Craft brewers tap into cannabis-infused beers

By Annabelle Tometich
Source: usatoday.com

Point Ybel Brewing Co. released a new beer infused with cannabis terpenes called SOWFLO IPA.Amanda Inscore/news-press.com

FORT MYERS, Fla. — There's a buzz brewing at Point Ybel in south Fort Myers; a new craft beer that won't exactly get you baked — but that smells like it could. 

"You definitely get that piney, herbal aroma," Point Ybel's head brewer Jordan Weisberg said after pouring a pint of his new SOWFLO IPA, a hazy, New England-style IPA infused with essential oils from marijuana plants. 

"It's not overwhelming, but it's certainly there."

The beer's herb-like scent comes from cannabis terpenes, the sticky and fragrant oils that give the plants their distinctive aromas. 

Point Ybel doesn't like calling the new IPA a marijuana-beer. Even though it does, technically, contain cannabis compounds, it has none of the plant's mind-altering THC. 

"No THC, I can't say that enough," Point Ybel owner Walt Costello said. "The oils just have that piney, citrus quality that really complement the hops."

The trend of infusing cannabis oils into a craft beer has been gaining steam across the country. 

In August, California-based Lagunitas Brewing Co. released its limited-edition SuperCritical IPA infused with cannabis terpenes, according to beeradvocate.com. In November 2016, Oregon's Coalition Brewing released its first of a line of beers infused with CBD, or cannabidiol, THC's non-psychoactive cousin which is believed to still offer medicinal and therapeutic benefits. 

In November, Devour Brewing Co. in Boynton Beach released some of Florida's first cannabis-infused beers with its Apricot Haze Berliner-Weisse and Florida Thunder IPA, both of which are infused with terpenes according to a southflorida.com report. 

Point Ybel's new beer is called SOWFLO IPA and is a New England-style IPA with Blue Dream terpenes. (Photo: Amanda Inscore/The News-Press)

Several breweries in Colorado, where recreational cannabis is legal and readily available, have crafted beers infused with CBD, terpenes and hemp. The state paved the way for cannabis-infused beers in 2015 when Dude's Brews in Aurora found a legal, water-soluble hemp oil that it could infuse into its brews. Dude's released its Indica and Sativa IPAs later that year. 

And the big (well, bigger) guys are getting in on the action, too.

Jordan Weisberg is the head brewer at Point Ybel Brewing Company. (Photo: Amanda Inscore/The News-Press)

The brewers at New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, Colo., are on the brink of releasing The Hemporer, a craft beer set to be unveiled nationwide April 2 that New Belgium has trademarked as an "HPA" (as opposed to IPA) for its unique mix of hops and hemp. The Hemporer will be available on draft at select bars in April and in bottles on store shelves in May. 

Weisberg pointed out that hop plants and hemp plants are close cousins, both belonging to the family cannabinaceae. And both plants produce terpenes. 

"We add the cannabis terpenes after the brewing process to retain as much of the aroma and flavor as we can," Weisberg said. 

He purchased Blue Dream terpenes, a cross between Blueberry indica cannabis plants and Haze sativa, from a producer in Oregon. 

Point Ybel's first batch of SOWFLO IPA, named for the rock-reggae band that frequently plays at the brewery, sold out quickly after its release on St. Patrick's Day. Another batch is planned for Point Ybel's 4/20 Reggae Party on April 20. 

And Weisberg has another cannabis-laced beer in the works, Lemon Haze, a terpenes-infused imperial sour made with Meyer lemon zest that the brewery plans to release May 15. 

"It's a natural pairing," Weisberg said of cannabis and hops. "It just works."

 

Hemp for Victory: Bipartisan Hemp Bill Could Be a Game Changer

By Anthony Johnson
Source: weednews.co

It was great to see that Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had announced his intention to move forward with a bipartisan bill to remove hemp from the list of controlled substances and even provide federal grants for farmers. Senator McConnell is excited about the benefits hemp can bring to his home state of Kentucky. While it has been painfully obvious that hemp should never have been prohibited in the first place, it’s better late than never. Hemp for Victory, the U.S. government film that urged American farmers to grow as much hemp as possible to help us win World War II should be required viewing for members of Congress and the Executive Branch.

