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Happy Karma Hemp

Written by Misty Contreras on . Posted in CBD.

Texas Hemp Reporter: Who is Happy Karma Hemp?  Can you tell us a bit of your origin story?

Laran Snyder:  I started my business to be unique and different and to really help others, but also from a completely non-business like standpoint, my degree is in opera and while I was getting my degree I was studying minors in psychology, art and German and I also went to massage therapy school while I was going to university, this was in 1996 and 97.  It’s just so funny, because even though I always knew that music was something that I wanted to study and have as part of my life, I’m like a Jill-of-all-trades, so to speak.  I know a little about a lot of things, and they all go hand-in-hand and they have cohesively formed this circle that has become what my life is right now.  When I started my business, I wanted to do so debt-free, so being a musician and a massage therapist, I took tips and extra income and saved, from the ground up, and that’s how I’m still running my business, so I chose to run it very small and go slow, kind of like what you do with CBD!  You go slow and low, and slowly go up on your dose.  And that’s what I’ve been doing with growing my business. 

THR: Many people turn to CBD as an alternative to standardized medicine.  Have you received positive feedback from your customers?

LS: I believe there are SO many ways that people can heal themselves and enlighten themselves and some of those are through music, massage, natural medicine and cannabis (CBD), hemp especially, being this amazing and miraculous plant that can heal the planet itself: the ground, the soil, the air, and then, of course, its inhabitants.

I’ve always believed there’s a symbiotic relationship between different things in life that all work hand-in-hand toward the betterment of human life, the energy of the world and how the planet resonates in positivity and experiences.  It just kind of allowed me to be Superwoman.  Using CBD topically on clients allowed me to go beyond the ability I already had as just a massage therapist, by relaxing and relieving muscle tension and pain, I didn’t have to work as hard to get those muscles to relax, so I didn’t have to take them closer to a level of pain, so to speak. 

And personally, I’ve used CBD for myself, with the help of both of my doctors, to wean off of a lot of my medication that I had been on for decades.  I had childhood depression with underlying anxiety and PTSD.  Starting at the beginning of my 30s, the depression kind of got better, but the anxiety reared its really ugly, terrible head.  I was a completely different person and was full of anxiety all the time.  It was kind of like the Tasmanian devil, running around.  That’s kind of how my anxiety presented to other people.  CBD actually helped me remove myself from that storm that was around me constantly, but it also helped with so many other aspects of my life, including pain and inflammation, so I was able to replace those medications.  That was when I knew that I had to go into this industry.  Being on medications as a child when your brain is developing, that’s already a really difficult time.  And with children who have problems being themselves and being insecure about who they are as people, it’s just really tough for kids.  Even though I believe that things happen for a reason, I do wish that CBD had been around and prevalent and available to that little Laran because it’s been like an emotional support dog.  It’s like a big supportive hug!

I’ve had a client who said that she was sitting in traffic and she was thinking “man, I can’t wait to get home and have my CBD” because she was really stressed, and she said she started salivating just thinking about it, like she couldn’t wait to take it because it tastes really good, as well.  And just by doing that she felt her stress come down a little bit.  I was like, “hey, that’s really cool!” I’d never thought of it that way until she said that.

A lot of my clients use my topical for their children because it’s an all-around multi-purpose salve as well as a super-duper pain relieving salve.  What’s cool about it is that it’s 100% natural but also organic herbs (I call them yummy herbs), they are meant to combat inflammation from all sides. That, in correspondence with full-spectrum CBD or full-spectrum hemp extract with CBD, can be used even on sunburns and bug bites and boo-boos.  This one girl burned her hand by picking up a curling iron from the hot end (not the handle) on its highest setting and burned the living tar out of her hand and she was going between this wedding venue and her hotel and she stopped on the way and I gave her a sample of CBD under her tongue to help combat the inflammation and the shock and she also applied my salve to the site because it’s loaded with arnica.  Arnica is one of those things that, the minute you have a burn or some type of trauma on your skin, as long as it’s not an open wound, you can coat it with arnica and that starts the healing process immediately and it helps remove the trauma so that you can start healing.  We can’t heal when we’re in a state of inflammation.  She came back an hour later, wanting to buy the salve and a CBD oil because she said she was already feeling more relaxed, and she’s kept in touch on Facebook (she lives in Buffalo, NY).  So, it’s little things like that-little coincidences.  The universe brings people that I’m able to help to my booth, and that’s the beauty of it.

THR: From where do you source your CBD?  Where is it tested?

LS: People still aren’t completely educated on CBD, and so I do feel like maybe some people, just to try it, are going to spend less on the lower-end products that maybe got their hemp from Romania or China, where they use Roundup to make the plant easier to cut.  Even though they have to do third-party testing on the final product, it doesn’t mean that the actual testing of the hemp didn’t show some type of pesticides.  It’s a little scary to me because it’s so unregulated.  That’s why I get my hemp from my farmers in Oregon.  They have a GM-free certified USDA organic certified and kosher-certified extraction facility.  I’ve been with them since Day 1.  So every single product uses the exact same strain from the exact same farmer every single time.

I did the research but then I chose to formulate our products so that our formulation is different from everybody else in the industry, so we do NOT white label, we don’t resell other brands.  Every single ingredient, I vetted where they were coming from to make sure that not only are they ethically sourced from sustainably grown farms, but also ethical (meaning, not taking from Indigenous peoples, leaving them with resources to continue to support their families.  Instead of taking everything and then they don’t have something else to grow), we never use palm oil because it contributes to the deforestation of the rain forest.  We don’t use soy, because not only can it contribute to hormone imbalance in men, women and children, but also it’s one of the most genetically modified plants on the planet.  Things like this to some people don’t really mean anything, and that’s okay.  But to me, being an ethical and sustainable and even hopefully becoming a regenerative energy company where we choose farming that’s regenerative.  But what it does is it actually helps reduce the carbon footprint we create and have created.  People don’t realize that corn and soy and even strawberries are some of the most genetically-modified plants.  And I LOVE corn and I LOVE strawberries, but I make sure that I always buy organic and it’s really hard to find organic corn because it’s usually genetically modified. 

THR: What is the market like in Texas for CBD?

LS: A lot of people don’t know that we’ve actually been around since the beginning in Austin, which makes me chuckle when they start realizing it, because we didn’t have the budget for the marketing and lots of advertising and exposure, and so now it’s really word-of-mouth, which I think is a wonderful way to grow anything, it builds so much more trust and loyalty. 

When I was researching and doing the formula for Happy Karma, I hadn’t even completely decided on the name yet.  And there were no other CBD companies on the radar in Austin.  Other than a couple of pharmacies and a couple of smoke shops, nobody was an actual CBD store yet.  Rawsome was the very first and then we opened a month later in March of 2018, so we are one of the first Austin-based and women-owned CBD companies, which is something I’m really proud of as well.  Being a pioneer of the industry has been pretty amazing.  So much has changed in three and a half years.

