map and draw a line from Southern California to Texas, you’re going to find that we’re at the same latitude, so we have the same light cycle, too,” Marinelli said.

Soil is also a factor. While there are many soil variants in Texas and California, Levin said one thing many of them have in common is their ability to drain quickly, which is exactly what hemp plants want.

CBD Seed Labs emphasizes quality over quantity, offering only three seed strains: ACDC, Cherry Blossom and Mountain Mango. Each is robust and high-yielding with a high concentration of terpenes, or aromatic compounds. They also have consistent CBD-THC ratios that ensure the plants can be harvested legally.

“We’ve done a lot of that legwork for the farmer and gone through all sorts of specific genetics to lead us to the few that we do represent,” Levin said. “Our focus is genetic selection and choosing the best of the cycle to continually improve our seed strain. Our goal with each reiteration is to stabilize them and improve them even further.”

Each of CBD Seed Labs’ strains is also 99.9% feminized with 99% viability.

“Growing feminized seeds is almost a no-brainer in the industry these days,” Levin said. “Growing a crop that has males in it is almost always doomed to failure if you’re growing CBD flower.”

CBD Seed Labs also prides itself on its exceptional customer service, providing consultations and helping with product distribution when requested.

“We are a small family-run business,” Levin said. “We answer the phone. We answer questions. We want to see our farmer’s succeed.”

In addition, CBD Seed Labs pours 100% of its efforts into seed production, which means they are not competing with farmers. “We have a deep connection with all our products, and we want to offer expertise,” Marinelli said. “We want people to succeed, and we like working with other small family-run operations with a similar mindset. It’s a relationship business for us. We definitely try not to be that company where customers are numbers. Customers are part of the family.”

Moses Levin and Dan Marinelli, both seasoned cannabis cultivators, crossed paths when their kids shared a kindergarten class.

Texas House Lawmakers Discuss Marijuana Decriminalization Bill

BY BEN ADLIN - MARIJUNA MOMENT

A panel of Texas lawmakers heard testimony last month on a bill that would decriminalize marijuana possession, removing the risk of arrest or jail time and allowing individuals to eventually erase the matters from their criminal records.

Class C misdemeanor, removing the risk of jail time and instead imposing a maximum fine of $500. Existing law classifies possession of small amounts of cannabis as a Class B misdemeanor, which carries penalties of up to 180 days in jail and up to a $2,000 fine.

The bill also specifies that possession of up to two ounces of cannabis would not result in an arrest, meaning violators would be cited and released. Further, individuals with possession convictions for up to two ounces of marijuana could seek to have those convictions expunged through a court process for a $30 fee.

“I want to be very clear,” Moody said: “This bill is not legalization.” Instead, he described the proposal as “right-sizing” the penalty for possession of small amounts of cannabis. “Right now we’re arresting and prosecuting people for low-level, personal-use amounts of marijuana.”

“Basically, the person is given a ticket goes to court, they’re assessed a fine, then the court tells them, ‘You’ve got six months to pay and you need to stay out of trouble during that time,’” the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Joe Moody (D), explained to colleagues on the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, which he chairs.

“If the person does their part, the court dismisses the charges,” the lawmaker continued, “and on a request of the individual, deletes the entire record of it. The person walks away lighter in the wallet but without any criminal record whatsoever.”

The full Texas House of Representatives has already passed similar cannabis decriminalization proposals during the past two legislative sessions, in 2021 and 2019.

But so far the proposals have consistently stalled in the Senate amid opposition from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), who presides over the chamber.

The latest bill, HB 218, combines two separate measures from the most recent session, both of which passed on the House floor.

Nearly 3 in 4 Texas voters (72 percent) support decriminalizing marijuana, according to a University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll in December. More than half (55 percent), meanwhile, said they’re in favor of broader legalization. Seventeen percent said it shouldn’t be legal at all.

In its current form, the 24-page proposal would make possession of up to one ounce of marijuana or cannabis concentrates a

Moody emphasized that the bill’s major components had already passed out of the House twice before. “The system that it creates is one that we have worked directly with the governor’s office on the mechanics of how it will work in the real world,” he said. “We’ve talked to the attorneys that will be prosecuting. We’ve talked to frontline law enforcement. We’ve tried to bring everybody to the table to make sure that the system works.”

While the panel didn’t vote on the proposal at Tuesday’s hearing, advocates expect the measure will again win support in the House. Texas NORML said in a recent blog post that it expects the bill “will quickly advance out of the committee.”

Activists in Texas, where cannabis reforms are hard won and no process exists for citizens to place initiatives on the state

ballot, spoke in support of the bill. Among those who testified at Tuesday’s hearing were medical marijuana patients, a veteran and a conservative activist.

While one or two requested specific revisions to the bill, all said they supported the overarching effort to scale back penalties for small-scale possession.

An Army veteran who said he uses cannabis to treat PTSD and chronic pain, for example, said that while he’s encouraged his fellow veterans to enroll in the state’s limited medical marijuana program, many still obtain the drug from illegal sources, risking arrest and jail time.

“I want them to be legal, but there’s obstacles,” he said. “This bill would really help those veterans avoid really adverse consequences in their life.”

Two others, a medical marijuana patient and the wife of a man who uses cannabis as part of his cancer treatment, told lawmakers they’re in constant fear of arrest and prosecution. One of the speakers said she supports the reform but asked lawmakers to go further and remove the bill’s maximum $500 penalty.

Explaining how cannabis had helped her husband survive cancer treatment but also risked landing him in jail, the woman cited Bible passages and implored lawmakers to recognize that cannabis is a gift from God.

“Will we stand in front of our maker on

Judgment Day and tell him he was wrong?” she asked. “We knew better than he did? And we were locking his people up in cages over a plant that he himself put on this earth to help us?”

Others pointed to the obstacles a cannabis conviction can create to education, employment and housing. Jax James, Texas NORML’s executive director, said in written testimony to the committee that a marijuana conviction “creates a permanent criminal record and carries significant and lasting consequences.”

Those consequences fall disproportionately on young Texans and people of color, James noted. Possession accounts for about 97 percent of marijuana arrests in the state, and nearly half of possession arrests are of individuals of high-school or college age. Moreover, although white Texans saw a 7.6 percent drop in their share of arrests between 2017 and 2021, the state’s Black and Hispanic communities saw increases of 5.9 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, over the same period.

Another speaker at Tuesday’s hearing, Jason Vaughn, who works with the group Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition but testified only on behalf of himself, said the provision preventing police from arrests in possession cases should be removed if it stands in the way of the bill’s passage.

“I like that aspect of the bill,” he clarified,

but “I have worked with a lot of our wonderful police officers around the state, and that is the thing that consistently they have told me is a hold up for them.”

Also during Tuesday’s hearing, the committee heard a separate proposal, HB 513, from Rep. Will Metcalf (R), that would create a standalone felony offense for the manufacture or delivery of a drug causing death or serious injury. “This enables law enforcement and district attorneys to hold offenders accountable,” Metcalf said.

The bill would apply to any “controlled substance or marihuana…regardless of whether the controlled substance or marihuana was used by itself or with another substance, including a drug, adultant, or dilutant,” its text says.

The bill comes amid an ongoing crisis of accidental opioid deaths, which lawmakers said is being exacerbated as the result of drug dealers selling products without disclosing that they contain fentanyl. Some said children in the state had sought out study drugs like Adderall only to receive lookalike products containing fentanyl.

While HB 513 is designed to punish illicit dealers more harshly, it appears the bill may also apply to minors themselves who furnish drugs to their peers secondhand, even without knowing the products contain fentanyl.

