Monthly Archives: February 2020

O’Connor: City at juncture of progress and challenges – Frederick News Post

Posted: February 27, 2020 at 2:08 am

After an at-times tumultuous 2019, Frederick is heading into 2020 at a crossroads of extraordinary progress and evident challenges, Mayor Michael OConnor said in his State of the City speech Monday.

The year will bring new hires to fill two key positions: a new chief of the Frederick Police Department, and a head of the citys new Department of Housing and Human Services.

The new agency will combine the Frederick Community Action Agencys work with human services and the Community Development Block Grant program for housing.

OConnor said after the speech that the change in combining the two departments will provide a chance to re-evaluate the programs the FCAA has run for more than 30 years under the previous director, Mike Spurrier, who was removed from the position in November.

He said he wants the change to be seen as significant, but not to undo the work that the agency has done over the years.

Its a fine line between radical change and a re-tweaking of the status quo, OConnor said.

OConnor said he hopes both positions will be advertised in the next few weeks, and filled in three to four months, although it might take longer.

We want to cast as wide a net as possible, he said.

The police chief opening comes after several high-profile shootings and stabbings in the downtown area over the summer, although overall, serious crime in the city was down.

The citys crime statistics are the lowest theyve been in 20 years, OConnor said in his speech.

Nevertheless, crime statistics do not equate to the feeling of safety, he said.

The city and police department are discussing ways to increase police presence, respond to the constantly shifting nature of crime, and make sure residents and visitors feel safe, especially in the warmer months, he said.

Along with crime, the city also dealt with a controversy over a proposed new logo as part of a rebranding effort, and a long-delayed project to repair a bridge on Monocacy Boulevard, which finally opened in December after more than two years.

The logo was a small part of the larger rebranding effort, which generated a lot of good data for the city, and the Monocacy Boulevard situation featured a lot of things that the city couldnt control, OConnor said.

We have to identify what we can control and what we cant control, he said.

Other things the city will address in 2020 include working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address flooding and the effects of climate change in the citys infrastructure; a registry to help track vacant properties in the city; a study to look at the percentage of qualified minority businesses in the city and the percentage of money the city spends on those services; and working with a variety of partners to bring a hotel to downtown Frederick.

OConnor said the city will be announcing the next step in that process soon.

Because we will be opening a downtown hotel and conference center, he said.

Follow Ryan Marshall on Twitter: @RMarshallFNP.

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Vikings GM Rick Spielman on the Vikings offensive line: ‘It’s still a work in progress’ – Vikings Wire

Posted: at 2:08 am

The offensive line has to be a point of concern for the Vikings in the offseason.

What are they going to do about Riley Reiff? Will they cut him or restructure his contract due to the salary cap situation, or will they keep him on? Will the Vikings draft an offensive lineman in the first round to shore up depth or will they draft one in the later rounds? They could even hold off on drafting one altogether. And what is the team going to do in free agency when it comes to the offensive line?

Vikings GM Rick Spielman addressed the state of the offensive line at the NFL Combine.

I think its still a work in progress, Spielman told reporters. I think when we went to the outside zone, there were specific guys who have to have specific physical traits that were looking for. I think that will be an area that we will continue to try and improve. But we made tremendous strides from last year.

As previously reported, Pro Football Focus gave just one Vikings offensive lineman above a grade of 70 on a 100-point scale this season.

It will be interesting to see if the salary cap, plus the level of play, leads to the Vikings finding an offensive lineman in the draft.

All the passing and everything thats done in this league, youre going to win in the trenches, both on the offensive and defensive side, Spielman said.

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How progressives and conservatives have changed the debate over freedom of speech – Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF)

Posted: at 2:07 am

Throughout American history, peoples views on what should or should not count as protected speech under the First Amendment has waxed and waned along with cultural trends and changing political ideologies.

But rarely do we see the viewpoint on certain fundamental rights shift so dramatically.

Progressives used to champion the freedom of speech, even in cases at the U.S. Supreme Court. Now it is more likely to be conservatives defending the First Amendment while progressives push for government censorship and restrictions on speech they dont like.

How did we get here?