There were tons and tons of obstacles being in this business, before it was federally legal, before it was state legal, before there were (and still aren’t completely) the banking laws that we need, not having a way to do merchant accounts and all of these things that we were having to skate around and figure out.  It’s so much easier now for new people to get into the industry.  It’s been an interesting ride so far.  For me, it’s not about going out and meeting hundreds of people in the industry, it’s about the people who are not in the industry whose lives can be impacted.

THR: You’ve recently been recognized in your field and awarded Best Texas E-Commerce Retailer and Best Texas CBD Manufacturer at the Texas Hemp Awards.  What do you think sets you apart from your competitors?

LS: It’s such a huge honor to know that more people follow and get word-of-mouth and know about my company than I ever thought did, which is humbling in and of itself.  In the very beginning, I planted a seed and I’ve been tending to those rows of plants and I know that they’ve been growing, but I had no idea how much they’d grown.  The seeds blew off into other fields that I didn’t know about.  Three and half years later, I’m just now hearing about those plants that are growing in other people’s plots, so to speak.  I’m learning how many people actually have been following me and my business and the reviews and the success stories.  So for me to have had the votes and to win the Best CBD Manufacturer and the Best CBD Retailer, I was originally in the Best CBD Manufacturer and then she decided the last day of voting to make an e-commerce category.  But to win the best CBD manufacturer was amazing!  I didn’t think that was going to happen.  And then, we made the top five of the “Best of Austin” Chronicle issue, which was huge!  I was told that thousands upon thousands of votes were cast.  The fact that enough people nominated us to get us into the top five was so amazing.  It blew my mind, I had no idea.  I mean, that’s a lot of people! 

At the very beginning, when I opened, CBD wasn’t that well-known yet, and so there weren’t all these shops around that carried a white label brand.  There were all these shops that were looking for CBD suppliers, and they were calling me and asking me, but the thing is, my products could’ve been sitting next to five other white labeled products, and they could’ve all theoretically come from the same manufacturer, from the same generic formula.  To me, that dilutes the quality of my brand.  Someone did say to me, though, “Laran, when you go a store, you have your low-end products and you have your high-end ones, and it’s up to the consumer as to whether they’re willing to pay for quality or quantity, getting something for cheap.”  You’re getting what you pay for, I guess.  I really prefer being there to educate and tell people, relaying the difference, for them to make a decision.

THR: Can you explain the process of infusing Reiki into your products?

LS: Reiki is an energy modality.  Everything is energy and energy is everything.  Every single thing, even a stone, everything is made of energy.  Just like the experiment where the kids “bullied” one plant and complimented the other, it’s the same thing with everything.  There have been scientific studies about how positive energy changes the freezing structure of molecules making snowflakes.  Energy can really help everything.  The same is true with intention, for example, somebody who’s Catholic might get some holy water or get a blessing from a priest or something, this is not a religious thing, it’s just a belief that by putting intentions into the body, it’s a body modality.  It’s something that massage therapists can be trained to do for their clients.  But then, you can take that and put it into anything.  Almost like saying a blessing over your food before eating it, it’s the same kind of principle.  So, what happens is everything is made and manufactured and tagged and labeled, and then a third-degree Reiki master infuses them with intentional energy.

THR: Where can our readers buy your products?

LS: Having my booth at SoCo Maker’s Market, I get to meet so many amazing Austinites that come by and shop on south Congress.  Me being a world traveller, I love being able to meet people from all over the country and the world!

I don’t do anything like anybody else.  I don’t like to be a crowd-follower.  I’m either a crowd-starter or I like to stand on the sidelines and be completely different, I always go against the grain.  I get SO many calls asking where I’m located.  At times I do wish we had a storefront so that we could accommodate the people who want to come in and browse, and the people that want to come in and meet me, the people that I spend hours on the phone with.  They’re always shocked at how much I’m willing to give them, but I do that because I think it’s important that they feel validated, even if I’ve not been through what they’re going through, I can still empathize.  It’s not about a sale to me.  And that goes all the way back to what I said before about me running a business totally NOT like a business!

That’s the nice thing about being the owner of a company, I’m able to help my fellow musicians and other people when they need it.

THR: That’s the rewarding part, right?

LS: Yeah, we can get so wrapped up in ourselves and “me, me, me” and it just feels so good when you’re able to help somebody.  There are times when someone’s injured or hurting or they need emotional support and you know that, especially during COVID, you can’t be there, you can’t bring them food.  I have a friend who lost her mom during COVID, and I couldn’t be there to give her a big hug.  I felt hopeless, and I thought, “what can I do to help her?” and I thought, “wait, I’ll give her an emotional support dog!”  So I gave her a bottle of CBD to try to help her through.  It’s a nice way to be able to help other people, to give them the gift that keeps on giving.

THR: Where do you see the future of hemp as a renewable resource?

LS: People say we have a lumber shortage.  No, we have a tree and forest shortage.  One acre of hemp can replace three acres of trees in three to four months, instead of 30-60 years.  Let that sink in.  That’s not only sustainable, it’s part of regeneration.  Those plants are taking a lot of crap out of the air, and they’re pulling it into the soil, and the soil is re-nitrogenated by the plants and it’s helping with the water runoff because all of the water is going down instead of running off.  It’s helping to put microbes and fungi and all of these great nutrients back into the soil.  Just doing little things.  We don’t have to do everything the right way or whatever we think is the right way.  Just taking little steps for our bodies and for the planet is something.  Just because I use compostable gloves when we’re manufacturing, and doing things that I know are going into the compost or into the trash and the recycling, doesn’t mean that everybody has to do that.  It just makes me feel good at the end of the day, doing something a little extra.

THR: What is your impression of this unprecedented time, where we may finally feel safe to spend time with our friends and family again?

LS: In getting older, when you make a decision or when something happens in life, you don’t always know what kind of waves and ripples you put out until sometimes several years later, and then you start hearing back from people.  So, sometimes we plant a seed and we walk away and we don’t know whether it caught and grew or if it created other plants and that’s how this whole process has been for me.  And then of course with COVID, it just got much more deep and energetic.