As with the cannabis bill, the committee left HB 513 pending at Tuesday’s hearing, holding off action until later this session.

On the local level, meanwhile, activists have succeeded in enacting municipal cannabis reform policies. Most recently, voters in five cities—Denton, Elgin, Harker Heights, Killeen and San Marcos passed marijuana decriminalization ballot measures in November.

Voters in San Antonio as set to decide on a similar cannabis initiative in May.

There has been some resistance to the reforms by local officials in some cities, however, and in Harker Heights, activists are working to qualify a ballot measure that would undo the City Council’s repeal of the voter-approved decriminalization initiative there.

Advocates are also keeping their eyes on San Marcos, where outgoing district attorney recently made a request that the state attorney general issue a legal opinion on a separate decriminalization initiative that local voters overwhelmingly approved.

THC and CBD-Rich Cannabis for Fibromyalgia

New studies offer hope for treating a confounding condition

BY NATE SELTENRICH | PROJECTCBD.ORG

For all modern medicine can do, many mysteries remain unsolved. What is long COVID? Is there really such thing as a “cure” for cancer? And how to explain the surprisingly high prevalence of fibromyalgia, a debilitating, lifelong disorder of the central nervous system without a known cause that affects between 2 and 4 percent of adults worldwide?

In the absence of an answer – or a cure –treatment is the name of the game for fibromyalgia. No single drug yet exists to address all of the disease’s effects on the body, which can include widespread aches and pains, sleeplessness, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Instead, patients turn to a mix of whatever individual medications, therapies, and lifestyle changes (especially exercise) help ease symptoms and improve quality of life.

On the drug front, anti-depressants, analgesics, and muscle relaxants might be prescribed. But there’s another option that can address mood, pain, and more at once, all with fewer side effects: cannabis.

It’s not a new idea. Researchers have been investigating the use of cannabis to treat fibromyalgia’s constellation of symptoms for decades, with early clinical trials in the 2000s suggesting

a possible benefit of both pure THC and flower in managing the disease. Nor is it necessarily surprising, given the ability of cannabis to target the ubiquitous, homeostasis-seeking endocannabinoid system.

Recently published papers – a series of reviews, two human studies, and an animal study – only bolster the case that cannabis can help those suffering from this confounding condition. Still more may be forthcoming, including through a newly announced randomized controlled trial in the Netherlands that will compare cannabis, oxycodone, and a combination of the two for pain relief in 60 fibromyalgia patients.

Solid Evidence Base

Over the last few months a number of reviews have helped refine our understanding of the relationship between cannabis, the

endocannabinoid system (ECS), and fibromyalgia symptoms. In November 2022, a paper in the journal Pain Reports provided the first systematic review and meta-analysis of previous studies measuring levels of circulating endocannabinoids and other fatty acid derivatives in patients with both fibromyalgia and chronic widespread pain.

Across the eight studies they analyzed, the Australia-based authors identified increased levels of oleoylethanolamide and stearoylethanolamide (endocannabinoid-like molecules called N-Acylethanolamines that don’t bind with the cannabinoid receptors) in patients with these conditions compared to controls. There were no differences observed in levels of the endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-AG.

Still, the authors caution that “most studies did not account for variables that may influence ECS function, including cannabis use, concomitant medication, comorbidities, physical activity, stress levels, circadian rhythm, sleep quality, and

dietary factors.” They call for additional study in this area and, more broadly, seek to “highlight the importance of investigating endocannabinoid activity in chronic widespread pain and fibromyalgia because it will underpin future translational research in the area.”

Other recent papers summarize the state of the science:

A review of clinical and preclinical research into cannabinoids, the ECS, and fibromyalgia in Pharmacology & Therapeutics (January 2023) on the efficacy, risks, and benefits of cannabinoids in the treatment of various pain subtypes concluded that “available data strongly support the use of cannabinoids in treating fibromyalgia pain” due to “overwhelmingly positive treatment results.”

Mice Respond to Cannabis Oil

Unlike some other areas of cannabinoid science, fibromyalgia research is not dominated by preclinical laboratory studies. But an October 2022 paper in Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy offers an interesting parallel to previous human studies through the use of a well-established mouse model of fibromyalgia induced by reserpine, a drug that acts on the

central nervous system (and is sometimes used to treat high blood pressure in humans).

The Italy- and Brazil-based authors sought to evaluate the effect of a “broad-spectrum” 11:1 CBD:THC cannabis oil in mice with reserpine-induced fibromylagia. They report that oral feeding of a single dose of cannabis oil was enough to mitigate some hallmarks of the condition in mice. Better yet, repeated administration over the course of two weeks reversed reserpine-induced mechanical and thermal sensitivity, and also reduced depressive-like behavior.

While the implications of these findings for human physiology and disease are perhaps unclear – given that we still don’t fully understand the etiology of fibromyalgia – they appear to lend yet more credibility to cannabis.

Cannabis Helps “TreatmentResistant” Patients

Two new prospective cohort studies build upon this work with additional real-world data that may well wind up in future reviews. A November 2022 article in the journal Pain Practice covers a clinical trial in which 30 women suffering from fibro-

myalgia symptoms resistant to traditional pharmacological treatments were provided medicinal cannabis. That seemed to make all the difference. Comparing the women’s scores on the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire before and after a month of cannabis use revealed “a marked improvement in general quality of life, general health, physical health, and psychological domain.”

And a similar, earlier study by researchers in Canada – with 323 fibromyalgia patients followed for 12 months – also found through quarterly physician assessments that initiating cannabis use was associated with improvements on a variety of fronts. As the authors report in the journal Arthritis Care & Research, observed reductions in pain intensity appeared to be partly explained by concurrent benefits to both sleep and mood.

“With suboptimal response to current medications, many patients with fibromyalgia seek … cannabis,” the authors conclude. “Medical cannabis may present a useful treatment strategy for patients with fibromyalgia in light of an effect on the triad of symptoms of pain, negative affect, and sleep disturbances.”

Ode to a Vanishing Handcraft

A review of Cannabis Textiles in Hemp Garden Cultures by Git Skoglund.

BY MELINDA MISURACA

At first glance, Cannabis Textiles is a quiet, unassuming book, without slick, staged photos or superlative descriptions of indigenous cultures. Such simplicity reflects the book’s inner beauty, which documents the history of a disappearing handcraft, that of traditional hemp cultivation and fabric production

Skoglund’s book focuses primarily on indigenous hemp cultures in Europe and Asia. Her passion for hemp was lit while pursuing her Master’s thesis studies at the Swedish School of Textiles, University of Borås and in Uppsala, Sweden in the 1970s, when she discovered a significant absence of recorded information on traditional hemp craft.

“It was almost taboo to talk about hemp, because it was intimately connected to drugs and was banned in Sweden [until 2003],” she told Project CBD.

Skoglund began to weave with hemp yarn herself, while scouring the historical record for mentions of the craft. She used DNA and microscopic testing methods to determine the fiber content of a number of antique textiles kept in museums and archives, and found many that were made completely or partially from hemp fibers.

A Bast Fiber Plant

Long before 1842, when William O’Shaughnessy brought psychoactive cannabis indica from India to the West, a type of cannabis commonly known as hemp was grown in kitchen gardens across Europe and East Asia, “near castles and monasteries, mansions and simple farms,” writes Skoglund. Hemp, a bast fiber plant, was cultivated for its seeds and medicinal properties, but mainly for its fiber. Fiber from other bast plants, such as flax and hops, was often blended with hemp fiber.

Skoglund details how hemp fabrics have been made as far back as neolithic China, and for centuries were used in Europe and

Asia to make everyday clothing, as well as for ritual purposes such as religious ceremonies, weddings, funerals, etc. Hemp cottage industries were popular in medieval Europe, and were often overseen by professional craft guilds.