For the better part of the 20th century, progressives were some of the most vocal proponents for protecting peoples freedom of speech. In the early 1900s, labor organizers formed organizations like the ACLU and fought for the rights of workers to speak and assemble freely.

For example, in 1925 the ACLU defended the free speech rights of Benjamin Gitlow, a member of the Socialist Party of America, who was charged with criminal anarchy for distributing a document called the Left Wing Manifesto.

During the Vietnam War era, progressives supported individuals protesting the war. This included the case of Paul Robert Cohen, who was charged with disturbing the peace for wearing a jacket displaying F*** the Draft inside a public courthouse. It also includes the case of five students in Des Moines, Iowa, who decided to wear black armbands to school in protest of the war. Both cases led to Supreme Court decisions that increased speech protections for all Americans.

In the 70s and 80s, the ACLU even came to the defense of Americans charged with crimes like burning the American flag, which was alleged to be indecent speech, and defended the First Amendment rights of despicable groups like Neo-Nazis.

But in the past 20 years, there appears to have been a shift in the cultural dynamic.

Ironically, todays progressives are making many of the same arguments to restrict free speech that conservatives previously made when fighting against pornography and obscenity. Rather than upholding an individuals freedom to express himself or herself, progressives would rather restrict speech according to their own ideological or cultural preferences.

Louis Michael Seidman, a constitutional law professor at Georgetown, has even argued that free speech is not a progressive ideal, and that there are substantive differences between conservative speech and liberal speech. Northeastern University psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett argues that there are times when speech can be so offensive and upsetting that it is akin to using actual physical violence against someone.

Now, conservative student groups are filing lawsuits fighting enforcement of so-called speech codes and free-speech zones on many university campuses. Their supporters in the courts of law and public opinion are now more likely to be found on the political right than the political left.

This shift in the views of the right and left on free speech has been sharp and dramatic. We can only hope that todays free speech advocates can preserve the right of each of us to express ourselves against those who would choose government censorship.

When the Framers of the Bill of Rights decided to recognize freedom of speech in the First Amendment, they could not anticipate how American culture would develop over the next 200+ years.

But luckily for all Americans, they codified those rights in a written Constitution, which doesnt change based on cultural and political movements.

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What transgenderism and Islam have in common: Destroying free speech – Lifesite

Posted: at 2:07 am

February 25, 2020 (Turning Point Project) Fashions come and go, but sometimes they can stick around long enough to do considerable damage. Smoking was fashionable for a great many decades and was glamorized in films for more than half a century long after it was known to markedly increase the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses.

No one knows how long transgenderism will remain in fashion, but lets hope it wont be for long because, unlike smoking, it strikes at the very foundation of civilization. The two genders are not optional. They are indispensable for the generation of new life, and for providing the stable families which form the basis of society.

The transgender fads also strike hard at anothersine qua nonof civilization the acknowledgment of objective realities. The trans person is encouraged to ignore the facts of his or her biology, and to replace reality with illusion or, more properly, with delusion.

Transgender persons are encouraged to lie about their nature, and, to make matters worse, the rest of us are expected to collude in the lie. Of course, expected is not quite the right word. Increasingly, the lie is required, and punishments are meted out to those who wont go along with it. The transgender fantasy is so far removed from reality, that the brittle construct can only be kept intact by raw compulsion.

Islam is not a fad, its a 1400-year-old faith, Yet, in recent years it has become a fashionable faith. Celebrities convert to it. Academics defend it. Politicians praise it. And Catholic leaders declare their solidarity with it.

Meanwhile, in the fashion industry, designers in London, Paris, and New York compete with one another to produce upscale lines of hijabs and abayas. And last month, the Swedish edition ofEllemagazine, chose Imane Asry as the winner of its Look of the Year competition. Asry, a hijab-wearing social media influencer told Elle, This is an acknowledgement that its more than time that we begin to normalize the hijab in the fashion industry.

Few people, especially in the fashion industry, question whether it is a good idea to normalize the hijab and the abaya. For many, its simply the latest trend, and thats all they need to know. Yet, the hijab is best understood as a symbol of control rather than an emblem of freedom. The hijab is most prevalent in Muslim societies that practice fundamentalist forms of Islam, and regard women as little more than possessions. In some places such as Iran women who choose not to wear it end up in prison.