 Me being a massage therapist and a professional vocalist (I’m in the Patrice Pike band), before COVID, we had a residency at the Saxon Pub every Thursday for eight years.  So, the Saxon was my second home!  Everything’s changed.  That was a source of income.  But with my business, I’ve never had to impose sales quotas on myself.  I want to be able to go to the market and introduce myself and explain the amazing things about this plant.  If I meet new people, and I give them a business card and share some information and they leave with a smile, then I’ve done my job.  It’s such a rewarding thing to come home every day and be able to tell my wife about all the great people I get to meet.  That’s how I built my business, by not just thinking about money, and it just rolled back into itself and it’s still such a pleasure to be able to go and meet people and talk to people.  I hand-write a thank you note for every single order that goes out.  The slogan for Happy Karma Hemp is “Create Happy Karma”.  I believe we can create happy karma by helping others first.  By doing good things or having good intentions, by going above and beyond, whether people ever know it, is not the point.  The point is that, energetically, it’s a positive, kind, intentional thing.  It’s not necessarily up to those people to reward me back, the universe takes care of me.  God, the universe, takes care of us in a plethora of ways that we may never even notice or know.  

We just had our first post-quarantine performance at Saxon last week.  One of my posts recently on Instagram was about being kind to oneself, and a lot of people have grown and changed over the past 15 months and change is not bad, it’s just change, it’s just different.  A lot of people have become a little more enlightened and a little more sensitive to energy and more in tune with nature and they’re vibrating on a different frequency.  So, for some of these people, the thought of going back into big crowds is too much, myself included.  I have been, most of my life, what I would consider a super-extrovert but I changed over the pandemic and I enjoyed being home and being in the back yard and being around nature.  And my sensitivity became heightened, so my very first show back at the Saxon was very overwhelming, just to see all these people that I used to see every week. At the same time that it was a wonderful, glorious reunion, it was also intense being around so many people and feeling that energy.  The pandemic and the events over the past 15 months have brought up some controversial issues.  Hopefully, people will recognize that it’s so much easier to be kind than to be right.  My first gig back was just really overwhelming and I was realizing that at least half of the people I was talking to were having the same struggle. Over the next six months, some people will just sort of tiptoe out and some people will come out with a vengeance, and that’s okay. 

It’s amazing after three and a half years of my company, to be able sit back and go, “whoa, I created all of this completely from nothing, all by myself, from scratch.”  And when someone says it’s helping them, it’s amazing to stop and remind myself that I helped somebody. 

https://www.happykarma.co/

Rodkey’s Health & Wellness:

Written by texashempreporter on . Posted in CBD.

Rodkey’s Health & Wellness, San Antonio, Tx, I rodkeys.com

Charles Rodkey Jr. is a true pioneer in the CBD retail and manufacturing space.  A self-proclaimed plant science savant, Charles had already spent years researching and studying cannabis when he left a successful 20-plus year career in the medical supply industry.  Motivated by a desire to follow his true passion, Charles formulated CBD products designed to grant his mother some much-needed relief from inflammation.  Recognizing the vast market for affordable salves and tinctures, he opened the first exclusive CBD retail store in Texas in 2017.  After enjoying immediate success and expanding the business to a second store, Charles and his family decided to move in a new direction.  They created Structure CBD, which quickly became a well-recognized manufacturing and wholesale brand, while staying active in retail with a combined store and coffee shop-Rodkey’s Health and Wellness.  The proprietary blend of ingredients in his formulations have taken the industry by storm, and he notes with pride that all of his products are manufactured in a Texas-licensed facility right there in his home city of San Antonio.

Texas Hemp Reporter: Can you explain the difference between plant and isolate products?

Rodkey’s Health & Wellness: Whole plant (full spectrum) extracts are going to contain a wide range of plant cannabinoids and terpenes along with trace amounts of THC. CBD Isolate is the isolated CBD molecule with all other cannabinoids and terpenes removed during the refinement process, it is a 99.9%+ pure CBD extract. Isolate products are a better choice for those who have regular drug screens or simply want to stay away from THC in general.

THR: What products do you offer for pets?

Rodkey’s: Rodkey’s carries the Structure CBD Pet line which includes sublingual tinctures and bacon cheeseburger treats.  Some pet parents also opt to use our Rodkey’s water-soluble CBD “Rapid” to add directly to their pet’s water bowl.

THR: You have many different coffees, teas and drinks, as well as kombucha and shots.  The shots can be added to any of the drinks?

Rodkey’s: Yes, customers have the option to add CBD, Immune Boost, our natural allergy formula, collagen, and several other health-based adaptogenic compounds to any beverage. We wanted to keep these offerings optional so our customers can essentially create their own beverage, there is truly something for everyone! We also offer a variety of craft pastries from various local businesses.

THR: You also have some cosmetics, tinctures and topical solutions, all with your name on the label.  Do you manufacture these yourself?

Rodkey’s: Yes, we procure high-quality, raw ingredients and produce all of our products in a state-regulated and licensed lab in the heart of San Antonio, Tx. Our products then go through a vigorous third-party testing process to ensure purity and potency.

THR: Rodkeys is a one-stop health and wellness shop.  Do you have plans to add any more products or consumables in the near future? Or more locations?

Rodkey’s: We are constantly watching this ever-evolving industry and adding new products, our latest addition being the new Structure CBD line of Delta 8 products. New locations are always a possibility!

THR: I see by your Facebook page you have also hosted DJ’s from San Antonio, the Panhandle and Austin.  Can you talk about your dedication to local talent?

I have been involved in the local DJ scene for many years and have always had a passion for house music. I decided to incorporate Friday night music into our business in light of COVID to help support local musicians during a difficult time, while offering a safe, fun, and relaxing Friday night option for our customers- it is a win/win!

In their 6+ years of being in the Hemp CBD industry, Charles and Meggie have seen “very positive results from thousands of clients.”

You can visit Rodney’s Health and Wellness and design your own drink at 9630 Huebner Road, Suite 101 in San Antonio, Tx.  You can check out their Green Couch Sessions on Friday nights from 6-9pm, when they have local DJ’s spinning house music, free coffee, CBD and pre-roll specials, and check out rodkeys.com/shop.

Steve DeAngelo, Father of the Cannabis Industry

Written by texashempreporter on . Posted in CBD News & Business.

Texas Hemp Reporter: It is quite an honor to speak with you Steve. Most interviewers would ask this kind of a question toward the close, I’ll flip the coin. What is the future of cannabis?

Steve: The future of hemp is to become the most profitable cash crop on Earth. Dollar per dollar volume cannabis will begin to outsell actually any other single product. Here’s some statistics, since legalization in California alcohol use is down by 25%.. in most areas where legalization has occurred alcohol use reduction is between 15 and 20%. And I should mention Pabst Blue Ribbon has come out with a non-alcohol hemp tonic.

So many products can be replaced with hemp-based ones that are equal in price or cheaper to construct. If you press hemp seeds you get a wonderful emerald thick liquid that is bio-fuel for diesel engines. If you mix hemp seed oil with 10% ethanol, also derivable from hemp, you have a perfect bio-fuel for any diesel engine. Grind hemp seeds up you get hemp milk, a delicious beverage to put in your coffee or granola. Take a truck. Some of the truck’s body could be made from plastic from hemp oil, the engine could run on hemp diesel, the boxes the truck carries could be hemp fiber, the socks and shoes of the driver could be hemp..