Congress took the first step to chipping away at hemp prohibition in 2014 by shielding limited hemp research programs from federal prosecution. Since 2014, Kentucky has been a leader in the hemp industry, as Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles stated in the press release announcing the Hemp Farming Act of 2018, “Here in Kentucky, we have built the best Industrial Hemp Research Pilot Program in the country and have established a model for how other states can do the same with buy-in from growers, processors, and law enforcement. “I want to thank Leader McConnell for introducing this legislation which allows us to harness the economic viability of this crop and presents the best opportunity to put hemp on a path to commercialization.”

A real game changer in the bill could be a provision that will allow for researchers to compete for grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As we’ve seen in Oregon, a lot of the current hemp production has been used for hemp oil, a high-CBD product that can provide medicinal and other health benefits. The benefits of cannabis and hemp oils are evident, but what I’m really excited about is the potential for the Hemp Farming Act’s research grants to open up the possibility of hemp plastics, fuel, and other products that can improve our environment.

Hemp oil is already on the shelves, and cannabis-based medicines will likely be legal by prescription soon across the nation, and available in states that have passed medical and legalization laws. Breaking into other industries, particularly competing with Big Oil, will likely take technological advancements, a consumer educational program, and maybe even some government subsidies.

The Hemp Farming Act has the potential to open up the benefits of hemp for farmers, processors, entrepreneurs, consumers, and planet earth. Jack Herer, the author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, and one of the founders of the modern legalization movement, famously stated that “Hemp can save the planet.” (The Emperor Wears No Clothes and Doug Fine’s Hemp Bound are really required reading for anyone wanting to learn about the past, present and future of hemp.) If we all contact our members of Congress and urge them to pass the Hemp Farming Act, we might soon prove Jack Herer correct.

The Let’s Hash It Out podcast crew discussed the Hemp Farming Act of 2018, first (well, after 3/4 of the crew toked on some legal Oregon cannabis from Cannabliss), before getting into other topics. Have a listen. You can check out all of the podcasts right here on Weed News. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 

 

McConnell Wants Hemp Removed From Controlled Substance List

Source: usnews.com

Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell wants to bring hemp production back into the mainstream by removing it from the list of controlled substances.

The U.S. Senate's top leader said Monday he wants to bring hemp production back into the mainstream by removing it from the controlled substances list that now associates the crop with its cousin — marijuana.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told hemp advocates in his home state of Kentucky that he will introduce legislation to legalize the crop as an agricultural commodity. The versatile crop has been grown on an experimental basis in a number of states in recent years.

"It's now time to take the final step and make this a legal crop," McConnell said.

Kentucky has been at the forefront of hemp's comeback. Kentucky agriculture officials recently approved more than 12,000 acres (4,856 hectares) to be grown in the state this year, and 57 Kentucky processors are helping turn the raw product into a multitude of products.

Growing hemp without a federal permit has long been banned due to its classification as a controlled substance related to marijuana. Hemp and marijuana are the same species, but hemp has a negligible amount of THC, the psychoactive compound that gives marijuana users a high.

Hemp got a limited reprieve with the 2014 federal Farm Bill, which allows state agriculture departments to designate hemp projects for research and development. So far, 34 states have authorized hemp research, while actual production occurred in 19 states last year, said Eric Steenstra, president of the advocacy group Vote Hemp. Hemp production totaled 25,541 acres (10,336 hectares) in 2017, more than double the 2016 output, he said.

The crop, which once thrived in Kentucky, was historically used for rope but has many other uses, including clothing and mulch from the fiber, hemp milk and cooking oil from the seeds, and soap and lotions. Other uses include building materials, animal bedding and biofuels.

Hemp advocates fighting for years to restore the crop's legitimacy hailed McConnell's decision to put his political influence behind the effort.

"This is a huge development for the hemp industry," Steenstra said. "Sen. McConnell's support is critical to helping us move hemp from research and pilot programs to full commercial production."