But just as its not fashionable to talk about the persecution of Christians in the Muslim world, its not fashionable to talk about the persecution of Muslim women who dont want to wear the hijab. Likewise, to get back to the subject of transgenderism, its not fashionable to talk about the suffering that teens and young adults go through as a result of adult encouragement to follow their illusions. The slaughter of Christians in the name of Islam, and the damage done to young bodies by dangerous cross-sex drugs and irreversible surgeries are things that are simply not talked about in polite society.

Although there are many obvious differences between the transgender movement and the religion of Islam, the attempt to sell both to the general public is essentially the same. Both are presented as misunderstood minorities who will bring diversity and enrichment to society if given half a chance. And in both cases the aggrieved parties are presented as victims of transphobia in the one instance and of Islamophobia in the other. By the same token, their critics are cast as hate-filled victimizers.

Trans activists and Muslim activists also present their causes as a matter of civil rights. But their demands actually bear little resemblance to the claims of traditional civil rights movements. When women marched for the right to vote, they were only asking for a right that men already possessed. But transgender persons and their advocates are asking for special rights which will only be available to a select few.

Moreover, these newly created rights would infringe on the rights of others. Giving a man who claims to be a woman the right to use the womens locker room, quite obviously takes away a womens right to privacy. And forcing a teacher to address a male student as Miss deprives him of his right to freedom of speech.

Likewise, Muslim activist groups are not asking for the same rights that are granted to other religions; rather they are claiming special privileges. As is now becoming clear, the fundamental right they claim is the right not to be criticized or offended. This right, of course, is an obvious infringement on the right to free speech. Yet, amazingly, the European Court of Human Rights ruled last year that harm to the religious feelings of Muslims took precedence over the right of an Austrian women, Elizabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, to voice criticism of Islam. The specific crime for which Sabaditsch-Wolff was found guilty was mentioning that Muhammad had married a six-year-old girl a fact that is well-attested in Islamic scripture. Nevertheless, it was a fact that Austrian Muslims did not want to hear least of all from the mouth of an infidel woman.

So, just as the transgender movement forces people to lie, it seems that non-Muslims will increasingly be required to collude in lies about Islam: that Muhammad was the perfect man and a model for all mankind, that Islam is a religion of peace, that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam, and so on.

In short, both Islam and transgenderism are essentially totalitarian movements that seek to control freedom of thought and expression. Unlike the campaign to glamorize smoking, the normalization of these rigid ideologies endangers not just the physical health of the individual, but also the moral and spiritual health of the whole society.

The wonder is that so many especially among the woke generation are working to normalize these destructive systems. But its less baffling when one considers the role of fashion in forming our views. Although the evidence strongly suggests that these ideologies ought not to be promoted, fashion, not evidence is usually the deciding factor. Fashion not only dictates what to wear, but what to think. Author Lillian Hellman famously said, I will not cut my conscience to fit this years fashions, but tailoring ones conscience is something that is done on a fairly regular basis in our politically correct society.

So, the normalization of dangerous trends continues. Unfortunately, modern technology now provides tools for speeding up the normalization process. InThe Madness of Crowds, Douglas Murray explains how hi tech can be used to manipulate minds and sell big lies in subtle ways. Moreover, as he points out, these powerful tools are concentrated in the hands of a small group of ideologically driven activists who are quite convinced that they know what is best for the rest of us:

The presumptions of Silicon Valley began to be imposed on the rest of the world online... on each of the hot button issues of the day it is not local custom or even the most fundamental values of existing societies that are being driven, but the specific view that exist in the most social-justice-obsessed square miles in the world.

As one small example of the imposition of woke presumptions, consider what happens when you google Jihad Watch on your laptop. The first thing that catches your attention is a large box on the top right which informs you that Jihad Watch is an anti-Muslim conspiracy blog run by Robert B. Spencer. Well, that sounds pretty bad. And if you like to think of yourself as a woke person, you certainly dont want to go chasing after conspiracy theories. In all likelihood you wont bother to visit the conspiracy blog, and will thus be deprived of a wealth of information about jihad activity as reported by Spencer from such conspiracy sites asReuters, The BBC,The Times of Israel,The New York Times, The Guardian, andThe Times of India. But never mind. Your well-tailored conscience will continue to be a good fit for the fashions of the day.