“Textile production is about botany,” says Skoglund, “and is based on interdisciplinary research between horticultural and textile history.” The history of hemp textile craft, she says, is one of many examples of how domestic work, especially that done by women, was considered trivial and was not well-documented. Priests or other prominent men, she writes, “recorded our history, but they had no insight into the household production of textiles at all. Instead, they focused on economics and the goods they wanted to produce.” Skoglund is dedicated to changing that oversight, at least as it concerns hemp fiber.

“A Hundred Operations”

In medieval Italy, hemp fabric was known as quello dello cento operioni, or “that of a hundred operations,” an apt name given the many steps it took to make it. Skoglund’s straightforward descriptions of growing, harvesting, drying, soaking, retting, pounding, scutching, hackling,

spinning, weaving, bleaching, mangling, and dyeing have a strangely calming effect. Each step is visceral and earthy, part of a complex, intimate human relationship with plants rarely seen in the post-industrial 21st century.

Contrary to prevailing assumptions that hemp-fiber fabric is universally heavy and coarse, homespun hemp linen can be quite fine, with a high thread count and a soft hand. The key to quality is the knowledge and skill of the producer. Skoglund describes how in Europe, only young male hemp plants were chosen for producing high-quality fabric. They were grown in sunny, sheltered locations, often in kitchen gardens, under conditions that kept the plants thin and spindly, with flexible stalks that yielded the finest fibers. Taller, denser female hemp plants were grown for seeds, their coarser fiber made into rope, sacks, sailcloth, rugs, tarps, saddlebags, etc. The word canvas comes from the French canvasse, meaning “cannabis cloth.”

Skoglund explains how after harvest, hemp stalks are retted, typically by leaving them lying in the field or soaking for a couple of weeks in the clear water of a lake, pond, or stream, where naturallyoccurring anaerobic bacteria loosens and separates the fibers from the woody core. The hemp fibers are then dried and bleached in the sun, broken by beating them with a mallet or scutching knife, hackled to comb and align them, and given a last brushing to remove any rogue stems or other debris before twisting them into roving to be spun by hand, often with a drop spindle. The finished hemp yarn is traditionally woven into fabric on treadle, frame or backstrap looms.

Cotton & Synthetic Fiber

Hemp grows in most climates but thrives in the fertile soil found in river valleys, especially near limestone outcroppings. This fast-growing botanical needs only moderate water and nitrogen, helps remediate contaminated soils, and absorbs CO2. Hemp fabric is resistant to stain and rot, naturally antibacterial, UV protective, and biodegradable.

Hemp is also stronger and more durable than cotton, now the most widelyproduced non-food crop in the world. Cotton, historically a slave-labor crop, has

had a devastating social and environmental impact, requiring vast amounts of water, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides. In contrast, hemp’s many sustainable, ecofriendly attributes make it a valuable ally in the climate crisis era.

Prior to the invention of the cotton gin in New England in 1793, American wives and mothers organized spinning bees with hempen thread to clothe the revolutionary army. Despite its impeccable patriotic pedigree, industrial hemp became collateral damage in the US government’s war on drugs. Since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which re-legalized US hemp cultivation, there has been renewed interest in hemp textiles and other hemp fiber products. But compared to growing hemp for CBD extraction, hemp textiles have gotten short shrift in the US and Europe. And much of the hemp clothing that’s currently mass manufactured in Asia is artificially retted and drenched in noxious chemicals.

For thousands of years, humans covered their bodies with plant and animal fibers.

Yet now, many of us walk around literally clothed in petrochemicals. According to a 2022 report by Changing Markets Foundation, 69% of the fiber in today’s fabrics (polyester, acrylic, nylon, spandex, etc.) are synthetically produced from fossil fuels.

Much of this fabric is made by exploited labor into “fast fashion” garments that shed synthetic microfibers, wreaking havoc as they sneak into our bloodstream and lodge in our bodies while making their way to the furthest reaches of the planet. Fiber-shedding from fossil fabrics is responsible for a significant percentage of the microplastics that have been polluting our environment, causing particle toxicity, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

Cannabis Textiles in Hemp Garden Cultures reads like a dreamy, slow-fashion antidote to the “fossil-fabric” pandemic.

A Living Tradition

With the advent of cheap industrial cotton and synthetic fibers, the craft of domestic hemp fabric nearly disappeared during the 20th century. Today, traditional hemp fabric is only produced by women in isolated pockets of Thailand, Vietnam, China, Turkey, and Romania – all places where Skoglund has traveled and researched.

Skoglund’s study of hemp fabric history continues. Currently, she is analyzing the hemp fibers of religious textiles found in an old Icelandic church, and plans to use Strontium Isotope testing to determine their origin. But aside from the curious hobbyist trying her hand at making homegrown hemp clothing, why should we care about an ancient craft that requires so much labor?

Without banging us over the head with a drop spindle, Skoglund’s book gives us clues. By bringing to life the slow, tangible, mindful construction of garden hemp fabric, she suggests the intangible – the straw-into-gold enchantment of handcrafts and the value of everyday things measured by an algorithm that honors nature, creativity, and longevity. Skoglund’s book is a bittersweet elegy to traditional hemp cultures, yet it also challenges us to ask whether a world poisoned by plastic can make space once again for the manifold magic of this amazing plant.

Melinda Misuraca is a Project CBD contributing writer with a past life as an old-school cannabis farmer specializing in CBD-rich cultivars.

Statins Dysregulate the Endocannabinoid System

Statin drugs cause muscle weakness and pain by suppressing cannabinoid receptor genes.

BY TRAVIS CESARONE

Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally. Millions of people treat heart disease by taking statins to regulate their cholesterol. Unfortunately, these drugs can cause muscle weakness and myopathy in some patients. Doctors once thought muscular pain was psychosomatic, but there’s more to it. Statin medications deplete cannabinoid receptor function, according to a recent study by a team of distinguished Italian scientists.

The study, released as a preprint on Research Square before peer review, suggests that simvastatin, a widely used medication, affects enzymes in the endocannabinoidome, the expanded endocannabinoid system encompassing several endogenous fatty acid compounds in addition to anandamide and 2-AG (the two most prominent endocannabinoids). More troublesome, though, is that simvastatin alters genes involved in regulating cannabinoid receptors.

Mapping cannabimimetic pathways manipulated by statins and redesigning existing medications to respect the endocannabinoidome could lead to therapeutic adjuvants that may limit adverse reactions to statins. This is critical, considering that statins are the most prescribed lipid-low-

ering agents worldwide – not only to lower cholesterol but also to inhibit inflammation and stabilize atherosclerotic plaques.

Statins & Lipid-Lowering Drugs

Statins reduce cholesterol by inhibiting an enzyme in the liver called HMG-CoA reductase. Overall, they lower low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides, while increasing good cholesterol levels.

Lipid regulation helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The lipidome, however, consists of endocannabinoids and endocannabinoid-like neurotransmitters. And this could be why statin medications, such as simvastatin, while generally well tolerated, can cause serious side effects, including pain and toxic myopathies, in some people.

HMG-CoA liberates a pathway that, in plants, is responsible for phytocannabinoid production. In animals, a unique enzyme family converts essential dietary Omega-3 fat into endocannabinoids. Simvastatin dysregulates endocannabinoid tone by altering enzymes in the endocannabinoidome, according to the recent preprint. Simvastatin also reduces cannabinoid receptor expression.