Hemp is the toughest fiber, much tougher than cotton. They found wills and bequests from the middle ages where people would bequeath their hemp linens to new generations because they don’t wear out. The Levi

company has come out with jeans that are 30% hemp. That’s because they see that hemp is eco-friendly and sustainable. Using hemp paper and for furniture we could eliminate the need to cut down trees. Hemp wood is 20% stronger than oak and 100 times faster to grow.

There’s something like 25,000 products that are hemp-derived.

Texas Hemp Reporter:  You’ve co-founded or founded about ten businesses and organizations. Are you a counter-cultural hero?

Steve: I don’t think it is very heroic for someone to refer to themselves as a hero. I think that I am very lucky to have seen the light at a young age and to have the skills to organize things. I love to found, I love to get a business going then as it grows and others can manage it I move onto to something new. As far as the counter culture is concerned.. look the hippies gave us the personal computer right? The hippies gave us organic food to eat, the hippes gave us the electric car, introduced the west to yoga.

Texas Hemp Reporter: I personally believe there is a strong subculture surrounding the whole CBD thing, and medical marijuana. Do you think we can tap into this culture to make the industry more compassionate? To “love the plant” as you say?

Steve: Yeah. I believe so. Look we better, we’re destroying this planet real fast, we as consumers have a mission and we better act on it. I didn’t start

out to create a new industry but a new kind of industry. As with our Last Prisoner Project I approached the industry for support and they came through. In only a year and a half we have seen the release of thousands around the world, some due to Covid 19 petitions. Michael Thompson was released after serving 24 years of a minimum 40-years sentence. He was the longest serving non-violent prisoner  of Michigan. All for selling 3 pounds of marijuana.

Also we hope to widen the investment in new licensees, as with Arc-view. We are interested as much in how not to invest.. there is a large disproportion of new cannabis licenses in disadvantaged communities. We have to see black and brown people thriving in an industry they had a lot to do with founding. We need to find out how to support, create capital flow, sustain, educate and see those people grow.

Texas Hemp Reporter: I have been studying some of your writings. From your website, “A Lesson From Another Teacher” it is exciting because you’re talking about medical psychedelics.

Steve: Yes. I was traveling over four continents meeting with growing cannabis ventures when right in my hometown of Oakland California the city decriminalized natural visionary plants making psychoactive substances the lowest priority of the Oakland Police Department. I have always wanted to see visionary plants decriminalized as a Drug Reform activist. Also as a person who has incorporated psychedelics and cannabis into my own spirituality.

If you follow the history you know of cannabis, from the oldest known usages in central Asia, if you go east you find that marijuana became central to Hindu culture in India, and Buddhism such that it is a medicine in the Ayurveda canon. Excavations have found cannabis in temples, around statues, if you travel to Japan, the indigenous religion of Shinto, there will be a long hemp rope at the entrance to Shinto temples.

It has been shown in Israel use of cannabis as a grave offering, especially young women who had died in childbirth. And in Egypt it was burnt to clear temples. Really everywhere it is woven into the spiritual practices of peoples. It was central to ancient Greece, as were many other psychoactive plants. It wasn’t until Rome solidified their empire making Christianity the state religion which banned all psychoactive plant use. You see all those old Greek statues that are missing arms and such, that was hordes of Christians who would come in and search out anyone using any psychedelic plant, take them out of their homes and execute them. Even all those philosophers of the Academy which gave us western civilization they were using all sorts of psychoactive plants.

Interview conducted by Sana v’Ritzvah

Steve DeAngelo is a globally recognized cannabis leader who was dubbed “the father of the legal industry” by former Speaker of the California Assembly & 41st Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. From grassroots community campaigns to appearing on national television networks and every uphill battle for legalization in between, his trailblazing work and creation of a model medical cannabis dispensary that set best practices for an entire industry make him one of the world’s top cannabis experts, foremost thought leaders, and recognized entrepreneurs.

Steve is Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Harborside, now a publicly-traded company on the Canadian Securities Exchange with California dispensary locations in Oakland,  San Jose, San Leandro, and Desert Hot Springs-only the second dispensary in California to feature a drive-thru. The vertically integrated California cannabis company founded in 2006 has more than 300,000 registered patients. Rooted in Steve’s belief that cannabis use should be wellness centric, Harborside was one of the first in the nation to support comprehensive cannabis education for seniors, veterans, and families with severely ill children. Featured in numerous high profile media pieces and winning multiple awards, including Best Dispensary in California (2017), Harborside continues to set the industry gold standard and is a leading advocate for diversity, environmental sustainability, and economic justice in the cannabis sector. 

Steve is also Co-Founder of Steep Hill, Inc., the first commercial cannabis lab in the country, and Co-Founder of Arcview Group, the first cannabis investment firm. Steep Hill has grown to become a world leader in cannabis science and technology with extensive expertise in lab testing, remote testing, genetics, research and development, and intellectual property licensing. Arcview angel investment network now includes more than 600 accredited investors and has raised over $270 million for 200 cannabis-related companies to date. Steve formerly served Arcview as Vice President; the firm remains dedicated to galvanizing progressive drug policy reform by empowering a responsible, profitable industry.

Early on as an activist, Steve was skipping school to attend anti-war demonstrations and eventually dropped out to join the Youth International Party – also known as the Yippies. He went on to become the lead organizer of the annual Fourth of July Smoke-In in D.C., carrying the position for a decade. Steve graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland. He also opened a legendary D.C. counter-cultural gathering place that became known as a refuge for local cannabis and peace activists during the Reagan-Bush era, including William Kunstler, Wavy Gravy, and author Jack Herer. Steve helped Jack Herer edit and publish the manuscript for his soon-to-be-famous book, “The Emperor Wears No Clothes,” and became a lead organizer of the first Hemp Museum and Hemp Tour. He created his first cannabis business, Ecolution; the company was one of the first to ride an industrial hemp boom, manufacturing hemp clothing and accessories for retail sales in 50 states and 21 countries during the ’90s.

Continuing to stand tirelessly for legalization and decriminalization of cannabis around the globe, Steve remained at the forefront of the cannabis reform movement, playing a pivotal role in the passage of Initiative 59-Washington D.C.’s medical cannabis law. After a legal battle lasting four years with the U.S. Department of Justice, he ultimately succeeded in defending their multiple attempts to close Harborside. He helped to pass Prop 64, California’s adult-use law, and making history on January 1, 2018, made the first legal cannabis sale in California’s first moments of legal recreational use.  