Multiply such algorithmic sleights of hand a thousand times, and youll better understand why the woke among us are completely asleep to the real sources of tyranny. Our woke society is sleepwalking its way to an Orwellian future.

This article originally appeared in the February 19, 2020 edition of Catholic World Report. It is published here with permission from the Turning Point Project.

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Hitler would be very proud of the Aalst Carnival in Belgium! – The Times of Israel

Posted: at 2:07 am

The city of Aalst, Belgium has officially held its carnival since 1923. Parades of that sort actually go back to the Middle Ages. Aalst almost always makes the news for its 3-Day carnival taking place yearly at the end of February. The organizers repeatedly claim that the satirical tone of the carnival is to be remembered when one considers any of its floats. They claim to poke fun at people indiscriminately. Freedom of press and freedom of expression are at the core of the Aalst Carnival, and within reason, in a world where these two are quickly being squeezed out, if not disappearing altogether, this is a breath of fresh air that we must respect. Unless it is taken too far!

Going back to the French Revolution of 1789, theDeclaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizensaid in its article 11,The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law. Furthermore, theUniversal Declaration of Human Rightsadded in its article 19,Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.Important boundaries for all of mankind were put in place to protect our freedoms on just about every level. The laws are in place to protect us, but keep in mind, that even if something is not illegal, it does not mean it is appropriate. We should never allow ourselves to abuse the power of free speech, even in a satire!

Belgium also has some very specific boundaries regarding freedom of speech, like most countries in the West. Through an organization known asUNIA, Belgium monitors and defends people who have been victims of discrimination. They are very helpful in determining whenfreedom of speech crosses the lineand becomes racism and/or incitement.

The 2019 Aalst Carnival featured some giant orthodox Jews withgrotesque facial features, wearing pink outfits with oversized shtreimels (Jewish fur hats) with rats on their shoulders and money bursting out of their pockets. The depiction was so despicably antisemitic that even UNESCOnot Israels strongest supporter over the yearsdecided toremove the Aalst Carnival from its list of cultural heritage of Humanity.

The embarrassment created by the UNESCO removal in 2019 should have taught the organizers a lesson and should have given them a serious incentive to put an end to the antisemitic elements of the carnival. Instead, it appears that it emboldened them to go further. This would be outrage at any time of history, but in 2020, it is oil thrown onto the fire of global antisemitism. This will inevitably provide justification to those who want to kill Jews, as we are starting to witness that again.

The Aalst Jews of 2020 were again wearing oversized shtreimels, dressed in black this year, but the bottom half of their bodies were that of insects or vermin; ants to be exact.

A small replica of the Western Wall was also paraded with words complain ant (words that apparently look like the words Western Wall in Dutch.) Joining the crowds were dozens of people wearing caricatural orthodox Jewish garb and large fake crooked noses, not to mention the many flyers with stereotypical renditions of Jews with side curls, crooked noses and curly hair.

The 1940 Nazi propaganda filmThe Wandering Jewdepicted Jewish people as rats coming out of sewers to invade the world. Jews were compared to parasites and vermin. In other Nazi works, they were compared to insects like lice that must be exterminated. You know the rest of the story. Antisemites currently do not need any incentive to hate the Jews, so why go there?

Without the help of Aalst Carnival, global Jews are again at risk for their lives. Comparing them to insects or rats is giving antisemites justification for their actions, When the mayor of Aalst was asked, he responded that there was no antisemitism in his city. Seriously? Even Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes ONLY stated that the carnival was causing damage to our values and the reputation of our country. Unfortunately, words never condemn actions unless they are followed by consequences for those actions.

The Aalst Carnival MUST stop its antisemitism and all other kinds of xenophobic displays or it should not be allowed to continue. I dont care how funny people think it wasas all watchers were smiling or laughing as the floats passed by themit continues to fuel the unnecessary and irrational global tsunami of antisemitism that is now claiming Jewish lives again!