Simvastatin Alters

Endocannabinoid Gene Expression

The Italian scientists tested simvistatin on special mouse cells and tissues. The cells utilized in the experiment were a type of myoblast, a stem cell that forms muscle. The scientists also tested the lipid-lowering drug on skeletal muscle tissue, which they extracted from sacrificed mice, and on human myoblasts. Simvastatin reduced muscle strength in treated mice compared to their untreated littermates.

The cholesterol-cutting drug altered genes responsible for endocannabinoid creation and degradation. Exposure to

the statin-based medication ultimately increased cellular endocannabinoid expression, meaning it boosted the levels of anandamide and 2-AG. This can be problematic because excessive endocannabinoid activity “is associated with a plethora of pathological conditions affecting both the brain and peripheral organs and tissues,” the preprint authors explain, citing examples such as “type 2 diabetes, liver and kidney dysfunctions.”

Simivastin Also Stunts a Cannabinoid Receptor

The endocannabinoid system is the ultimate homeostatic regulator. It fine-tunes a wide array of physiological processes that respond to “various intrinsic as well as extrinsic stimulants through a complex cascade of receptor activation, gene expression [and] enzyme reactions.” Thus, when endocannabinoid levels are excessive, cannabinoid receptors will downregulate as a compensatory response. (Chronic cannabis consumption downregulates cannabinoid receptor expression.) And, conversely, when endocannabinoid levels are low or deficient, cannabinoid receptors will compensate by upregulating.

In addition to boosting endocannabinoid levels, simvastatin repressed CB1 and CB2 receptors as well as TRPV1 ion channels, which negatively impacted the endocannabinoid system. CB1 receptors in skeletal muscle cells regulate key metabolic pathways that affect insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake. The administration of synthetic cannabinoid receptor antagonists (rimonabant and AM251), which block the CB1 receptor, also increased muscular pain and weakness induced by simvastatin.

To summarize: statins cause toxicity by dysregulating anandamide and 2-AG and suppressing CB1 receptor expression, re-

sulting in impaired cannabinoid receptor signaling in myoblasts. But in the future cholesterol-regulating statins formulated with positive allosteric modulators, which enhance CB1 receptor function, may negate some toxic side effects of statins. Further research that explores how statins affect the endocannabinoid system, causing muscular pain and weakness, should be a priority given that 200 million patients around the globe take these lipid-lowering drugs.

Travis Cesarone is a freelance writer and communicator focusing on medical cannabis sciences.

Weed & Whiskey TV Interview

BY RUSSELL DOWDEN

We talked to our friends at Weed & Whiskey TV in the Dallas metro area to get an idea of what J-Man is cooking up for the streaming platform in 2023. We also learned that his birthday is on 420 that’s April 20th, and maybe just maybe he was born for this.

THR: Tell us how long you have been running Weed and Whiskey TV?

J-Man: We started back in 2016. Weed And Whiskey manifested from being “In Luck” which is Willie Nelson’s imaginary town in his backyard. My wife and I attended the March 2015 festival as citizens and when the 2016 Luck Reunion came around, Weed And Whiskey was a sponsor!

THR: Tell us about your format and the segments you have JMan, as well as the guest segments.

J-Man: Weed And Whiskey TV is a streaming media network with both original content and content we license from others, just like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Paramount+ and lots of other streaming TV networks. You can find us on Roku, WeedAndWhiskey. tv and YouTube.

This year we launched our weekly episodic series called Weed And Whiskey News.

THR: How often do you release an episode?

J-Man: We release a new episode of Weed And Whiskey News every Friday at 4:20pm which by the way is my birthday. I was born on April 20th 1960 so I guess I could say I was born to do this. In addition, we have a couple of new original episodic series that will be released this Fall, Infused Kitchen, and Miracles of Marijuana.

THR: Tell us what platform you are available on... I know I watch more now that I added the App on my Roku.

J-Man: You can find us on Roku, WeedAndWhiskey.tv and YouTube.

THR: What is your background in media or broadcasting?

J-Man: That’s a great question Russell, and my answer is neither! This is my first

rodeo in the media and broadcast industry. For 50 years of my career I’ve been grinding and hustling as a rainmaker. 20 years ago my wife and I started Healthcare Art Consulting.

We provide visual communication services to hospitals and healthcare systems across the nation. This gave me the wherewithal to start Weed And Whiskey TV and I learned from Shep Gordon, to say thank you thank you thank you every day for the opportunity.

We failed tremendously in the beginning by trying to be a SVOD (subscription video on demand) for the first few years. We were charging $4.20 each month for access and never exceeded 1,000 “Partakers”.

We decided in 2023 to pivot and become an AVOD (advertising video on demand) without any cost for access to our content. As of 2/28/2023, we have 141,593 “Partakers” in our dashboard with 84,424 engaging with us on a weekly basis.

THR: Why Weed and Whiskey?

J-Man: That’s a longer story that’s in the works for a screenplay. Short version, Weed And Whiskey is a song I wrote the lyrics for that was scored and performed by guitarist extraordinaire Tom Conway on the Island of Maui. Please go to iTunes and download it, it’s only $.99 cents lol. From that song we made a music video, then started producing our own original content.

THR: What do you have planned for your April Four Twenty show?

J-Man: Since its’ my 63rd birthday my close friends are throwing me a birthday party at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth with my favorite band on stage, Lukas Nelson and Promise Of The Real.

We’re working on the logistics and legal aspects of being able to live stream the event – stay tuned for more details!

THR: How hard is it to get the Roku platform? I’ve seen others do it like Pro Cannabis Media.

J-Man: I know Jimmy Young from PCM, great guy! I’m not sure of the PCM pathway to Roku. Our technology partner is Vimeo and they helped us navigate our distribution on ROKU.

THR: What new segments do you have planned this year?

J-Man: The only original episodic series we can announce right now are Infused Kitchen and Miracles of Marijuana. We have several other episodic series and feature films in development. Hoping to announce those this Summer.

We’re also working on season two of our original series “Higher Than Space” and “History Written In Stoned”.

THR: Thanks for your time.... How can folks learn more about Weed and Whiskey TV?

J-Man: Visit us at www.weedandwhiskey.tv or at one of our upcoming live activations.

THE CONVERGENCE, OVERLAP, AND CONFUSION OF THE TERMS HEMP AND MARIJUANA

I recently came across a marijuana brand from California promote they are now launching a hemp line and it made me perk up because a new trend is emerging which I’ll unpack for you here.

When hemp became federally legalized in 2018 it specifically carved out legislation legalizing anything less than .3% Delta 9 THC so long as it was hemp derived to be legal across all 50 states.

This legislation was specifically addressing hemp, leaving marijuana as anything classified as over that .3% Delta 9 THC threshold a Schedule 1 substance and restricted to a state by state framework of laws.

Now with that information what exactly is hemp? Sure you’ve heard of hemp seeds, or using the stock for fiber. But is it that much different than marijuana? Doesn’t CBD exist in both, same for THC?

Without getting too much into the weeds of the conversation, because it really can be a long unraveling rather quickly. I want to paint a picture of what is happening and speculate where I think things are going to head.

Originally with the passing of the farm bill, you had regulated states like California selling marijuana products, and then in states like here in Texas where we dont have regulated marijuana, you saw the emergence of hemp products.

When we first entered the market with RESTART, we were only selling CBD, so at that time back in 2018/2019, there was more or less a clearly defined lane between the two sides.

But I want to bring you back to that dividing line, specifically it is quantified as the

The Podcast for Cannabis Marketers with host Shayda Torabi

total amount of THC present, because that is what qualifies something as hemp which can be federally legal, or marijuana which is only legal within the specific state in which it is legalized within.

