May 27, 2019   Jacksonville, Florida  Inspirational Technologies, Founder, Steven M Smith

Statement to Publish –

We, Inspirational Technologies” on behalf of the viewership of our subscribers, (now in excess of 1,000)  will Launch “Hemp Talk, with Steve” a Live, preproduced Webcast that will air at 4:20 pm EST. Dates may vary and will be announced, shortly. The program will benefit the viewer by giving them different perspectives on Hemp, it’s history and how it may and will impact our future. We will focus first, on Education on the Viewers and become a platform to share common goals and interests, as well as serving our community, with positive, information on how Hemp will play a role in each of our lives from agriculture to possible cures. We hope that you will join us, for an entertaining and enlightening show.”

Running time will be 420 seconds or 7 minutes each segment.

Steven Michael Smith, Founder, Inspirational Technologies (2019)

Hemp is a versatile variety of the cannabis plant, which can be used in various ways, from bio-fuel and industrial building materials to food and clothing. It does not contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), so its use or ingestion does not make one “high”. 

Apparently, it can also be used in the building of economical, sustainable, affordable, and secure housing. This progressive home was built by Dun Agro, a Dutch company specializing in “hemp concrete,” also referred to as “hempcrete”, which is made from hemp fibers, water, and glue.

The mixture is initially pressed together in a mold and then is left to dry for 3 months. Afterward, all the sections needed for the home are assembled.

The hemp houses take only a part of the time houses of that size generally take to be made, and at the same time, they are more durable and earthquake-resistant.

Dun Agro claims that the main benefit of buying a hemp house is the negative CO2 footprint, as hemp takes on 13,500 kilos of CO2 when it grows and it remains stored in the hempcrete.

The company put its hemp home on display on November 30th, 2018,  and plans to build and sell more hemp homes in the near future, estimating that it can produce up to 500 of them annually. 

Even though it is not the first one to attempt to build such a house, the company claims that it is the first one to have succeeded in doing so. 

Therefore, in times when numerous countries face housing crises, and so many people in the third world experience crises of resource deficits and financial issues when it comes to housing, this eco-friendly alternative company might offer a unique and invaluable solution, in the form of hemp houses!

Click On Me to learn more about Hemp and how CDB can help you and your loved ones.

Edited for Content.

A new study just out this week demonstrated that Full Spectrum CBD (without THC) the non-psychoactive cannabinoid mostly found in the Hemp plant and to a much, much lesser extent, the Marijuana plant, could assist those with opioid addiction.

When given to patients with heroin or opioid addiction, CBD helped them experience less cravings when compared to those participants given a placebo. The CBD was also effective in making patients feel more at ease and lessen anxiety symptoms.

“The specific effects of CBD on cue-induced drug craving and anxiety are particularly important in the development of addiction therapeutics because environmental cues are one of the strongest triggers for relapse and continued drug use,” the study’s lead researcher and the Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai director Yasmin Hurd said in a press release.

The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 42 men with known heroin addictions, but weren’t taking methadone or buprenorphine, two substances known to treat opioid addiction. None of these men were taking heroin or opioids at the time, and randomly divided into three groups—one collective taking pills containing 800 mg CBD, another with 400 mg CBD pills, and finally a placebo group.

Over the course of two weeks, individuals were shown various images that would test their potential cravings and overall mood. Some media participants saw included nature videos while other pictures shown were associated with drug use, like needles or packets filled with substances resembling heroin. Afterwards, individuals were asked to rate their heroin cravings, as well as their anxiety levels.

The groups that had taken CBD reported less cravings and anxiety on average compared to the placebo group, though the difference between the two CBD groups was insignificant. In addition, more objective measurements like heart rate and cortisol levels in saliva (which can be used to evaluate acute stress) were also down.

“Our findings indicate that CBD holds significant promise for treating individuals with heroin use disorder.” Dr. Hurd said. A successful non-opioid medication would add significantly to the existing addiction medication toolbox to help reduce the growing death toll, enormous health care costs, and treatment limitations imposed by stringent government regulations amid this persistent opioid epidemic.