In 2013, they chose to wear Gestapo uniforms, walked around wearing cans labeled Zyklon B the poison that the Nazis used to kill Jews in gas chambers, and paraded a cattle car similar to those used to transport Jews during the Holocaust. At this rate, it wont be long before the floats look like crematoria or gas chambers!

Well, actually, it was only a day later that the city ofCampo de Criptana, Spain featured such a float in their parade. Nazi uniforms, train car and crematoria along with prisoners in striped outfits. Some said that the town is a friend of Israel. Maybe they are, but what a distasteful way to commemorate the Holocaust and remember the Jewish people!

Is it time for all the Jews of Belgium and Spain to make Aliyah to Israel?

Aaslt and Campo de Criptana, you would make Hitler very proud!

Olivier was born in Paris, France in 1959 to a Jewish family whose mother had escaped and survived the Holocaust. He has a background in Fine Arts and Graphic Design from Paris. Moved to the United States in 1985 after getting married. Olivier settled on the West coast with his wife where both of their children were born. He joined Chosen People Ministries in 1997 where he currently serves as the Northwest Regional Director as well as Vice-President of the "Berger d'Isral" association in France. Olivier is the author of two books on anti-Semitism available at http://www.newantisemitism.com.

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Get 50% off Some of the Best Organic CBD Oil out There – Gear Patrol

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If you still havent tried CBD, Sunsoils Organic CBD Oil may just get you off the fence. You can trust the brand, with all its products coming from hemp grown on an Organic farm in Vermont. The founders were looking to make the best full-spectrum CBD oil possible and after weighing all the extraction options, Sunsoil found that lipid infusion offered the best CBD oil you could ask for. After three years of perfecting the process, Sunsoil CBD tinctures are some of the best around and each are independently tested for purity and potency. Its Cinnamon Tincture is a full-spectrum CBD oil infused with cinnamon for taste and containing twice as much CBD as its other oils. In keeping with its mission, each of Sunsoils CBD products are affordable, but you can save even more on the brands products if you act fast. Through the end of the month, you can try Sunsoil CBD products, like the Cinnamon Tincture, at 50 percent off no code required.

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What’s in that CBD? Maybe not what you think. – USA TODAY

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A collection of CBD infused products at the Enquirer Studio in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019.(Photo: Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

COLUMBUS, Ohio CBD is everywhere.

In lotions sold at the mall. In your freshly squeezed juice. In dog treats that promise calming effects.

But there are few regulations and rules regarding products containing CBD, or cannabidiol, acannabis compound found in marijuana and its non-intoxicating cousin hemp. Testing is not required. There is no way to know for sure whether the product contains the amount of CBD advertised on label or whether it's free fromlead, pesticides and other potentially harmful substances.

The Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network, recently had eight CBD products tested to see if they matched what the label claimed.

The results: most products contained the CBD advertised. But a few had far less than they were supposed to and three contained heavy metals or pesticides.

Thats in line with what researchers and advocates have found in similar experiments.Martin Lee, founder of advocacy organization Project CBD, doesn't expect that to improve any time soon, even with further regulation by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

"These products have a lot of crappy things the FDA allows,"Lee said. "The onus for regulation is falling on the states."

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Marijuana remains illegal on the federal level, so each of the 33 states that has legalized it in some capacity has had to decide what to test for and whats an acceptable amount. There are no federal hemp testing standards.

Ohio legalized hemp andthereforeCBD derived from hempin July 2019.Eventually, the Ohio Department of Agriculture will test hemp products to make sure they match what's claimed on the label. The agency has contracted with three companies, including the lab consulted in this story, to test products before a state lab is established.

Meanwhile, the agency is checking to see whether products are making untested claims such as relieving sore muscles or helping people fall asleep.

The Enquirer bought eight products from grocery stores and a tobacco store. We sent the products to North Coast Analytical Lab in Streetsboro, Ohio, which is licensed by the state to test medical marijuana and is accredited to test hemp.

The lab performed several tests on each product:

Four of the products were within 10% of the amount of CBD listed on the product label. Onefifth product tested at 11% more CBD than the labels claim.

None of the products contained microbials such as mold or mycotoxins such as salmonella.