Of course, since those early years we’ve seen a rapid evolution in not only cannabinoid discovery but in the productization of those cannabinoids.

So now we’re in 2023, and we clearly have begun to see these lines blur, especially with the introduction of cannabinoids like Delta 8 THC as well as hemp derived Delta 9 THC. So long as the Delta 9 content is less than .3% on a dry weight basis, it is within the bounds of the law, right?

However, a question I keep butting up against is who is going to regulate these cannabinoids?

Does what we’re seeing being sold as hemp actually qualify as regulated marijuana? Perhaps not by the definition, but by the intention of the product?

Should we get rid of the names “hemp” and “marijuana” altogether and evolve towards a broad encompassing term like cannabis? Or what about consumable cannabinoids compared to agricultural hemp?

I think what we’re witnessing which initially was a division from regulated marijuana markets about the reputation of hemp is now an acknowledgment about how they can operate without the boundaries and restrictions of these regulated programs where their mar-

ijuana can’t cross state lines like their hemp product lines can.

And with the protection of hemp from a legal perspective, it’s opening up a conversation for marijuana brands struggling to navigate the regulated market due to poor regulation and taxation to find relief within the confines of the farm bill to execute with more runway.

When you look at what could come next, you need to pay attention to the legalities always.

Despite hemp being federally legal, you now have states cracking down on specific language relating to some of these cannabinoids. For example, Colorado has made the production and sale of Delta 8 THC illegal.

So this isn’t to say that there is a free pass if you simply make and market your products as hemp.

However, I think the lines are becoming even more blurred not only for lawmakers, but certainly for operators and maybe that’s to the consumers benefit.

I’m curious what you think about this?

To me all regulated marijuana brands aside from cultivators could get in on this seemingly new revelation and have their products sold without boundaries and yet it also creates a whole other diversion from the plant and reintroduces us to the world of chemically derived cannabinoids.

We’re just scratching the surface, but to continue the conversation join me on tobebluntpod.com

SB 321 and SB 264: What You Need to Know about Texas Hemp Laws

BY CLAY MOORE

In 2019, Texas passed a bill legalizing hemp production and sales, but confusion and issues regarding regulation arose. As a result, the Texas Legislature recently passed two bills, SB 321 and SB 264, to clarify and improve the state’s hemp laws. Here’s what you need to know about the new laws.

SB 321 amends the Texas Agriculture Code and addresses issues related to hemp production and regulation. Here are some of the key points of the bill:

Definition of “Hemp”: The bill defines “hemp” as the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of the plant, including the seeds and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of not more than 0.3% on a dry weight basis.

Licensing: The bill requires anyone involved in hemp production to be licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), including growers, handlers, and transporters. The bill also creates a hemp transportation permit for the legal transport of hemp and hemp products.

Testing: The bill requires hemp to be tested for THC concentration levels and establishes guidelines for testing protocols, including the use of third-party labs for testing.

Penalties: The bill establishes penalties for violating hemp laws, including fines and revocation of licenses.

SB 264 amends the Texas Health and Safety Code and focuses on the production, sale, distribution, delivery, and regulation of consumable hemp products. Here are some of the key points of the bill:

Consumable Hemp Products Account: The bill creates a consumable hemp products account in the general revenue fund to be administered by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The account includes appropriations of money, public or private gifts, grants, or donations, fees collected under the bill, interest and income earned on the account, penalties for violations of the bill, and funds from any other source deposited in the account. The DSHS may accept appropriations and gifts, grants, or donations from any source to administer and enforce the bill.

Tetrahydrocannabinol Content: The bill prohibits the manufacture, sale, or purchase of a consumable hemp product with a delta-9 THC concentration of more than 0.3% on a dry weight basis, that contains synthetically derived tetrahydrocannabinols, that exceeds any federal limit for

THC, or if additional THC in a concentration greater than 0.3% on a dry weight basis has been applied to the product.

Licensing: The bill requires anyone involved in the manufacture or sale of consumable hemp products to be licensed by the DSHS, including manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. The bill also establishes requirements for applying for and renewing licenses, as well as penalties for violating the licensing requirements.

Labeling: The bill establishes labeling requirements for consumable hemp products, including batch identification numbers, batch dates, product names, a URL that provides or links to a certificate of analysis for the product or each hemp-derived ingredient of the product, the name of the product’s manufacturer, and a certification that the delta-9 THC concentration of the product or each hemp-derived ingredient of the product is not more than 0.3%.

Overall, SB 321 and SB 264 aim to clarify and improve Texas’ hemp laws, particularly in regards to regulation and consumer safety. As the hemp industry continues to grow in Texas, these bills.

Statins Deregulate the Endocannabinoid System

The Endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a biological system found in all mammals that play a role in regulating a wide range of physiological processes, including pain, mood, appetite, and immune function. The ECS is made up of three main components: endocannabinoids, receptors, and enzymes.

Endocannabinoids are molecules that are similar in structure to the compounds found in the cannabis plant, known as cannabinoids. The two main endocannabinoids in the body are anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). These molecules are produced by the body on-demand and are not stored in advance.

Receptors are proteins that are found on the surface of cells throughout the body. The two main receptors in the ECS are

CB1 and CB2. CB1 receptors are primarily found in the central nervous system, while CB2 receptors are primarily found in the immune system and other peripheral tissues.

The third component of the ECS are enzymes, which are responsible for breaking down endocannabinoids once they have fulfilled their function. These enzymes are responsible for maintaining the balance of the ECS.

The ECS works by regulating the balance of many different physiological processes in the body. When something is out of balance, such as chronic pain or anxiety, endocannabinoids are produced to help restore balance. The endocannabinoids interact with the receptors in the body to help regulate the process that is out of balance. For example, if you have chronic pain, endocannabinoids will bind to the receptors responsible for pain management and reduce the sensation of pain.

This system allows the body to respond to changes in its environment and internal conditions, such as injury or disease, by restoring balance and homeostasis, thereby helping to prevent or reduce symptoms.

Cannabis and its derivatives, especially whole plant CBD and THC, interact with the ECS and can provide therapeutic benefits. They can interact with the receptors and mimic or enhance the effects of the endocannabinoids already present in the body.

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. Please check with your Cannabis Educated Primary Health Care Physician or Cannabis Therapy Consultant before beginning any new diet or lifestyle change. ~Dr. Pepper Hernandez

Dr. Pepper Hernandez ND, Ph.D. is a Naturopathic Nutritionist, Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, Cannabis Therapy Consultant & Cannabis Holistic Institute Founder and Educational Director. To find out more about her private practice, educational programs, videos and other offerings you can find her on the massive interwebs at drpepperhernandez.com.

Go forth, Go Cannabis

Dr. Pepper Hernandez ND, Ph.D., CTC, CNHP, NHC Board Certified and Award-Winning Holistic Health Practitioner

DR. PEPPER HERNANDEZ ND, PH.D., CTC, CNHP, NHC DUAL BOARD CERTIFIED AND AWARD-WINNING HOLISTIC HEALTH PRACTITIONER

TEXAS HEMP COALITION:

Interview Restart CBD - Shayda Torabi

BY ILISSA NOLAN

Meet Shayda Torabi, CEO RESTART CBD and President of the Texas Hemp Coalition

Why did you get into the hemp industry?

