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From 'Weed Jobs' to Eternal Youth: 5 Interesting Cannabis Stories Of the Moment
Seems there's always something interesting being said about the old Mary Jane, whether it's to do with the legalisation debate, research into the health benefits of marijuana or just random stories cropping up around the world. Take a look at these five recent items on the subject...
1. "Oh dear": The Pensioner and Her Five Ft Cannabis Plant...
When a 'mysterious' plant sprouted up in the Devonshire garden of Patricia Hewitson, the 65 year-old grandmother sent pictures of it to the BBC Radio Devon show, The Potting Shed, to see if their experts could identify it for her. A gardening expert easily identified her new plant as cannabis, explaining that it may have grown out of fallen seeds from a bird-feeder.
Bird-feed mixes are known to sometimes contain cannabis seeds and if they happen to fall into fertile soil a plant can easily grow. "Oh dear," was the pensioner's very Last of the Summer Wine response when told what wonderous gift of the gods it was that she had growing in her garden.
Police told the woman to get rid of the plant, but assured her they wouldn't press charges. Fair enough, but if a laid-back looking brother in his thirties had accidentally grown cannabis because of seeds from his bird-feeder, it's safe to say it might've been a very different scenario.
2. "Fuck it, I quit!"
In funny news (funny to us, not her employers), an Alaska-based news presenter quit her job live on-air at the end of a news report, declaring that she wishes to devote her time now to her real passion: campaigning for the legalisation of cannabis so that it is freely available to all.
"Fuck it, I quit!" the presenter, Charlo Greene, said in what is certain to be regarded one of the classic walk-outs in TV history. That's a lady who knows what she wants. We like her.
3. Forget Linked-In; an App for Ganja Jobs is On the Way...
No, not making it up. A new Android app with a hilarious name - 'WeedHire.com' - will be available soon to service those on the look-out for weed related jobs! The US based company has already advertised jobs on its website for some time, but WeedHire.com will be the first cannabis job site to have a mobile app.
The app will advertise the full spectrum of jobs available in the 'ganja industry', from marijuana-growing work and entry-level positions in retail right up to advertising positions. That's got to be a fun-times job right there: being the brains behind a weed advertising campaign.
Have a look at the WeedHire Facebook page to see more.
4. Four Men Beheaded For Possessing Cannabis in Saudi Arabia...
In August two sets of brothers were executed in southern Saudi Arabia for possessing cannabis. Yep, the Saudis make our own cannabis laws look like space-age enlightenment by comparison.
Under Saudi law, cannabis is just as demonised as alcohol, considered to be indulgent and destructive. Indulgent maybe, but we've never seen anyone get 'destructive' on weed. If there was ever a society that could use a little more weed to relax and loosen up a little, it's Saudi Arabia.
5. Yet More Health Benefits Uncovered: Hemp Repairs Damaged DNA...
Research into the health benefits of cannabis has been going on for decades, with new announcements of fresh discoveries appearing all the time. Now it's being proposed that certain features in cannabis seeds might be able to repair damaged DNA, essentially meaning that the deterioration processes that come with old age could be reduced; in other words, that cannabis could mean a longer, healthier life. You know, some of us always suspected cannabis might be the long-sought potion of eternal youth..
According to the statement released by Global Hemp, the key detail is the two proteins found in hemp: Edestin and Albumin. Edestin benefits the immune system and works against stress, while Albumin strengthens body tissue.
No doubt, further discoveries on the health positives of cannabis will probably emerge over the months and years to come; but whether these findings will convince lawmakers to reconsider the legal status of cannabis is anyone's guess.