Trace amounts of pesticides were found on two products.In the Inesscents Salvation skin salve, tests detected a pair of substances that repel insects, piperonyl butoxide (26.071 ppb) and organic pyrethrin 1 (49.096 ppb). Both amounts would pass Ohios medical marijuana product standards.

Cannabis plants absorb what's in the dirt, the water, the air heavy metals included.

There's no acceptable level of these metals for cannabis, but several states have adopted standards based on those for drinking water or other consumable items.

Theres no known data for some of these things on marijuana, North Coast lab director Nick Szabo said.

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Nick Szabo Director North Coast Testing Lab(Photo: Jason J. Molyet/Gannett)

Lead was found in small but measurable amounts in two products: Plus CBD Oil capsules and Sunsoil CBD Oil in chocolate mint. Arsenic was also found in the Plus CBD capsules. All amounts were below limits for Ohio medical marijuana products.

Our lead test result for the Sunsoil chocolate mint oil 0.15 parts per million was more than the company's third-party results for the product 0.03 parts per million. Both numbers are below the limit for nutritional supplements under FDA rules.

"There is wide lab variation with current methods for testing potency, which is why we test with three third party labs to ensure we're meeting label claims and provide potency results on our website for each batch of oil," Sunsoil said in a statement. "We ensure that consumers are getting what is claimed on the label (10mg/mL) based on our third party lab results."

The Plus CBD Oil capsules also contained 12.36 parts per billion of fungicide trifloxystrobin higher than Ohios threshold of 10 ppb, among the most stringent in the nation. The EPA does not consider the fungicide harmful to humans but it can cause an allergic reaction on the skin.

Plus CBD did not respond to an email seeking comment for this story.

A syringe of Daily Dose Green Roads CBD oil at the Enquirer Studio in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019.(Photo: Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

Two products posted amounts of CBD far lower than advertised.One product Infused Edibles Butterflies gummies had less than half the advertised CBD.

Another product, Green Roads Daily Dose Blueberry OG, contained just 0.71 mg CBD; it advertised 7 mg. (The other Green Roads product tested, a frog-shaped gummy, was one of the better tested products.)

In a statement, a Green Roads spokesman said the company "stands behind the quality and purity of our products." The company tests its products at a state-certified lab in Florida.

"Disparities in testing results can be caused by a variety of factors, including differences in testing procedures and standards, as well as the production date," the company said. "Because CBD is a naturally-occurring ingredient, a certain amount of variation in concentrations is to be expected."

Half the products contained noTHC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the cannabis compound responsible for the "high" from consuming marijuana. The other half contained 0.3% THC or less that's the federal and state limit for hemp-derived CBD.

InfusedEdibles CBD gummies at the Enquirer Studio in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019.(Photo: Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

The Infused Edibles gummy butterflies,bought at a smoke shop, had expired the previous month. But the product was sold from behind a counter, so the expiration date stamped on the package wasn't noticed until later.

The Enquirer decided to have the product tested anyway because it could have been sold to other consumers. Test results showed small amounts of residual solvents, including ethanol (655 parts per million) and acetone (48 parts per million). The amounts were less than industry-set limits.

Infused Edibles questioned the presence of acetone since it is not used in its production process nor stored in its production facility. The company has discontinued the butterflies, according to compliance consultant Ian Armstrong. Armstrong said if a customer had contacted them about the expired product, they would have replaced it with a new one.

"Infused Edibles carries product liability insurance, and part of the requirements for that mean that Infused Edibles must be able to perform tasks such as recalls and replacements," Armstrong said in an email.

So if nothing is regulated and testing results vary, what can a consumer do?

Lee, of Project CBD, offered these tips:

Lee warns results aren'ta guarantee because companies could be paying an "independent" lab to get the results they want.

Five of the eight products had QR codes linked to test results. Some were incomplete. For example, the hot freeze salve results only show CBD and other cannabinoids present not whether it contains metals or other substances people might want to avoid.

Why does itmatter that the product could contain less CBD? For starters, customers aren't getting what they pay for and products aren't usually cheap.

And it makes it difficult to figure out what dose to take and what product to buy. Someone might try a mislabeled 50 mg product with no results and then spend more on a higher-CBDproduct, when the lower dose might have been enough.