As an industry pioneer and progressive leader, Steve attracts global invitations to present and appear before audiences of thousands, reaching beyond cannabis and inspiring action toward restorative and equal justice, individual and community wellness, and cultural change for the sustainability of earth and humankind. At SXSW 2019, he gave the first-ever cannabis-themed keynote to be featured at the conference and was invited to return as a featured presenter the very next year.  A reputable and known American cannabis leader, advocate, and educator, he appeared by invitation to renowned Oxford Union in Great Britain for the 2017 ‘War on Drugs’ debate sessions. Appearing before audiences around the world is a natural progression of Steve’s life work. As a prime advocate of diversity, sustainability, and social justice, he carries his message to help build a world that lives by the same values cannabis can teach.

Steve is the author of The Cannabis Manifesto: A New Paradigm for Wellness, and an originator of the wellness approach to understanding cannabis. His acclaimed book is a compelling account of a personal journey with cannabis that outlines numerous solid arguments for legalization while presenting research-backed benefits of the plant. In its first week of release, the title became number one bestseller in the Wellness category on Amazon-the book’s guiding statement: “Cannabis is not harmful, but prohibition is.” Steve DeAngelo’s special feature presentations for keynote delivery include The Cannabis Renaissance Global Edition, Whole Plant Medicine is the Best Medicine, North American Roots: The Cannabis Plant & Prohibition’s Truth, and The Cannabis Creed (debuting at SXSW 2020).

Steve’s great success and persevering advocacy draw top tier national media attention. In 2009 he was the subject of a NY Times cover, the first-ever by the publication to include a feature story on legal cannabis. He has appeared nationally on all major media outlets, including FOX, CBS, CNN, NBC, CNBC, and extensively in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA Today. Special feature media projects include a starring role in Weed Wars, the first cannabis-oriented reality T.V. show (Discovery Channel), Ask Steve DeAngelo weekly web series by Green Flower Media, and development of entertainment works under DeAngelo Bros. Productions, a company founded by Steve DeAngelo and brother Andrew DeAngelo. A podcast and weekly television show documenting Steve’s travels to cover cannabis culture globally are coming in 2020 to Free Speech T.V. (FSTV), a 24-hour independent television network currently available in 37 million U.S. homes.  

Steve is the recipient of the 2015 High Times Lester Grinspoon High Times Lifetime Achievement Award and was named one of the most influential people and “gatekeeper of the industry” in 2015 by the International Business Times. In 2016 he was named one of the seven “Most Powerful People” in America’s cannabis industry by Fortune. Most recently, he was honored with the Peter Tosh Equal Rights Award and inducted into the Marijuana Business Daily Hall of Fame. 

Steve believes that an ethical and politically engaged industry will be the most powerful force in spreading cannabis reform to every corner of the planet. As Founder of the Last Prisoner Project (2019), he will not stop until the last cannabis prisoner is free. As host of the Radio Free Cannabis podcast-launched in 2020, his role as an activist seeking global unity for equal justice, advocating for human rights around the world, for cannabis legalization across planet earth, and the end of criminalizing medicinal plants worldwide, continues. 

Steve DeAngelo

Father of the Legal Cannabis Industry
Global Cannabis Ambassador

Founder of Last Prisoner Project
Host of Radio Free Cannabis Podcast
Author of The Cannabis Manifesto

stevedeangelo.com | Website

Steve DeAngelo | LinkedIn

@steve.deangelo Instagram 23K+ followers

@TheSteveDeAngelo | Facebook 4K+ followers

@stevedeangelo | Twitter  29K+ followers

Awards Highlights:

2019 MJ Biz Award 2019 Hall of Fame Inductee
In the computer industry, there’s only one Bill Gates. In the automotive space, only one Henry Ford. And the marijuana world has only one Steve DeAngelo –MJBizDaily recognizes Steve DeAngelo

2019 Peter Tosh Equal Rights & Justice Award
Recognized for making an outstanding contribution to the struggle of basic equal rights for all.
2019 Lifetime Achievement Award from California Cannabis Awards
2019 MGO ELLO Honoree
2019 Cannabis Business Awards Hall of Fame Inductee

2019 Harborside’s KEY Takes Home Top Spot at High Times Cannabis Cup Bay Area

2015 High Times Lester Grinspoon Lifetime Achievement Award

Social Media Hits:
Harborside Desert Hot Springs Grand Opening feat. Steve DeAngelo & Jim Belushi DEC 2019

Marleys LPP Board Public Announcement AUG 2019

Willie Nelson LPP Public Announcement AUG 2019

TD Ameritrade OCT 2019

Top National Media Coverage (Video):
TD Ameritrade The Watch Oct 2019
Fox Business: Varney & Co Jul 2019
Cheddar Interview in Toronto CSE Open Jun 13 2019
BNN Bloomberg in Toronto Jun 2019
Green Market Report
Cheddar Interview SXSW Mar 2019
MSNBC with Jacob Soboroff Jan 2018
ABC Feds Drop Case May 2016

National Media Coverage (Online, Print):

Steve DeAngelo Inductee into MJBiz Hall Of Fame

LA Times-OpEd on Tax-July 15 2019

Green Entrepreneur-HBOR CSE- Jun 2019

CNN Business HBOR CSE June 2019

NY Times Cannabis Goes Industrial Apr 2017

LA Times-Weed Wars-Dec 21,2011

NY Times Don’t Call it “pot” 2010

Do Cannabis Entrepreneurs and Big Business Actually Need Each Other? Inc.com 2015

Forbes-Harborside Going Public-May 31 2019

Variety Magazine-Last Prisoner Project-Jul 15, 2019

Hightimes Magazine-Last Prisoner Project-Jul 2019

Speaking & Appearance Highlights:

SXSW Featured Session March 2019

Oxford Union Debate – This House Would Say No to Drugs feat Steve DeAngelo Mar 2017
Harborside Desert Hot Springs Grand Opening DEC 2019

Arcview Investors Forums

ROTH Capital Partners Conference

Cannaciencia (Bogota, Col)

ExpoCannabiz (Cartagena, Col)
CannabiSalud (Mexico)
High Hopes
CannaTech Israel

MJBizCon

Trailblazers Summit Series
O’Cannabiz (Toronto, ON CAN)
New West Summit

Aspen High

Imperious Expo

NCIA

International Police Association (IPA)

Episode: # 43 TFNB Bank

Written by Jesse Williams on . Posted in Banking News, Podcast.

Mallory Harrington serves as the hemp banking compliance officer at TFNB Your Bank for Life in Waco, Texas. Our guest discusses the federal compliance rules, lending options, insurance, and SBA programs for the growing Hemp space in the Lone Star State.

Justice Clarence Thomas Questions Federal Policy On Marijuana

Written by texashempreporter on . Posted in News.