This Study comes on the heals of many States who have adopted their own Legalization procedures of their Individual State initiative process is July 1st, 2019 for many states, including Florida, as being finally ‘Legal’ in the eyes of legislative process and more importantly the people, who will benefit most.

While the authors caution this is an “exploratory” study, the scientific community remains encouraged by the results. To continue their findings, Dr. Hurd and her team will next explore CBD’s effects on the brain and the second will focus on more specific CBD formulas to treating opioid addiction.

We encourage you to visit HempSMART to view your personal possibilities with our Quality Products and Opportunities. Just click THIS LINK!

Edited for content.

You thought you had banking and credit card problems. The Cannabis Industry is finally gaining Positive Momentum.

The push for legislation that would allow banks to do business with cannabis companies without the risk of federal enforcement action is gaining momentum, and credit unions are playing a key role. 

The National Association of State Treasurers adopted a resolution on Friday that calls for “common-sense federal laws and regulations” for companies in states that have legalized cannabis for medical or recreational use that are forced to deal with large amounts of cash. 

“Cash-based systems are inefficient, expensive and opaque, making illicit activity more difficult to track and posing a significant risk to public safety by increasing the likelihood of violent crime,” the association said in its resolution. 

Because cannabis remains a Schedule I drug at the federal level, a classification that groups it with heroin, federally insured banks are unable to do business with companies for fear of being shut down, a situation that experts agree is hampering the development of the sector. 

As Canadian companies enjoy their first-mover status in the only G-7 country to fully legalize cannabis, U.S. companies have been unable to open bank accounts or tap capital markets to raise the funds needed to grow their businesses, and many have been forced to hire security companies, such as Brink’s Co., to guard cash piles. 

Ryan Donovan, chief advocacy officer for the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), said one out of every two cannabis businesses has been robbed. “We wouldn’t tolerate that in any other industry, and we shouldn’t tolerate it here,” he told MarketWatch. 

Credit unions have a core mission of serving the communities they operate in, and are keen to help the fledgling cannabis sector grow and thrive, but they, too, need a safe harbor or state exemption to fully participate, he said. CUNA has no official position on cannabis itself, but it would like to see one of two measures currently under consideration be adopted, said Donovan.

The Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act is a bipartisan bill introduced in March that would protect banks and their employees from liability for federal prosecution when servicing cannabis companies. The bill is sponsored by Colorado Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter, Washington Democratic Rep. Denny Heck and two Ohio Republicans, Steve Stivers and Warren Davidson, and is supported by the banking sector, the National Association of Attorneys General and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, among others.

Separately, lawmakers are promoting the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act, which gives each state the right to determine its own approach to cannabis legislation. That bill is backed by Elizabeth Warren and Cory Gardner, both Senate Democrats and presidential hopefuls and Attorney General William Barr has said it is his preferred solution.

“The bill that becomes law will be the better bill,” said Donovan. “Our interest is making sure that credit unions can service businesses that are legal at [the] state level, either through a safe harbor or a law that recognizes [a] state’s authority to decriminalize the substance.” 

The issue runs deeper than the challenge of cash management. Cannabis companies face a variety of obstacles, including in acquiring real estate, in land-title issues and in buying insurance coverage.

“Like any other business on Main Street, they have deposit needs, but also payroll, building supplies, expanding and getting into other lines of business, and payments,” said Rachel Pross, chief risk officer at Maps Credit Union in Salem, Ore., which has been working with cannabis companies since 2014. While companies are banned from using card networks, Maps can allow them to wire money and use online banking and pay with direct deposits.

Maps is not lending to the sector for now, although that would change if there’s a change in the federal treatment of cannabis companies. “It’s certainly something we would evaluate much more open-mindedly,” she said. 

Pross testified on behalf of CUNA at a Federal Committee in March, on her institution’s experience of banking and cannabis, emphasizing the risks to the community of cash-only businesses. 

