Hemp Bombs CBD Gummies look and taste different than others we’ve tried.

Hemp Bombs’ gummies reminded us more of the ‘sour patch’ version of the traditional gummy, with a mild, pleasant combination of sour and sweet tastes.

These gummies have a nice sugar coated exterior, which gives them an intense, sweet flavor, but not overwhelming to the palate. They have a firm texture that does not just melt away once they touch the tongue. The gummies come in an assortment of fruity flavors that were tasteful and prominent, just like the candy, but with a very slight medicinal aftertaste.

HOW HEMP BOMBS MAKES CBD GUMMIES

The CBD in Hemp Bombs’ gummies is developed using a hydrocarbon extraction process, followed by winterization to remove fats and lipids. The oil goes through a rotary evaporation process twice to remove unwanted plant material and then decarboxylated (which means they convert CBD into its active form by applying heat). The active CBD comes out in crystallized form and is infused into the gummies.

Hemp Bombs prides themselves on sourcing and importing only the highest grade of organic-certified European hemp. In addition to adhering to the strict European hemp practices, they also have their own set up quality control standards, including third-party lab testing.

Once ordered, Hemp Bombs products are shipped directly to the consumer’s doorstep within 48 hours. We were impressed by their speedy shipping.

HEMP BOMBS CBD GUMMIES OFFICIAL REVIEW

• Highlights: CBD Gummies from Hemp Bombs have a nice sweet/sour balance, combined with a noticeable fruit flavor and firm, chewy texture.
• Specials: Save 10% when you sign up for the Hemp Bombs newsletter
• Price: Prices start at $14.99 for a 5 pack to $99.99 for 60 count
• Strength: 15mg of CBD per gummy.
• Customer Service & Shipping: Customer service was extremely fast and easily answered all the questions I asked. Fast shipping.  Free shipping is available on all orders over $75.
• Independent Test Results: 15mg Online / 25mg Online
• Flavor: These gummes come in assorted fruit flavors that are sweet and mildly sour. We noticed only a very slight medicinal aftertaste.
• Ingredients: Sugar, Corn Syrup, Gelatin, Citric Acid, Calcium Lactate, Silicon Dioxide, Natural & Artificial Flavors
• Other: Gummies are available in packs/bottles of 5, 15, 30 and 60 count. A 25mg gummy is also available in quantities of 60 per bottle.

Hemp Bombs CBD products also come in the form of syrups, capsules, gels, and more and in various strengths.

A lot of people wonder how CBD will affect their dreams, since bad dreams can be strange, disturbing and even scary.

Have you ever had a dream where all your teeth fall out? Lots of people have had it and the interpretations of what the dream actually means vary quite a bit. Some say it’s about change in your work life, others (like Carl Jung) suggest it’s related to feeling powerless. Whatever it means, it can be a pretty weird to have.

Sometimes these dreams are upsetting and, of course, unwanted. Because of its everyday association with cannabis, new users of CBD wonder about the side effects of the compound. Will it cause mind altering effects, for example? Or perhaps make you have weird dreams?

THC, CBD & DREAMS

Most of this comes down to a little confusion about CBD oil, and the differences between CBD and THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana. Because CBD does not get you high, and can even promote more restful sleep, CBD users are unlikely to experience these problems.

People mention cannabis and immediately get the wrong idea, thinking they’re going to get high from CBD. The main active ingredient in psychoactive cannabis or ‘marijuana,’ when it’s used for recreational purposes, is a chemical component in the plant called tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. Experienced users of THC products understand different strains and types of product can induce very unusual dreams.

Floating away into dreamland. CBD may promote restful sleep, and is less likely than THC to cause nightmares or other weird dreams.

In most reputable CBD products, you don’t get any of this because there’s no THC. That’s why the media sometimes CBD (mistakenly) refers to CBD as medical cannabis in places like the U.S.

CAN CBD OIL CAUSE WEIRD DREAMS?

Again, this is an area that generally needs a lot more research. First, it helps to know a little more about what happens when you drop off at night. Sleep has different, distinct stages. One well-known stage is REM or Rapid Eye Movement, This is where we normally dream or remember our dreams. The other stage, deep sleep, is beneficial for a lot of things including recovery and restoring the body. Think of it like recharging your batteries.

There have been some anecdotal accounts of people having weird dreams when using CBD, but these may not be down to the compound at all. Research into the effect of THC on sleep patterns found that it decreased the REM stage and increased the deep sleep phase. Subjects also reported a rebound effect when they stopped using the drug. Some people who stopped using CBD oil before bedtime also report having more vivid dreams.