I started working in the hemp industry professionally in 2018 right before the 2018 Farm Bill was passed. When I say that, it makes it sound like I knew the industry was going to kick wide open not just federally, but here in Texas as well. But quite the contrary, I was initially introduced to CBD in 2015 by my mother after I was recovering from an auto pedestrian accident where I was a hood ornament leaving me with a fractured pelvis and an uphill battle navigating chronic pain. I wasn’t a stranger to cannabis, but I didn’t know much about CBD, hemp versus marijuana, let alone anything about our bodies endocannabinoid system. But I found so much relief from CBD that my sisters and I took the original formulation my mom made me and eventually turned it into our brand and business, RESTART CBD which we founded in our hometown of Austin, Texas in August 2018. I’m here because I love this plant, it has changed my life, this is my home state, and my life journey has brought me to this point to advocate, educate, and defend hemp.

Tell me about your company? What does it specialize in?

We are a woman and family-owned cannabis brand that is celebrating 5 years in business this year! We have a brick and mortar in North Austin, and we operate an eCommerce shop where we ship our products nationwide. I would say we carry and sell it all, originally offering CBD and expanding into THC products as the market opened. We manufacture the majority of what’s on our shelves and on top of that aim to be a filter for our customers since we are consumers ourselves. We ensure all our products are of the highest quality by doing extensive research on different cannabinoids, producers, and cultivators before bringing anything into our shop, and we pair that with education which is what I feel we’re really known for. People love coming in and

learning from us whether it’s interacting with our budtenders in store or tuning into our YouTube channel and catching up on one of our weekly informative videos, we openly keep our customers in the loop answering their questions and that really helps bring people along on their respective canna curious journeys.

What is something unique that your business does?

Since we’re a family brand, we’re very public facing with both the industry and our consumers, and for us we want to take an active approach rather than being reactive. What I mean by that is we really like to lean into the conversation whether it’s being an Executive Member of the Texas Hemp Coalition that helps us advocate on a bigger platform or get in front of media opportunities where we can help shape the narrative for the general public. So much of our industry is happening at lightning speed and it’s easy to get overwhelmed or feel insecure about what step to take next, but we really value being seen as a leader because we’ve worked hard to earn that recognition. We also want to help reshape the image of what cannabis consumers look like and by being professional, friendly, knowledgeable, and open to sharing our own stories, we see our community open up because they feel like they can relate to us in some way which allows us to meet our customers in the middle and help them rethink cannabis.

What do you think are the main challenges within this industry?

I think the biggest challenge that stands out to me since my background is marketing is how confusing things are for consumers and how restricted brands and businesses are from accurately marketing due to legislation, regulation, or just straight up censorship. All I want is to be explicitly clear with a customer that this is what it says it is or this is how this product is going to make you feel, and instead I have to use code names on social media as to not get flagged, be mindful of not making medical claims even anecdotally, or use alternative language like “not for smoking” when the product is clearly intended for smoking simply because of regulation. It’s challenging enough trying to educate on CBD vs THC, but when you throw in other nuances, you really have to stay

on top of your game just to communicate effectively and ensure you’re not breaking any laws. Unfortunately, even though hemp is federally legal, we still fall into the same hardships marijuana brands have to deal with when it comes to marketing, platforms, and even banking.

What is the most important advice that you would give individuals who are looking to get involved in this industry?

Do your homework and due diligence! Remember that we are in the business of making products for consumers and consumer safety should be of the utmost importance. The Coalition does a great job bringing together the leaders in Texas so this is the perfect place to start for anyone looking to get involved in the industry. But beyond that, really learn as much as you can so you know what questions to ask as you navigate getting ramped up into the industry. Whether you want to grow, manufacture, process, or sell, there is opportunity, but my hope is people are getting in because they want to build something for longevity and the only way to do that is to do your homework, understand the laws, make great products, and get them in front of your target audience.

What do you hope to see for the future of the hemp industry in Texas?

I am hopeful for more understanding from our Texas policy makers as we build relationships with them through the Coa-

lition and provide resources and education to help them make supportive decision for our industry. And since Texas is currently in it’s 88th Legislative Session, this year will be really indicative of how open the industry remains for the foreseeable future. I see a lot of promise for the industrial and agricultural side of hemp, we’re getting some infrastructure in the state, but we certainly need more and that requires capital. On the other end, which is more my realm, consumables continue to prove there is market demand, but what that program looks like is a bit up in the air at the moment. Hope to me is as much a cause and effect of hard work, which is why I’m grateful to be a part of the Coalition to help pave the way for the bright future that is Texas hemp.

This is how you can get in contact with Shayda: RESTARTCBD.com

@RESTARTCBD | @THESHAYDATORABI

The Texas Hemp Coalition’s goal is to provide industry specific information to growers, processors and entities that are involved in the Texas Hemp Industry. We will serve as an advocacy, educational and networking liaison to reputable entities within the hemp industry. Visit www.texashempcoalition.org for more information and membership availabilities.

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Cannabis Instead of Polypharmacy?

Could cannabis be the safer alternative prescribers and patients are looking for?

BY MARY BILES

Polypharmacy - the use of five or more medications on a daily basis - is a modern-day health crisis. A lack of knowledge about drug interactions increases the likelihood of side effects or adverse reactions, with many patients reporting lower quality of life as a result.

In contrast, patients using medical cannabis are often able to reduce the number of prescription drugs they are taking while better managing their symptoms. Could cannabis be the safer alternative prescribers and patients are looking for?

What is polypharmacy?

For the average person living in today’s world, the older we get, the more drugs we are likely to take. In the United States, 35.8% of older adults take five or more prescription medicines. This increases to 67.1% when we throw in over-the-counter medication and supplements.

Of course, we’re all living longer, and with old age often comes any number of chronic diseases, each with their own prescription pill. Statistically, the more drugs we are prescribed, the higher the risk of adverse drug reactions.

In the UK, 6.5% of hospital admissions occur thanks to adverse drug reactions (ADR), and an estimated 90% of older adults hospitalized due to ADR are taking multiple medications

Unfortunately, more drugs doesn’t necessarily mean a patient’s symptoms are well managed or that they have better quality of life. A 2019 study by University of Pittsburgh researchers investigated the use of polypharmacy in palliative care and found that patients actually experienced lower quality of life and higher symptom burden.

The authors suggest this could be attributed to medication-associated symptoms rather than the diseases themselves; something known as the “prescribing cascade.”

Sir Munir Pirmohamed, a British professor of molecular and clinical pharmacology, has even gone as far as to suggest that pharmaceutical drugs are “poisoning” the elderly.

As he explained to a House of Lords committee hearing on healthier living in old age, “[T]hose drugs are used at conventional doses and those doses have been tested in younger populations who had exclusion criteria for trials – so they have been tested in people who don’t have the multiple diseases,” he said. “So, when we use a drug at a dose which is licensed at the moment, we are often

‘poisoning’ the elderly because of the dosing that we are using.”

Health professionals often struggle to stay abreast of all the medications their patients are taking, particularly when they are not the only prescriber involved in their care.

This was the experience of Eloise Thiesen, a nurse practitioner and current president of the American Cannabis Nurses Association. A chronic pain patient herself, Eloise ended up in the emergency room after the addition of yet another prescription drug caused a potentially fatal adverse effect.

“I was being prescribed multiple medications,” Thiesen told Project CBD. “When they added in the eighth medication and they weren’t communicating with each other, I ended up with serotonin syndrome, which can put you in a coma and kill you. So, they don’t communicate. It may be in your chart, but how do they make sure that information is following you from specialist to specialist. It’s a huge gap in our healthcare system.”

Cannabis - nature’s antidote to polypharmacy

Thiesen’s firsthand experience of how cannabis could effectively manage her pain, allowing her to come off the pre -

scription drugs she was taking, inspired her open the Radicle Health Clinic specializing in medical cannabis.

“On average in my clinic, the elderly patients I see are taking around seven medications to manage their symptoms. So I see a lot of side effects related to the polypharmacy,” says Thiesen.