Maps has received more than $500 million in cash deposits from cannabis companies in the last two years, she said. “That’s $500 million removed from Oregon’s sidewalks that used to be carried around in backpacks and shoe boxes by legitimate, legal business owners,” she said. 

Cannabis banking can be conducted safely and effectively, she argued. The Maps approach is to collect extensive records and to conduct criminal checks on account signers to ensure they are complying with all state laws and regulations. The credit union has invested in the infrastructure needed to monitor and maintain high-risk cannabis accounts and files quarterly suspicious-activity reports on any account suspected of engaging in illegal activities.

Financial institutions that decide not to bank for the sector are still at risk of serving those businesses, she told the hearing.

“Indirect connections are often difficult to identify and avoid because growers and retailers don’t operate in a vacuum,” she said. “Like any other industry, they work hand-in-hand with vendors and suppliers. These are Main Street businesses like the printing company that makes a business card, the landlord that rents office space, and even the utility company that provides water or electricity. Under the existing status quo, a credit union that does business with any one of these indirectly affiliated entities could unknowingly risk violating federal law.”

Most states that have legalized have done so through the ballot, demonstrating the growing public support for cannabis. It’s now up to lawmakers to devise the rules needed to protect them.

Published: May 22, 2019 7:39 a.m. ET

Edited for content.

An entire industry is being built around cannabidiol, or CBD, one of the many chemical constituents of the cannabis plant. Advocates of the compound say it confers all sorts of health benefits, from mitigating the symptoms of depression and anxiety to treating glaucoma. It’s cropping up in protein powders, bath salts, makeup and even jelly beans.

But scientists are still unsure of exactly what the benefits — and pitfalls — of CBD are. 

“Society has jumped way ahead of the science on this,” said Margaret Haney, a professor of neurobiology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. Reported benefits have mostly been anecdotal, or they have come from studies involving animal models. CBD isn’t well understood, nor have there been sufficient studies done in humans, she said.

Cannabis plants produce a group of chemical compounds called cannabinoids. The best-known are tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC (the so-called psychoactive component of the plant that’s associated with the marijuana “high”), and CBD (a non-intoxicating component of the plant that doesn’t produce a high), Hemp. Recently, Legal to grow and process for CDB.

Here’s what we do know: CBD can help treat some types of pediatric seizures. Last year, the FDA approved GW Pharmaceuticals PLC’s Epidiolex for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare forms of epilepsy in patients two years of age and older. But, to get to that point, GW Pharmaceuticals had to go through a long and rigorous drug-approval process to show the drug’s safety and efficacy through clinical trials. This hasn’t been done with CBD for any other indication, until now.

While it’s true that CBD has shown promise in pre-clinical and animal trials in addressing a number of issues such as pain, anxiety, neuroinflammation and substance-use disorder, there’s still not nearly enough peer-reviewed research available, said Ziva Cooper, research director of the Cannabis Research Initiative at the University of California, Los Angeles. To truly determine the effects of CBD in humans, many further studies need to be done — studies with humans, she said.

“Overall, we have very little real data on the therapeutic effects of cannabidiol,” she said.

As for those CBD-based skin products that are popping up on shelves and online, Columbia University’s Haney said she remains skeptical of their marketed benefits. Many are diluted.

It’s a question of both dosage and absorption, she said. “We have no idea how much CBD you would need to rub on your skin for it to have some kind of medical effect,” she said. 

The amount of CBD in a lot of marketed products — even ones that are meant to be taken orally — is so small that we can not make any therapeutic measures for the person using it, said UCLA’s Cooper. In the few studies that have involved humans, doses were in the hundreds of milligrams, but most CBD-infused products contain much less than that, which the company says can be used as a daily supplement and help “promote a calm sense of well-being,” it also notes on its website that such statements “have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.” 