A woman stretches out in restful sleep. Though more research is needed, it’s unlikely that CBD will cause weird dreams.

Other people have noted that their recall of dreams after taking CBD oil improves. Even if we do settle into REM sleep and dream, many of us don’t normally remember anything much when we wake up. There’s no evidence, clinical or anecdotal, that suggests any worsening of dreams such as nightmares or night terrors.

CBD COULD LOWER ANXIETY & PROMOTE RESTFUL SLEEP

Studies do suggest that CBD may be involved in lowering anxiety levels and many users point out they tend to fall asleep more quickly when using the compound. Some research also suggests that sleep quality may be improved which can lead to a better sense of feeling refreshed and higher energy levels on waking.

If you are worried about taking CBD for sleep issues or simply as a health supplement, there is currently little evidence to suggest that it is going to give you strange dreams during the night.

Last month, we got to try a unique new hemp beer and talk to part of the team behind it.

“We finally brought together hemp and hops,” said Steve Navas, brand activation manager for New Belgium Brewing.

The private bar in downtown Austin where the tasting took place was filled with the incredible smell of The Hemperor hemp pale ale. As we spoke with Navas, the sounds of local bluegrass band Steel Betty tickled our ears.

Over the past few months, New Belgium has traveled the U.S. sharing their new hemp beer, The Hemperor. (New Belgium Brewing)

“We’re one of the first breweries to be able to nationally roll out a beer like this,” Navas told us. “This is two years in the making.”

As for The Hemperor? We thought it was delicious. Here’s how we described this hemp beer in our official Hemperor review:

Wow! Powerful green hemp aroma from this pale ale. The hemp adds a nutty, smooth flavor that balances out the hops, especially in comparison to most IPAs. This beer is sweet with a very mild bitter aftertaste.

You can also feel good about your purchase, because one dollar from every bottle sold goes to support hemp legalization. Keep an eye out for The Hemperor at a store near you.

My journey to creating organic hemp blankets began with a bad night’s sleep.

In late Winter of 2010, I suffered from mysterious sleep sweating which woke me up every hour of the night. Extremely uncomfortable & sweaty, I would disgustingly peel off the blanket to dry myself. Moments later, the sweat would dry and the winter chills would resume. This process of sweating, waking, taking the blanket off and putting it back on repeated for well over a week.

Then one day while chattin’ with my mom in her bedroom, I noticed she was using the exact same blanket. In that moment I had an epiphany: the blanket could have been the reason for my sweating. I asked her if she had been sweating abnormally in her sleep as I had. To my confirmation, she’d exclaimed, “Oh my God! How’d You know?!”

After suffering from night sweats, Daniel Ong discovered that synthetic fabrics might be to blame. He and his wife began researching alternatives, leading creation of organic hemp blankets and later other hemp clothes too.

It was that moment that led to the creation of iLoveBad, but for us it’s always been about more than making hemp clothing or a comfortable blanket. We believe hemp can make people’s lives better, as we discovered when we researched hemp blankets.

UNDERSTANDING SLEEP SWEATING & SYNTHETIC FIBER BLANKETS

Beginning that day, my wife and I began researching as much as we could about this night sweating problem.

With just a few hours of google searches, we realized that intense sleep sweating, otherwise known as Hyperhidrosis, was somewhat of a worldwide epidemic that seemed to have no clear answer.  Further, we discovered the blankets we were sweating under was the cause of the sweating because it was made from synthetic fibers (Nylon, Polyester, Acrylic, etc) that are known to be non-breathable, which means that those fibers keep oxygen from entering our bodies through our skin (our body’s largest organ), causing our bodies to suffocate & overheat.

If you own a microfiber couch or a car seat, you can detect the sweating against your skin. Over time, I believe that prolonged exposure to these fabrics causes our bodies to suffer. Even though our bodies are magical in their ability to restore balance, this sweating is extremely counter-productive. Sleep is supposed to restore our bodies, but instead they work overtime!

Realizing all this, we immediately sought for a blanket made with natural fibers. Surprisingly, there were very few options to choose from. Granted, it was 2010 when this was taking place prior to the organic/natural living craze that had swept the world. The blankets we had seen were either too small, too thin, or not soft enough. The only one that came close to what we were looking for cost about $500!

CREATING OUR OWN HEMP BLANKETS

So instead of purchasing something to get by, we decided to make one ourselves. That decision led us to the re-discovery of hemp, a forgotten weed-like plant that was once the staple of American agriculture.