“A prohibition on interstate use and cultivation of marijuana may no longer be necessary or proper for the federal piecemeal approach,” the Judge declared in a report. “Federal policies of the past 16 years have greatly undermined its reasoning. The federal government’s current approach is a half-in, half-out regime that simultaneously tolerates and forbids local use of marijuana.”

Erik Altieri Executive Director of NORML commented “Judge Thomas’ comments reflect what americans have known for a long time.” Federal law does not allow marijuana businesses to deduct their business expenses come tax time “Under this rule, a business that is still in the red after it pays its workers and keeps the lights on might still owe substantial federal income tax,” the Judge also pointed out. Since 2015 Congress has prevented the Justice Department from spending federal money to prevent states from carrying out their own laws. Yet the IRS continues to enforce its own rules against growers and dealers. “The federal government’s willingness to look the other way is more episodic than coherent” Clarence also said.

 Clarence has even suggested bringing a case to the justices so they can address these issues themselves. All this due to actual case: Untied States v. Raich “In the early days of the Republic it would have been unthinkable that Congress could prohibit the local cultivation, possession and consumption of a plant, any plant,” Thomas wrote adding that the court was “rewriting” the Commerce Clause allowing the feds to take away people’s marijuana plants. “This Court has casually stripped the States of their ability to regulate interstate commerce- not to mention a host of local activities, like mere drug possession, that are non-commercial”

Clarence Thomas is one of the most conservative on the Supreme Court. He recently called the federal laws regarding Pot “hodgepodge”

Beyond Raich in the past the same issue has arose in cases involving The Gun Free School-Zones Act, the Violence Against Women Act, and Thomas wrote in each case that the Supreme Court’s rulings had gone astray on the Commerce Clause. “If the government is now content to leave the states as laboratories, then it might no longer have the authority to intrude on the state’s core police policies” The Judge has been commenting on these type of cases since 2005.

The owners of the Colorado dispensary that ended up in court with the IRS stated “It’s hard to be treated like drug dealers. We’re being singled out” It’s known that Judge Clarence Thomas is one of the most conservative on the Supreme Court. He called the federal laws “hodgepodge”

“unstable” contradictory” “confusing”. It is true that under the President Bush Jr regime it came to public knowledge that Clarence had smoked marijuana in college. The real question is? did he inhale..

To Boldly Grow where no Man has Grown Before: Patrick “Picard” Stewart on Pot

Written by texashempreporter on . Posted in News.

     “The thing about Star Trek is you’re never dead, really. There’s always a way to bring you back to life”

     “People think I’m getting high everyday. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Sir Patrick Stewart is 78 years old and exploring the first UK’s initiative of the benefits of cannabis-based medicines led by Oxford University. “Four years ago I was filming in Los Angeles, I was examined by a doctor and handed a note to obtain legal cannabis to treat arthritis in both of my hands.” After fuddling through greasy balms and ointments Patrick found a spray that alleviated almost all pain and inflammation in his hands. “There are no side affects while Advil, Aleve, and other NSAIDS’s cause pressure on the liver.”

“This is an important step for Britain in a field of research that has been for too long held back by prejudice, fear and ignorance.”

In England in 1533 King Henry the 8th mandated that landowners grow allotments of hemp, Elizabeth the 1st later increased these quotas with punishments for not fulfilling.  In 1842 Irish physician William O’ Shaughnessy a medical officer in Bengal brought several specimens of marijuana back to England to study medical benefits. Cannabis prohibition began in the English colonies before the central island, yet the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission of 1894 judged “little injury was caused to society by the use of cannabis”

By 1928 Britain herself had classified cannabis as dangerous a drug as opium. Across the pond Attorney Jeff Sessions had this to say “I reject the idea that marijuana being sold in every store will make America a better place” while opioid addictions caused over 2000 deaths last year in Massachusetts. Sessions likened marijuana to heroin,

 Meanwhile back across the lake even though medical marijuana is now legalized in the United Kingdom “It still seems perverse that opioid prescriptions are such high levels when medical cannabis could be a much more safer system” Patrick went on to say “I see no reason why the legislation is not widened it so that doctors are allowed to prescribe it”

Whether Willie Nelson, Barack Obama, Whoopi Goldberg, Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dog, Morgan Freeman, Sting Sir Patrick Stewart is one in a long line of pro-marijuana benefits.

Stewart has acted in “BluntTalk” donning a lobster costume, laughing at a Christmas hat,

“I believe this program at Oxford might just begin benefits for millions of people”

HEMP PAPER In Demand for more products and textiles.

Written by Mina Hegaard on . Posted in Cultivation.

The majority of the hemp plants are in the stems. Thus a farmer has interest in making the most of this part.

Those growing for medicinal use and CBD oils can turn a profit from the leaves and buds, while hemp oil and hemp seeds per se are proving to be a lucrative market.

For some, what remains is simply left as compost. Which returns back to the soil little

more than carbohydrates. Little nitrogen or other elements of use are given back. The many tons of biomass, in the form of carbohydrates, especially cellulose, are of commercial value.

From charcoal to fine textiles, simple compounds with only carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are raw materials in demand. Cellulose is the most abundant molecule in agriculture, and the most common molecule in products used by man. Paper, lumber, most of our clothing, cardboard, cordage, insulation. We live in and use cellulose. We eat it.

We pay for it. Usually, not much, but in the case of fine threads, some pay thousands for a get up.

Hemp has had its place in the best of textiles, back when the Piedmont region of Italy produced hemp threads as fine as silk.But today most hemp threads are a bit coarse, and the market is dominated by PR China, which both grows hemp and spins it. For the Western farmer there is hope on the horizon that his crop will end up on the catwalk, but more research and development is needed.

However, paper mills are looking for hemp.

In 2000 I hooked up with British environmentalist John Hanson, who had his own paper, with a large hemp leaf watermark. I ordered three tons. He had French grown hemp pulped in Spain and then sent to Scotland for the final operation. I waited with bated breath for the lorry (Brit for truck) to round the bend into my storage locker in Hammer-smith with my stash.

For the three tons of paper I traded an ounce of paper, bearing, of course, the image of Her Majesty and its own watermark; which was not a hemp leaf. However, the paper I traded for the pallets of John Hanson TreeFree (copyright) did use hemp. Many a government, including that of the United States, uses hemp in its currency.

The reason is that hemp is a more interlocking fiber than even flax. Wood does not really even have a fiber. Thus hemp provides a strong basis for other fibers to connect with and form a sheet of matted fibers.

For 2,000 years man has been using this. Americans use on average 200 lbs. per person. And most of this, almost all – is made in Southeast Asia. From wood. American paper used to be made from hemp, flax, and recycled rags. America used to lead the world in the production of paper. Now there are few mills here, most with a production of under 10,000 tons per year. Some of those are specialty mills. Very few use hemp.