Brian Furnish, an eighth-generation tobacco farmer in Kentucky, has started making the switch to hemp production. His family will grow about 300 acres (120 hectares) of hemp this year in Harrison County. He's also part owner of a company that turns hemp into food, fiber and dietary supplements.

Furnish said hemp has the potential to rival or surpass what tobacco production once meant to Kentucky.

"All we've got to do is the government get out of the way and let us grow," he told reporters.

McConnell acknowledged there was "some queasiness" about hemp in 2014 when federal lawmakers cleared the way for states to regulate it for research and pilot programs. There's much broader understanding now that hemp is a "totally different" plant than its illicit cousin, he said.

"I think we've worked our way through the education process of making sure everybody understands this is really a different plant," the Republican leader said.

McConnell said he plans to have those discussions with Attorney General Jeff Sessions to emphasize the differences between the plants. The Trump administration has taken a tougher stance on marijuana.

The Department of Justice's press office declined to comment Monday on McConnell's pending legislation.

McConnell said his bill will attract a bipartisan group of co-sponsors. He said the measure would allow states to have primary regulatory oversight of hemp production if they submit plans to federal officials outlining how they would monitor production.

"We're going to give it everything we've got to pull it off," he said.

In Kentucky, current or ex-tobacco farmers could easily make the conversion to hemp production, Furnish said. Equipment and barns used for tobacco can be used to produce hemp, he said. Tobacco production dropped sharply in Kentucky amid declining smoking rates.

Furnish said his family has reaped profits of about $2,000 per acre for hemp grown for dietary supplements, better than what they've made from tobacco, he said.

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, whose great-grandfather grew hemp for rope to support the war effort in the 1940s, said he hopes hemp's legalization can "open the floodgates and we can see the true potential of this crop."

"We hope to position Kentucky to maximize the benefit of this crop once legalized, so the economic activity stays right here," he said.

 

Study: Cannabinoids May Alleviate Dystonia and Other Huntington’s Disease Symptoms

By Anthony Martinelli
Source: thejointblog.com

“Treatment options for dystonia are limited”, states the study’s abstract. “Cannabinoids have been described as a potential treatment for patients with dystonia of a different origin. Here, we present early onset HD [Huntington’s disease] patients with a marked improvement of motor symptoms mainly due to alleviation of dystonia due to treatment with cannabinoids.” In addition, “we review the current literature concerning the use of cannabinoids in HD. Dystonia is described by the Mayo Clinic as “Involuntary muscle contractions that cause repetitive or twisting movements.”

According to researchers, “The Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) motor score, including a chorea and dystonia subscore, was conducted before and after the start of cannabinoids in seven patients without any other changes in medication. The UHDRS motor score and the dystonia subscore (±SD) improved from 70.9 (25.5) to 60.6 (26.9) with a mean change of 10.3 [95% CI 6.0-14.6] and from 12.3 (4.0) to 8.0 (3.6) with a mean change of 4.3 [95% CI 2.3-6.3], respectively (both p = 0.018).”

They conclude; “Improvement of motor symptoms, mainly dystonia, led to several relevant improvements from a global clinical perspective such as improvement of care, gait and fine motor skills and weight gain. Moreover, we observed changes in behavior with less irritability and apathy, as well as less hypersalivation in some cases.”

The full study can be found by clicking here.

Cannabidiol Could Prevent Relapse In Alcoholics And Addicts

By Steven Gothrinet
Source: hempgazette.com

The list of conditions that cannabidiol (a cannabinoid extracted from cannabis) may be able to treat continues to grow – this time in helping to prevent relapse in addicts and alcoholics.

For the many people struggling with addiction, staying clean and/or sober is a major challenge and relapses are common. Relapses can be triggered by a wide variety of things, including anxiety and being in an environment that encourages drug and alcohol use.

While programs such as AA and NA can do amazing things to help addicts/alcoholics in developing coping mechanisms and learning to avoid risky environments, a safe medication to help support this could see a lot more being successful in their efforts. To be a “safe medication”, it would need to be one that doesn’t act as a replacement “high”, but helps remove or reduce the desire to use/drink, isn’t habit forming, nor has nasty side-effects.