That's a big concern forDr. Kevin Hill, director of addiction psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.Hill said there's a lot of promise for CBD for neuropathic pain and anxiety, mostlyin pre-clinical and animal studies.

Im bullish on CBD, but I tell organizations they need to pump the brakes, Hill said. The research has not kept pace.

Hill said clinical research shows CBD in high doses as cannabis extract Epidiolex is beneficial for some pediatric epilepsy conditions. Dosing is inconclusive for other uses, he said, but studies involved large doses in the hundreds of milligrams per day.

That's something to think about before plunking down $5 for a drink infused with 5 mg of CBD.

"Its a placebo," Hill said. "Its not going to treat a medical condition."

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Here are the main benefits of CBD oil – AZ Big Media

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CBD has already been touted as a cure-all for a broad selection of maladies, and its no surprise that this compound from the hemp or cannabis plant has become the go-to supplement for many. One fact that makes CBD great as a supplement for use by anyone of any age is its non-psychoactive properties. In other words, it doesnt get you high, unlike another compound from the hemp plant, THC. CBD now comes in different forms, from tinctures to vape liquids to edibles, and its up to you how you decide to consume or ingest it. But what else should you know about CBD oil in order to make an informed decision? Are you interested in CBD oil? Here are the main benefits you should know.

Chronic pain affects millions of individuals, and it can come from different causes. Those who experience pain on a daily basis sometimes have difficulty performing tasks and activities, and they are often forced to modify the way they deal with certain tasks or even avoid doing it completely. What makes it worse is that chronic pain is often accompanied by inflammation. But for those who suffer from chronic pain as well as inflammation, CBD oil may provide much-needed relief. And since it is a natural supplement, it doesnt come with the common side effects associated with pharmaceutical medications, such as liver damage, addiction, withdrawal, and even cardiovascular damage.

In recent studies shown in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, there is an undeniable connection between the reduction of pain and inflammation and CBD. CBD is thought to suppress or reduce pain by interacting with receptors in the brains spinal cord, and this controls how we react to and process pain.

Disorders related to anxiety are more common than we think, and these disorders affect millions as well. Anxiety comes in various forms, from generalized anxiety disorder to panic disorder, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), social anxiety disorder, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and more. Many standard treatments for anxiety can have side effects, and these side effects include depression, addiction, and weight loss or gain. But this is where CBD may also be of great help, especially since it interacts with the endocannabinoid system and may have an impact on the CB1 receptors of the brain.

Cancer is a terrifying word for all of us, and treating such a disease can be excessively difficult, not just for those who suffer from it, but also for their loved ones. But while cancer is still widely treated with the use of medication, surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, many people are looking at CBD as a supplement to help them manage their condition as well. Numerous cancer patients use and buy CBD oil to help with pain and nausea, but the compound may have other, more far-reaching benefits as well. In some studies, it was demonstrated that the compound may decrease cancer cell growth and decrease the ability of the cells to adhere to structures. It may even prevent cells from migrating to other organs and parts of the body.

Extensive research is still required, but CBD has already helped numerous individuals around the world and those who would like to try it have nothing to lose.

Text sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3371734/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3579246/

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Here are the main benefits of CBD oil - AZ Big Media

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Nursing homes can’t administer medical cannabis. This bill would change that. – wtvr.com

Posted: at 2:06 am

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia lawmakers continue to fine tune legislation that aligns with the states growing medical cannabis program by advancing two Senate bills facilitating the work of caregivers and lab employees.

SB 185 sponsored by Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, would allow employees at nursing homes, assisted living facilities and hospices to administer CBD and THC-A oil to residents who have a valid written certification to use the medication. SB 885 from Sen. David W. Marsden, D-Fairfax, would remove criminal liabilities for analytical lab workers who transport and possess both substances during the course of their work.

Marsden also introduced legislation to protect individuals from possession charges for having marijuana in the form of cannabidiol oil or THC-A oil, if they have valid written certification from a practitioner.

In 2019, Dunnavant and Marsden helped pass legislation signed by the governor to reduce restrictions for patient access to the substances (SB 1557 , SB 1719]).