CBD advocates were hoping laws around the compound might loosen up — or at least become clearer — after President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill. The bill legalized hemp, a variety of the cannabis plant that contains no more than 0.3% THC. But regulation of CBD, whether derived from hemp or not, is still largely under the FDA’s jurisdiction. Since CBD is technically an active ingredient in an FDA-approved drug, companies are not allowed to add it to food or drinks sold across state lines or to sell it as a dietary supplement. (Companies are, however, allowed to put the compound into beauty and skin-care products, as cosmetics are not subject to premarket approval by the FDA. That could explain why drugstore chains like CVS and Walgreens aren’t worried about introducing CBD-infused topical products in their stores.

“People shouldn’t confuse availability with legality,” said former FDA regulatory counsel Jonathan Havens. The agency has cracked down on unfounded claims, but it has limited resources and can’t get to everyone, so it is focusing mostly on companies making blatant health claims about their products, Havens said. The FDA recently sent warning letters to Advanced Spine and Pain LLC, Nutra Pure LLC and PotNetwork Holdings, saying the companies violated federal law by advertising their CBD-containing products as potential treatments for ailments including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis and more. 

“The FDA wants to protect consumers. The last thing it wants is companies out there marketing CBD products and claiming health benefits without any clinical research to validate that,” said Rob DiPisa, co-chair of the Cannabis Law Group at law firm Cole Schotz. 

At the same time, requiring anyone who wants to put a CBD-containing food or beverage on the market to go through the clinical-trial process would “chill the whole CBD market,” he said. 

The FDA is aware of the public’s interest in CBD. Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb put out a statement last month outlining steps to figure out a framework to lawfully market cannabis and cannabis-derived products, including planning a public hearing scheduled for May 31 and forming an internal working group to look into the issue. 

DiPisa said he hopes the hearing in May will provide more clarity for him and his clients. “Everyone is running blind right now,” he said.

Where is CBD illegal?
Thanks to the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, zero THC CBD is not illegal in any state in the USA. That’s right; according to federal law, it is legal in all 50 states. With that being said, since the change in law is relatively new, some states might not fully embrace CBD. This should change with the new bill, however, it may take time. Below we outline four different jurisdictional categories based on pre-2018 Farm Bill practices.

States can be grouped into four jurisdictional categories.

 

Friendliest States.
These jurisdictions have explicit laws allowing retailers to sell industrial hemp-derived products.

These jurisdictions include Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Friendly States.
In these jurisdictions industrial hemp grown in a Farm Bill-compliant agricultural pilot program is explicitly exempted from the definition of marijuana.

These jurisdictions include the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Oklahoma.

Gray Area States.
In these jurisdictions, explicit prohibitions against the retail sale of industrial hemp-derived CBD products but that have exemptions in the law for the argument that hemp-derived CBD products are legal.

These jurisdictions include Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

States with Concern.
These jurisdictions have no explicit prohibitions against the sale of industrial hemp-derived CBD products. However, recent law enforcement actions or pronouncements raise the risk of the retail sale of industrial hemp-derived CBD products.

These jurisdictions include Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

What are the specific rules in your state?

Concluding Thoughts: Is CBD Legal in 2019?
Yes, it is legal to purchase and consume hemp-derived-CBD in all 50 states.

Marijuana derived CBD is not legal federally.

The government classifies hemp as any plant of the cannabis family that contains less than 0.3% THC.

It classifies “marijuana” as any plant of the cannabis family that contains greater than 0.3% THC.

You need to check your specific state for any restrictions.

Federal law permissions for activities involving industrial hemp are clear. However, the Farm Bill, and other federal laws on industrial hemp, do not pre-empt state law.

Just as there are hundreds of municipalities in the United States that prohibit alcohol sales nearly a century after Prohibition’s repeal, local and state laws may still restrict the sale of industrial hemp products even where federal law is clearly permissive.

Some states continue to view CBD that comes from marijuana as being no different than marijuana itself. The government classifies any plant of the cannabis family that contains more than 0.3% THC to be marijuana.

Bottom line, it is legal to purchase and consume hemp-derived-CBD in all 50 states.

Keep checking back in this space for updates as there is currently a bill going through Congress right now that could change the way the government views both hemp and marijuana.

The 2018 Farm Bill holds the promise to clear up many of the misconceptions and confusing elements surrounding CBD.

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