A recntly published preclinical study in rats “addicted” to cocaine or alcohol has shown a gel containing cannabidiol (CBD) applied to their skin daily for a week reduced relapse provoked by stress and drug cues, while also alleviating anxiety and impulsivity in the rats. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol is non-psychoactive and there’s no indication as yet its use leads to addiction.

Another very interesting result from the study was the rats that had been treated with CBD still showed a reduced relapse induced by stress or drug cues five months later.

“The results provide proof of principle supporting the potential of CBD in relapse prevention along two dimensions: beneficial actions across several vulnerability states, and long-lasting effects with only brief treatment,” said Friedbert Weiss, leader of an investigative team at the Scripps Research Institute in California.

The study, “Unique treatment potential of cannabidiol for the prevention of relapse to drug use: preclinical proof of principle” has been published in Springer Nature’s Neuropsychopharmacology.

“The findings also inform the ongoing medical marijuana debate concerning medical benefits of non-psychoactive cannabinoids and their promise for development and use as therapeutics,” says the study abstract.

As we’ve often mentioned on HempGazette, medical cannabis is also showing promise in addressing the opioid abuse crisis. In August last year, we reported University of Mississippi researchers indicated that cannabidiol, which can be extracted from industrial hemp, may be a powerful tool in the battle against opioid medicine abuse and addiction.

Switzerland considers making cannabis legal and approves pilot programs

By Steve Elliott
Source: herb.co

An article has been added to the Swiss Federation’s Narcotics Act that allows for scientific research projects.

Cannabis could soon be legal in Switzerland. The Swiss Council of States, Switzerland’s smaller chamber of parliament, unanimously approved a bill allowing studies and pilot programs in the landlocked Alpine nation. The Council called for an experimental article in the Swiss Federation’s Narcotics Act that would allow for scientific research projects including trials of a “coffee shop” system of cannabis distribution similar to that of Amsterdam. Five Swiss cities have already called for such coffeeshop pilot programs.

The Ministry of Health rejected requests until now, maintaining there’s no legal basis for carving such exceptions out of the Narcotics Act. After rejecting the idea in November 2017, the Ministry pointed out that the Narcotics Act must be amended by an “experiment paragraph.” This would provide for the City of Bern to review future applications.

“There was a need for scientifically based decision-making principles for the future regulation of cannabis,” according to MP Roberto Zanetti, representing the Social Democrats. The City of Bern had previously requested a cannabis pilot project several times. Under the proposed trial, 1,000 people who already use cannabis would be allowed to purchase it legally.The pilot project, which would allow cannabis purchases in pharmacies, would be scientifically evaluated and serve as a basis for future cannabis policies.

The bill now goes to the larger chamber of parliament, the National Council, where its fate rests. The Council of States has 46 members representing the Swiss cantons (federal states). It is the lesser chamber of parliament, analogous to the U.S. House of Representatives. The National Council has 200 members. Together, the two chambers make up the Swiss Federal Assembly, which meets in Bern.

Cannabis is already widely tolerated in Switzerland.

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – APRIL 28: Young people enjoying a party and smoking a marijuana joint at Lake Geneva with the yachting harbour on April 28, 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland. Geneva is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, located at the Rhine River and Lake Geneva. (Photo by EyesWideOpen/Getty Images)

Possession of 10 grams or less of cannabis has been decriminalized. Between 200,000 and 300,000 Swiss use cannabis on a regular basis, according to government estimates. Possession of up to 10 grams isn’t punished in most cantons. Public consumption will get you a minor fine, 100 Swiss francs.

Numerous coffee shops are already open, legally selling CBD-dominant cannabis flowers with THC content of less than 1 percent. With the first CBD bars opening, cannabis has become hot news in Switzerland and is becoming part of the streetscape and culture.

CBD use is so widespread, the police in Zurich have started using a rapid test device to test for CBD to distinguish between low-THC legal cannabis and the high-THC illegal flower.