“For a typical pain patient that comes to me, the standard of care is to use Tylenol or maybe short term anti-inflammatories. If that doesn’t work, they’re put on Tramadol, and then of course if that doesn’t work, they’re put on other opioids. Then they may be put on something like gabapentin to help with their nerve pain. Now they’re on an antidepressant because their pain’s not well managed, and they’re anxious because they’re not really sleeping because their pain is unmanaged.”

A number of studies have shown how in US States where medical cannabis is legal, opioid prescriptions are significantly reduced.

But cutting down on opioids is only part of the story.

Thiesen: “I’m really passionate about helping people get off medication to see what life would be like with cannabis and without the pharmaceuticals because I think their quality of life is going to improve dramatically.

“Over and over I hear people say to me, ‘I’m getting my life back.’ Their thinking is clearer, they’re engaged again with their loved ones. They really are in the present moment, and it’s miraculous to see.”

Polypharmacy in Children

However, the dangers of polypharmacy don’t only affect the elderly. Patients with intractable illnesses such as epilepsy, many of whom are children, are often prescribed a cocktail of drugs that fails to manage their symptoms and comes with a host of side effects.

Ten-year-old Ava Barry, who suffers from Dravet Syndrome, a rare type of epilepsy, was prescribed a series of pharmaceutical drugs as doctors struggled to manage her violent seizures.

Her mother, Irish medical cannabis activist Vera Twomey, recalls: “As the situation progressed, the medications weren’t working so she was put on one after another after another. And although she was being put on subsequent medications because the initial ones

weren’t controlling the seizures, they weren’t removed. They were just put in tandem with a new one to try.”

“I actually wondered why are we still on them if they’re not working,” remembers Vera. “And you would never get anything apart from, ‘Well you know, we’re trying combinations and we’re using things together.’

“The thing is,” says Vera, “you have to consider the side effects and they were brutal. One of the medications caused Ava to drool. If it were controlling the seizures and you had to compare the consequences of drooling or seizures, you’re going to pick drooling. But the thing was it wasn’t controlling the seizures, it wasn’t working. Our situation went on like that for a long time until she was on 15 tablets a day.”

And yet, Ava continued to have seizures – until her parents took a leap of faith and tried cannabis. Ava started out on an overthe-counter hemp derived CBD oil, and her seizures immediately began to reduce. The family then relocated to the Netherlands where, under the care of a pediatric neurologist, Ava’s seizures further decreased with a combination of CBD and THC.

Twomey: “So you have the situation when you’re introduced to medical cannabis, the seizures stop, and you realise that it may not be extremely dangerous to consider removing one of the pharmaceutical medications. Then you remove the first pharmaceutical medication, which we did very responsibly, and nothing bad happened. And then the next one went and then the final one went.

“After a certain amount of time after returning from Holland, Ava wasn’t on any pharmaceutical medication anymore. And she still isn’t. She’s on CBD and THC twice a day. That’s it.”

Children with severe autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are also frequently given

multiple medications by doctors trying to treat their complex cluster of symptoms. Among physicians, prescribing a combination of antipsychotics, antiseizure drugs, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants is not uncommon.

An Israeli prospective study outlining the efficacy and tolerability of CBD-rich cannabis oil in children with ASD found that as well as significantly improving behaviour cannabis treatment had the added benefit of reducing the consumption of concomitant medications in 34.3% of patients.

Why Cannabis?

For prescribers used to the single molecule model predominant in the development of pharmaceutical drugs, using a botanical extract containing hundreds of active compounds goes against the grain. After all, how do you know which molecule is doing what? But the complex and variable nature of cannabis could be exactly what makes it a potential solution for combatting the polypharmacy crisis.

Where else will you find a relatively sideeffect-free medication that is analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiemetic, anxiolytic, antidepressant, and an aid to sleep? An herbal remedy that is both non-addictive and free from the risk of drug-drug interactions, as all the therapeutic effects are contained within one synergistic, botanical substance.

When put in those terms, it should be a no-brainer for prescribing physicians. And yet thanks to the ongoing stigma and anachronistic policies stymying medical cannabis research, doctors feel more comfortable prescribing a cocktail of pharmaceutical drugs with unknown or potentially dangerous consequences for their patient’s health.

“Clinicians, particularly physicians, want clinical trials, the human research,” says Eloise Thiesen. “I think there’s enough observational data out there to start getting them to be curious, but I don’t think they’re going to adopt cannabis as a treatment modality until they have more clinical trials to demonstrate how much to use, how often to use, and which cannabinoids are most effective.”

“Right now,” Thiesen adds, “I think patients are leading the change. So I think we’re in another revolution.”

Mary Biles is a Project CBD contributing writer as well as a journalist, blogger and educator with a background in holistic health.

SHERRIF MIRANDA HITS THE STREETS: THE CRACKDOWN IN GOTHAM

420 is not a number heard over the police radio anymore in New York City. Rather, one may get a contact high just hanging out in Times Square. And if a free high is not good enough, there are dozens of shops in the vicinity; citywide, it is estimated that there are over 1,500 ‘herb joints’ operating.

Estimating is all that the city can do, as the permits have only just been issued, with Housing Works opening up several weeks ago as the first fully legal establishment.

Now that Housing Works is collecting taxes, and surtaxes, in the name of the Mayor

and Governor, and others will follow suit soon, the number of cannabis shops without a permit may be easier to calculate. The crackdown has begun, and now that the city sheriff, Anthony Miranda, has been roped in to push out the undocumented vendors,

new ways of selling have begun. In my area of Upper Manhattan we see signboards on the sidewalk with the products and prices advertising to the passers-by, with a car parked not far away, one door ajar, one leg stuck out, the other on the pedal ready to fly. They call it ply on the sly.

The prospect of a ticket for selling cannabis without a permit – which entails a fine of $250 – is one reason to roll, but the other is that criminals see dealers as cash cows. In less time that it takes to withdraw cash from an ATM, a gun toting thug can milk a shop for thousands of dollars – and walk away with some merchandise. Which may then end up being hawked from the back of a Cadillac.

In Harlem, a robbery went bad when two thugs shot, and killed, a man at Level Up Exotics on 125th Street. The killers are at large. The victim is cold in earth. Passers-by paid scant attention to him bleeding on the sidewalk. They walked by as if he were a piece of trash. He had managed to run across the street, where he cried out for help, before he bled out pn 5th Avenue. One more story for the New York Post.

KEN GIBSON, NYC 2023

“Police sources said the gunmen disabled surveillance cameras inside the store before they fled — and believe one of the culprits may have worked at the shop.

The fatal shooting was one of four reported on a violent Saturday night in the five boroughs — and just the latest outside Big Apple smoke shops in recent months.

“It has gotten crazy,” said Rami Shala, manager of the nearby Amazon store. “The marijuana store, they are new. They opened one or two months ago, maybe” the tabloid reported.

Which paper[ has a plethora of such tales, and Gothamites are so sick of the situation that a recent post on a site reads as follows:

“I HATE SMOKE SHOPS! They take over all the Deli’s and ma & pa stores. They should be charged a humongous tax, and frankly I wouldn’t care if they were all shot up.”

The situation is not unique to New York

– Los Angeles has similar issues, many shops on the West Coast now hire security guards.

But this is not indicative of the entire industry. A parallel might be drawn to the alcohol industry – liquor shops also a big target of stick-ups nationwide; a large percentage of such enterprises stock their wares behind protective glass. Higher end shops operate without such an apparatus, but with a certain level of security ranging from CCTVs to security guards. For the higher end, there is less temptation for thieves as most of their purchases are made on a card.