Some use farm waste, a practice championed by Woody Harrelson, who encouraged the use of wheat stems in paper making. His move was good both ecologically and economically. And it was good for farmers, adding value to their harvest of food crops.

With his action, he was sowing a seed for the revival of the US paper industry. A paper industry in the US not only provides jobs, but is good for the ecology if farm wastes along with hemp bast are used. Add to that the value of recycling our rags and the argument is made.

Hemp – and other plants, can be dual crops as we revive the paper industry in the US.

Tune in next issue for a more specific discussion of this subject.

Cannabis Use with Stem Cells for Future Medicine

Written by texashempreporter on . Posted in Health.

Jamo Lorswal

     “Role of Marijuana Components in the Migration and Proliferation of Stem Cells”

     The significance of this study was that cannabinoids can enhance the regulation of two major sources of stem cells- adipose and bone marrow-derived from human and porcine sources.

     Louis A. Cona, an MD already considers cannabis a “miracle plant”. Its modern history includes being used for weight loss in HIV patients, neuro-degenerative diseases, cancers epilepsy and the list goes on. He speaks to laboratory scientists at the University of California at San Diego and their trials concerning CBD oil effects on lab-grown neural stem cells donated by brain patients. The result: cannabinoid oil strongly regulates the proliferation, migration and neurogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

     StemX is a sports and regenerative medicine company that offers many healing modalities has an article suggesting that the body’s endocannabinoid system, which humans share with most mammals, which not only is a receptor system yet can produce amounts of cannabinoids themselves, just as the bone marrow may produce stem cells and that there are also an entire cellular receptor system for such.

     The article found that stem cells “pretreated” with a combination of CBD and moringin demonstrated improved survival rates when re-introduced into tissues.

Penalty Reduction Bill an Update on Joe Moody’s HB 2593

Written by Jesse Williams on . Posted in Legislative.

Penalty Reduction Bill HB 2593 an Update on Joe Moody’s

by Jesse Williams

Rep. Joe Moody (D) of El Paso authored HB 2593. The bill specifically deals with marijuana concentrates of up to 2 oz of tetrahydrocannabinols (THC). Moody had previously authored what has become HB 441 (another penalty reduction bill for marijuana flower) authored by Rep. Zwiener in the 87th legislative session.

HB 2593 would remove tetrahydrocannabinol and related substances from Penalty Group 2 and place them in a new category, Penalty Group 2-B, under the Texas Controlled Substances Act.

Penalties for possession of substances from the new Penalty Group 2-B would have been the same as those in Penalty Group 2-A, which range from a class B misdemeanor if the substance is two ounces or less, to life in prison or a term of five to 99 years and a fine up to $50,000 if the amount of substance possessed is more than 2,000 pounds.

Right now, any amount of concentrate found in your possession is a state felony. The last time penalty reduction was passed by the Texas legislature was 1973.

The bill passed out of the House committee with only two nay votes and passed in the House with a final supermajority vote of 108-33.

 The bill proceeded to the Senate where it passed out of committee with only 2 nay votes as well. From there the bill was approved out of the Texas Senate with a delta-8 amendment attached by Senator Perry. The amendment would bring the regulation of delta-8 to what Perry called the federal limit imposed on THC by the 2018 Farm Bill. The second reading of the bill was passed with a 25-6 vote, and after the third reading for the final passage with amendment added, a vote of 24-7 was taken to pass the bill with supermajority support.

Grinded weed shaped as Texas and a joint.(series)

Senator Hinojosa asked if the amendment would bring any lab confusion such as the previous hemp bill, to which Perry responded no. Perry was also asked if the author (Moody) was okay with this amendment, to which the answer was yes.

When the bill went back to the House to see if the author conferred with the amendments or wanted a conference committee, Rep. Moody made a point of order on the bill. Moody requested a conference committee on the grounds that the delta-8 amendment was not germane (not relevant to purpose) to the bill it was added to. The House agreed that the amendment was not germane and the bill went to the conference committee. The same conclusion was reached in the conference committee.

The House then voted on the conference committee version without the delta-8 amendment language and passed the bill again. The bill was then sent to the Senate to be heard by the members on the floor. When sponsor Sen. Nathan Johnson (D) requested for the bill to get a vote on the floor, Lt Gov Dan Patrick denied the request, likely from frustration that the delta-8 amendment language was not present.

When this request on the floor was denied, the bill was effectively dead because the deadline was coming up within hours to have the bill passed by the Senate floor once more and sent to the governor.

Concentrates of THC now remain a state felony in the state of Texas until the legislature convenes again in 2023 to possibly bring up another bill.

sid miller episode 37

Episode:# 37 Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller

Written by Jesse Williams on . Posted in Podcast, Uncategorized.

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller
An eighth-generation farmer and rancher, Sid Miller is the 12th Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). He has devoted his life to promoting Texas agriculture, rural communities and the great state of Texas.

Born in De Leon, in Comanche County, in September 1955, Sid Miller graduated with honors from Tarleton State University in Stephenville with a Bachelor of Science degree in Vocational Ag Education.

A recognized community leader, Miller was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2000. He quickly earned a reputation as a staunch defender of Texas agriculture, constitutional freedoms and individual liberties for all Texans.

Episode # 36 Media Business and Branding

Written by Jesse Williams on . Posted in Podcast, Uncategorized.

Russell & Shayda were waiting for Sid Miller to call, but end up moving the conversation to alternative media, the growing space for Cannabis Culture as Texas becomes more closer to legalization. The two talk about media experience and how the Texas market needs voices and role models and advocacy for this wonderful plant. (Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller calendar freed up and he calls in the next day to speak with Russell)

Listen to Podcast #37 for that discussion.

Episode 34: Freeway Ricky Ross & Kevin Booth

Written by Jesse Williams on . Posted in Podcast, Uncategorized.

Russell interviews Freeway Ricky Ross about the ongoing drug-war and talk about his new line of products while also addressing the political challenges Texas has with regards to Marijuana reform in the lone star state. Kevin Booth (who knows Ricky Ross and are currently developing business projects together ) calls in and the conversations continues about the failed prison system and criminalization aspect. Rick may return to Texas for the upcoming Lucky Leaf Expo!

Russell and Kevin go down memory lane discussing the acid water in south Austin and the days when both were at Austin Public Access TV but at different times and years. Alex Jones, Joe Rogan, Bill Hicks, Dave Pruitt, Nathan, and Ol Bitty Flashback’s loom as the duo discuss alternative media in the early 2000s and early 90s in the Underbelly of Austin’s Conspiracy Culture. A great idea for Kevin’s Next Film. 

Episode 35: Tommy Chong

Written by Jesse Williams on . Posted in Podcast, Uncategorized.