Switzerland’s 1 percent limit on THC means it has a higher threshold than the rest of Europe, Canada, and the United States. Anything up to 1 percent THC is defined as legal fiber hemp under Swiss Federation law. Because Switzerland isn’t a member of the European Union, it is free to set its own marijuana policies.

Switzerland almost legalized cannabis 20 years ago.

Back in the late 1990s, cannabis activists in Switzerland discovered a loophole in the Narcotics Act. The legal gap made it possible to grow and sell marijuana, both for personal use and on a larger scale. That’s because the law didn’t yet distinguish between cannabis and hemp on the basis of THC content. As long as the products were grown and sold for the stated use of “aromatherapy,” that made them legal.

A network of “Hanflädelis” (Hemp shops) rapidly sprang up where flowers and hash could be bought at reasonable prices. The shops first appeared in Zurich, and later throughout the country.

The Council of States even approved a legalization law in 2001. The National Council was expected to follow. But Switzerland, despite its famed neutrality (and, at the time, non-membership), came under heavy pressure from the United Nations. The U.N. was still unfortunately locked in is quixotic Drug War mindset. It demanded that Switzerland stick to its commitment to the 1961 Single Convention. That international agreement, seen through by the infamous American drug warrior Harry J. Anslinger, basically forced every country on earth to promise to keep cannabis illegal forever.

It didn’t help that neighbors France and Germany had started to loudly complain about the increasing amounts of cannabis coming across their borders. The weed was coming from, you guessed it, Switzerland

A picture taken on September 20, 2017, shows new Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis smiling during a press conference after his election by the Federal Assembly in Bern.
The 56-year-old right-wing doctor Ignazio Cassis, who favors the legalization of cannabis, will take the lead in the Swiss diplomacy following the withdrawal of political life from his predecessor Didier Burkhalter, the Swiss government announced on September 22, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Fabrice COFFRINI (Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

In September 2002, Switzerland joined the United Nations. In short order, the National Council buckled to international pressure. They rejected the law that had been approved by the lower chamber of parliament the year before. Faced with the stark choice of legal cannabis or membership in the U.N., Swiss politicians chose the latter. So now it’s up to the National Council again.

A national referendum on cannabis legalization failed at the polls in 2008. In the decade since, the Swiss cities of Bern, Geneva, Basel, and Zurich have all repeatedly asked for regulated marijuana sales, starting with pilot projects. Many smaller towns also want to take part in such trials.

So in a replay of what happened in 2002 the final decision on cannabis legalization once again is up to the National Council. This time, the Grand Chamber of parliament is expected to at least partially go along with the Council of States. The vote, however, is expected to be a close one.

Brno conference will explore hemp in phytoremediation

Source: hemptoday.net

Hemp’s tendency to absorb contaminants from the earth is among subjects to be explored during the fourth edition of “Cannabis & Science,” a conference set April 18, 2018 at Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic.

While hemp is seen by some as useful in phytoremediation – in which plants absorb contaminants such as mineral fertilizers, composts and sewage sludges – the plant’s absorptive properties could mean it is more susceptible to contamination of hemp crops grown for other end uses.

Marie Bjelková, Agritec Šumperk, a plant science researcher based in the Czech Republic, will look at hemp’s ability to reduce or eliminate heavy metal from soil caused by intensive farming and industry.

Bjelková will balance hemp in phytoremediation with the potential for contamination in the cultivation and production of fiber, organic dry plant matter for industrial applications, and as seeds destined for food and oil.

Mendel U. expanding hemp research

Mendel University is rapidly expanding exploration of industrial hemp in its broader cannabis research program. That’s due in part to legislative changes that have made the Czech Republic an attractive destination for foreign investors interested in cannabis research.

Also presenting are Hana Gabrielova, Hempoint, Czech Republic, who’ll give an overview of global trends in the cannabis industry, and Ethan Russo, MD, research director at the Prague-based International Cannabis and Cannabinoid Institute, who’ll talk about medical applications for cannabinoids, terpenoids and flavonoids, and their corresponding biochemical and physiological effects.

A total of 15 speakers will address the one-day international event.

Register here for the conference.