Which is not an option for the cannabis shops just yet. The SAFE Banking Act, which has the support of Bronx congressman Ritchie Torres, who sits on the House Banking Committee, would solve that. Other means of improving the situation exist as well. Overall, what I see happening is that there are those in the cannabis

world who genuinely have a desire to do the right thing by all parties – Jack Herer is a prime example – and those who just want to rush in and make a quick buck.

Previous articles in the Texas Hemp Reporter have mentioned individuals in New York who want to create a better business environment - Dion Powell (Democrat Party County Committee Member in the Bronx) and Dr. Phil (who has legally obtained a permit). These two and others wish to see cannabis shops set up on a par with the better pubs and cigar shops where patrons socialize with leather chairs and vintage decor. So far, we are seeing fly-by-night establishments surrounded by a cordon of yellow police tape. The cannabis world needs to define itself – or it will be defined by the lowest elements in society – and we will continue to witness fly-by-night establishments, made easy to find by the cordon of yellow police tape.

Page 49 • www.TexasHempReporter.com

Interview Texas Blues Legend Chris Duarte

Longtime Texas Bluesman Chris Duarte recently inked a new record deal with Provogue Records, and the new album, Ain’t Giving Up, including the song “Nobody But You”, will be released April 14, 2023! Texas Hemp Reporter caught up with the Blues Legend during March to talk about the 17th Studio Album coming up this month!

THR: Hey Chris , how have you been . . . haven’t spoken since you did that show at Antones for the 25th Anniv Show back in October 2019.

CD: Great to be in touch again. That was a fun show having John back on bass and Brannen on drums.

THR: You know I met you through a friend of mine Debbie K. back in high school. You were playing at the Steamboat Lounge on 6th in what must have been about 1990. I was 18 at the time and got in to the show with a big ass X on my hand indicating that i couldn’t drink....LOL We went to your house in Travis Heights and hung out before going downtown.... I had to get into the Venue as your wifes little Brother. . . .

Upon arrival, there were several reserved tables there, one for us and another was reserved next to us. It was Eric Johnson who came in to see you play that night. It was right around Eric’s prime of his career. Do you remember that?

CD: It’s been so long ago and about 5k gigs since then. I remember when Eric came to my show. That was awesome but I didn’t know he was there till a couple of days after

THR: Tell me about this new Album “Ain’t Giving Up” when does it drop and describe the meaning behind the name?

CD: The new album comes out April 14th and it’s just a raw recording of me doing my blues thing with a few crazy Chris Duarte things. The title is actually from a song written by Beth Lee that I recorded for the album but I took it for the title cuz’ I haven’t given up on playing music or myself.

THR: What are names of some of the tracks on this new record?

CD: “Ain’t Got Nobody But YOU” is the first single. It came out Feb 2nd. The next single is “Half as Good as TWO” , that one comes out this Friday and the rest are Big Fight, Come My Way, Weak Dayz, Can Opener, Gimme Your Love, Bye Bye Bye, Lies Lies Lies, Look What You Made Me Do, Ain’t Giving Up.

Texas Hemp Coalition Hosts Successful Hemp Day at the Capitol as 88th Legislative Session Begins

BY CLAY MOORE

Texas Hemp Day at the Capitol was a huge success, marking the first time that Texas’ hemp industry came together at the capitol. The event provided an opportunity for members to interact with one another, as well as state representatives and senators. The work accomplished at the capitol is expected to benefit the industry in the current legislative session.

The Texas Hemp Coalition expressed their appreciation to all those who came to Austin to show their support for the coalition and the Texas hemp industry, and looks forward to seeing them again soon.

As the 88th Texas Legislature convened on January 10, 2023, the Texas Hemp Coalition’s tenant of “advocacy” is carried out during this session as they continue to fight for the industry’s prosperity. The final day of the legislative session is May 29, 2023, and the coalition encourages industry supporters to reach out to their State Representatives and Senators to voice their concerns and support for the hemp industry in Texas.

The coalition’s federal and state legislative priorities include protecting all cannabinoids for consumable hemp products, ensuring retailers and manufacturers are protected for

future cannabinoid products for the market, advancing regulatory efforts towards legalizing hemp feed as a protein for animals for human consumption, urging the FDA to regulate CBD as a dietary supplement, protecting and fighting for farmers to have a more efficient program, updating legislation to reflect changes from USDA rules, passing a 2023 Farm Bill to reflect a more industry-supported hemp program, and giving agencies the ability to update statute per the 2023 Farm Bill.

In terms of Texas legislative priorities, the coalition is supporting SB 264 by Senator Charles Perry, which relates to the production, sale, distribution, delivery, and regulation of consumable hemp products, and SB 321 by Senator Charles Perry, which relates to the production and regulation of hemp, providing administrative

penalties, and creating a criminal offense.

On the federal level, the coalition is supporting H.R. 6645: The Hemp Advancement Act of 2022 by Rep. Chellie Pingree, which aims to make it easier and more profitable for U.S. farmers to grow hemp while ensuring consumers of hemp are protected against unsafe products, the Safe Banking Act by Rep. Ed Perlmutter, which would protect institutions administering financial services to all legal cannabis businesses by preventing any penalization from federal regulators, and the Hemp and Hemp Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act of 2021 by Rep. Kurt Schrader, which would ensure that hemp-derived CBD and other non-intoxicating hemp ingredients could be lawfully marketed as dietary supplements.

Overall, the Texas Hemp Coalition’s legislative efforts are focused on supporting the growth and prosperity of the hemp industry in Texas, and they are actively engaging with lawmakers and stakeholders to achieve these goals.

Award-Winning De La Stoner Finds Joy in Creating Comedic Cannabis Content

BY RACHEL NELSON

Meet De La Stoner, the winner of the 2022 Texas Hemp Award for favorite social media influencer.

Today, that video has more than 30,000 views.

From there, De La Stoner said he began creating how-to videos like, “How to Clean Your Bong” and “How to Fix a Torn Blunt with Joint Paper.” You can even find his honest review of Whataburger’s chili cheeseburger.

“I’ve always loved comedy — just laughing and making jokes — and so I just found my way into making content with comedy and weed,” he said.

When he’s not busy attending events like the Champs Trade Show Expo in Las Vegas or working on his documentary project titled “My Crazy High Life,” you can catch De La Stoner in his hometown of San Antonio creating content for his growing list of YouTube and Instagram followers. On Saturdays, he works at the Famous Juice Company at 14732 Bulverde Rd., and he welcomes fans to come by to take a hemp shot and say, “hi.”

“Last year, I came in second place. So this year I said, ‘I’m going for it,” he said.

De La Stoner began his journey as a cannabis influencer by posting videos of himself smoking weed, taking bong rips and rolling blunts.

“Then, one day, I had a bunch of stems saved up, right? Because I was like, ‘If you can infuse it with your tea or whatever, you should be able to infuse it with butter or

coconut oil.’ So I saved up three ounces,” he said.

De La Stoner took to YouTube to find instructions for infusing oils with cannabis stems but said he was unimpressed.

“I was like, ‘I can do better than this.’ So, I made my own YouTube video, and that’s where it started. I made infused coconut oil using your stems instead of your flower, and it f***ing worked. It f***ing blew up,” he said.

“Any time there’s a cannabis event going on, I’m always down to go,” he said. “If you’re throwing an event, and you just want me to attend it (depending on where you’re at), I will go. But if it’s out of town, if you want to help me pay for the gas to get there, I’ll show up just to smoke and have fun.”

Hear more from De La Stoner on episode 115 of the Texas Hemp Show podcast, and be sure to follow @delastoner on Instagram.