CBD products are used to treat epilepsy and to help with pain management for a variety of ailments. The product can be extracted from hemp, a plant in the cannabis family that is typically low in THC. The non psychoactive version of THC is THC-A; it does not produce a high. THC-A has been used to treat seizures, arthritis and chronic pain. Fibers of the hemp plant are also used in making rope, clothing, paper and other products. Hemp recently became legal [vox.com] at the federal level, and its cultivation is still regulated].

There is a distinction between hemp-derived CBD oil and marijuana-derived CBD oil, namely the level of THC present.

Dunnavant told a Senate panel that the bill is needed so that staff at assisted living facilities can be included as those authorized to store and administer both CBD and THC-A to residents and patients. Registered nurses and licensed practice nurses can legally administer the oils. Last year lawmakers passed legislation protecting school nurses from prosecution for possessing or distributing such oils, in accordance with school board policy.

Several nursing homes and assisted living facilities when contacted said that currently the use of CBD or THC-A are not allowed at their locations and that there are no immediate plans to incorporate such use into the care of their residents or patients.

Marsden sees his bill as an opportunity for further research and development of medical marijuana in Virginia. The state pharmaceutical processors permitted to manufacture and dispense marijuana-derived medications can distribute products with doses that do not exceed 10 milligrams of THC.

If a laboratory is going to handle a drug that is marijuana, they need immunity from prosecution. Marsden said. Even if we go into decriminalization, that still has some civil penalties for it.

Richmonder Brion Scott Turner is glad that steps are being made towards CBD becoming more available. Turner uses CBD to help with his own medical condition.

I use a CBD infused lotion for my psoriasis, Turner said. It gives me relief from the itching and the psoriatic arthritis that comes with it.

Turner has said that most of his friends and family use CBD to help with a variety of ailments from minor headaches to anxiety attacks.

My mother uses CBD for anything from lower back pain, helping with an upset stomach or even migraines, Turner said.

Other cannabis related bills moving through the General Assembly include HB 972 , which would decriminalize simple possession of marijuana down to a civil penalty of no more than $25. The Senate version [lis.virginia.gov] of the bill carries a civil penalty of no more than $50.

HJ 130, currently in the Senate Committee of Rules, would direct the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study options for the regulation of recreational adult use and medical use of cannabis. SJ 67 , which has passed the House and Senate, directs JLARC to study options and make recommendations for how Virginia should go about the growth, sale and possession of marijuana. JLARCs recommendations are due by July 1, 2022.

Both Dunnavant and Marsdens bills reported out of committee and are headed to the House floor.

By Chip Lauterbach/Capital News Service

Capital News Service is a flagship program of VCUs Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students participating in the program provide state government coverage for Virginias community newspapers and other media outlets, under the supervision of Associate Professor Jeff South.

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Nursing homes can't administer medical cannabis. This bill would change that. - wtvr.com

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Giving students access to CBD products – KIMT 3

Posted: at 2:06 am

ROCHESTER, Minn. -

Around lunchtime every day, Kaya Koball is taking a dose of her CBD oil. She takes the oil three times each day to treat her epilepsy. Once a day, during the school afternoon, a member of her family has to take time to administer the dose since the District doesn't allow CBD products on school grounds.

"It sucks, she's in high school, she's supposed to be independent and do things on her own," Justin Koball, her father said. "She's still reliant on me to show up."

The routine is a daily obstacle to Kaya's education.

"Right now, she's missing, what do you have English or something?" Justin asked.

"Yes, I'm in English class right now," Kaya said.

Her father has his own business and wishes the School District would meet him halfway.

"I just wish they would advocate more instead of letting the parents do it all, here we are trying to pull strings and get stuff done, it takes a toll on myself, our relationship with our daughter," Justin said. "It takes a toll on the business."

Despite all the hurdles - Kaya's father says his family will do whatever it takes to ensure their daughter is healthy.

"It's my child, my responsibility, I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure she has the proper care and medicine she deserves," Justin said.

When KIMT News 3 reached out to Rochester Public Schools for comment, they referred us to a policy that states "CBD is not allowed on school grounds," but offered no further comment.

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Giving students access to CBD products - KIMT 3

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