Russell & Jesse interview the Legendary Comedian Tommy Chong about his CBD Brands and discuss the Drug War and how might Texas legislatures move forward with the economics of marijuana. You can also read the interview in our July cover of the Texas Hemp Reporter magazine.

Enjoy!

Heather Fazio talk to Texas Hemp Reporter

Written by texashempreporter on . Posted in Texas Legal & Regulatory News.

Interview with Heather Fazio of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy by Sana v’Ritzvah

Heather served as Texas Political Director of the Marijuana Policy Project from 2014-2018. Now, she utilizes her passion for grassroots activism and coalition building as Director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, an advocacy-focused coalition.

TEXAS HEMP REPORTER: Heather what occurred in the Texas Legislature in May?

HEATHER:Texas is inching along with marijuana legislation. I wish I could say more, it’s like a tennis game. 37 states have fully regulated medical marijuana, including all Texas border states, with Alabama profiting at 92 million per year. The Compassionate Use Act was passed in 2015, amended and expanded in 2019. HB1535 (Rep. Klick) flushed the house 134-12 and sent to the Governor. The bill calls for the expansion of access for all not just terminally-ill cancer patients, PTSD treatments and patients with chronic pain.Sadly the Senate dropped the ball cutting the provision for chronic pain re-feeding back into the opioid epidemic, “pills for pain” costing thousands of lives, quality of life, tragedies, wasted resources and severe addictions.    One inspiring thing was our veteran lobby standing up for non-veterans strongly behind the PTSD inclusion vocally supporting accident survivors,mothers whose child perished in childbirth, victims of crimes all who can
suffer the syndrome.

Another us the establishment of the Internal Review Board for Medical Marijuana. Now in-state research and science can promulgate the myriad reasons for expanding legality of cannabis.    It’s silly really how we banter between .5% 1% 5% THC content when it really should be doctors trained in the field concerning dosages.    It was leaked that hearings concerning the cannabis bills were hijacked by the Lt. Governor’s Office which was meeting secretly without public access. These are the draconian measures our officials are taking to stall progress.    Other bills still in the twilight are SB181 (Rep. Johnson) which would take Texas off the list that suspends drivers licenses for “drug convictions” hoping to alleviate the already 50,000 arrested annually for marijuana-related charges. HB1694 could save lives ensuring medical issues are not exploited to arrest people for possession. And HB567 (Rep. Frank) to protect TCUP patients (minors) from being extracted from their homes for failing a THC test.


THR: How did you personally get involved in medical marijuana?

Witnessing one hundred years of suppression of uses and benefits of hemp and with the issue emerging so strongly. I was involved with Texans for ResponsibleGovernment and a member of the Libertarian Party. I saw it as unconscionable. I was involved with grassroots organizing, community building coalition making. After joining Texas NORML I was chosen as Advisor for the Marijuana Activist Manual. The next logical step was Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy.


THR: There now exists a 27 member coalition that coalesces around the issue.


Yes. Our situation is we live in a polarized political environment. We began to seek allies that could bond to institute policies that mattered. As we discussed I come from a libertarian perspective; a bipartisan grouping, democrats and republicans, ACLU.. it really is a privacy rights issue, a due process issue, civil rights. There are millions affected by dis-regulation, it is liberty versus jailing. Tens of thousands of Texans in jail for marijuana and 92% of burglaries go unsolved.
 

THR: What about Delta-8?
HEATHER:There is an attorney for two companies, one that produces and one that sells Delta-8 products. The DSHS has established that THC from hemp, in any traceable form from .0001% to the supposedly legal 3% is all in the same bucket. The attorney called this a quagmire. By lumping all THC we lose the particulars, our law makers prove they know nothing of the science, nothing about the plant they are dealing with. Our advocates strive to shine light on the variables to avoid misunderstanding.


THR: Can you give us a personal testimony?
HEATHER: A nurse from Wichita Falls, she was diagnosed with cancer. After moving to Colorado she tried cannabis for a second time. She wasn’t sure till one day she left her couch without buckling over, entered her kitchen without pain and began cooking again. For those in pain 24-7 this is life-changing.

Photo Jesse Williams for the Texas Hemp Reporter.


TEXAS HEMP REPORTER:What’s does the future hold in Texas for Cannabis?


HEATHER:The Texas Legislature meets on the odd every two years. So we are looking to 2023. We plan to inject into the campaign cycle, ask a lot of questions of our law makers, create discussions with law enforcement.NORML has collected a marijuana-friendly voters guide. And we seek to start conversations with our civic groups, community centers, PTA (lol) why not? 60% of Texans believe small amounts of marijuana should be legal for any purpose.

THR:Are you optimistic?


HEATHER:Very. This is tug of war, we stand on the backs of several generations of activists that have blazed this trail. We represent a professional effort to secure individual rights. Nothing but our best efforts will bring our movement forward. 

Episode:33 Ilissa Nolan of the Texas Hemp Coalition

Written by Jesse Williams on . Posted in Podcast.

Russell Dowden and Coleman Hemphill discuss the end of the 87th Legislature and address the bills that did not pass, and what did pass.

ILISSA NOLAN serves as the Executive Director for the Texas Hemp Coalition. Ms. Nolan was one of the few lobbyists that worked to pass HB 1325 which made it legal to grow and process hemp in Texas. She also serves as a government affairs consultant for Booth & Associates P.C. where she works to build policy through stakeholder collaboration and educating clients on cutting edge issues surrounding state and federal environmental matters, especially topics involving agriculture, rural affairs, and environmental issues.

lucky leaf podcast day 2 texas hemp reporter

Episode 31: Lucky Leaf Expo Day 2

Written by Jesse Williams on . Posted in Podcast.

Host: Russell Dowden and Jesse Williams

Live from The Lucky Leaf Expo at the Austin Convention Center (May 15, 2021 ) we interview Nishi Whitley board member at Foundation for an Informed Texas (FIT) is a 501c3, tax-deductible, educational nonprofit focused on educating Texans about cannabis through tools, resources and outreach. We also speak to Joe Pedraza TPS Lab who talks with us about soils and farming, Nathan from Hempliance also says hello, and finally actor Daniel Villarreal stopped by for a quick chat. Daniel works with PAKALOLO PLUG in San Antonio and is best known for his work with landing his first acting part in Stand and Deliver playing Chuco, the finger man. Best known as Little Puppet in American Me.

Nishi Whiteley (pronounced Nee-sha), is the COO of CReDO Science, LLC, a biopharma IP holding company dedicated to commercializing patented products generated from CReDO’s investigation of the cannabis plant and the endocannabinoid system (ECS). She is also the VP of Business Development at Breeder’s Best, a cannabis IP genetics company, a cannabis educator, speaker and author.