Because of hemp’s renewability (grows rapidly like weeds), versatility (can be used for so many different applications), and environmental benefits (in that it doesn’t require a lot of water to grow as well as pesticides to ward off bugs), it was an easy fiber choice for us to go with.  We then found a local fabric vendor in LA along with a seamstress to help us design & sew the blanket.

We spent about $200 to complete the project and the results were beautiful. Our blanket feels incredibly soft, being that it’s fleece, and magically stopped my mysterious sleep sweating!

We loved it so much that we had to make more for friends and family. The growing excitement over our organic hemp blankets eventually evolved into a business that now includes undies, tees & socks. All our products are comfortable, but they also bring awareness to the incredibly dynamic hemp fiber as well as the many benefits of natural living in general.

WHY HEMP MATTERS: IT’S MORE THAN JUST HEMP BLANKETS & SOCKS

There were a lot of reasons why we could’ve gone with hemp as a business and every single one of those reasons would validate its use.

However, the one aspect that really motivated us to go with hemp was the fact that it was erroneously labeled as a Schedule 1 drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Hemp was banned banned as a crop by the United States Government for nearly a hundred years, until 2014.

Further, the U.S. government used propaganda to demonize this harmless plant. The goal of all this was to coerce our society to believe that all forms of cannabis, including hemp, will get you high and do really scary things. Ironically, the government still allowed hemp imports, leading many thousands of dollars to flow overseas annually.

A young child holds a hemp leaf. A deliberate campaign of misinformation led to the demonization of cannabis in all its forms, including industrial hemp.

We’ve all been misled at some point in our lives and though it’s not cool, it is what it is. This situation however really bums us out because it reminds us of how unaware & gullible we can be as a society and as individuals. Being unaware doesn’t have to be unhealthy but this lack of awareness led us to judge, criminalize (unjust imprisonment), and destroy the lives of so many people & groups associated with it over the years.

I bring this up not to be sour but rather to remind our collective society to reserve our judgement about everything. Chances are, we really don’t understand them to begin with. We often fear that in which we don’t understand (especially drugs like Marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA, and LSD); we all know this.

When you think about it, you’ll easily deduct that fear is the root cause of our insecurities. Fear leads to our anxieties, depressions, and a host of psychological disorders. Likewise, it inevitably stunts creativity! By reserving our judgement about the unknown and perhaps even embracing them as a creation of a higher being, I believe this will drastically mitigate our fear and subsequently dispel the anxieties that comes with it. Again, there are so many reasons to champion hemp back to its glory days and we’re all about them.

But because the most common mental illness in our society is anxiety, we also care to promote the ideology and mental benefits that comes with supporting hemp.

NATURAL FIBERS & ORGANIC HEMP BLANKETS HELP YOU REST

To sum it all up, blankets made of synthetic fibers (such as Polyester, Nylon and Acrylic) are non-breathable.  This blocks our skin from the necessary oxygen it breathes in. Blankets made of natural fibers such as hemp, organic cotton, wool, silk and so forth are more breathable. Naturall fibers allow our bodies to effectively collect the oxygen it requires.

Supporting hemp teaches us about the idea of reserving judgement and fear towards the unknown, like hemp and even other currently illegal substances. We honestly believe that this conscious effort will raise awareness for unconditional acceptance and love for all (the good and the bad), reducing anxiety and inspiring limitless creativities within us all.

Working together, we can all meet our daily hurdles en route to manifesting our highest aspirations.

Many people assume that CBD is a rather new and innovative supplement, but CBD history actually goes back much further.

Actually, CBD as we know it today has been around for more than half a century. Let’s take a look at this chemical compound’s interesting history since it was first discovered and the journey it had to go through to become what it is today.

CBD HISTORY BEGINS IN THE 1940s

The first person who was successful in extracting CBD from the Cannabis sativa plant was a chemist who graduated from Harvard university, Roger Adams. However, when Adams first managed this in 1940 he wasn’t aware that he succeeded in extracting a chemical compound and didn’t even know what he had done. Years later, Adams and other scientists realized what he had done and started researching the possible benefits of CBD.

Most people consider CBD oil a modern discovery, but CBD history stretches back to the 1940s.

Modern CBD history begins in 1946, when Dr. Walter S. Loewe conducted the first CBD test on lab animals. These tests gave proof that CBD doesn’t cause an altered mental state. That same year Dr. Raphael Mechoulam identified CBD’s three dimensional structure and that’s why he’s often credited as the scientist who discovered CBD. Further research continued in the 1960s on primates and finally, the first CBD oil meant for therapeutic use was released by the British Pharmacopoeia.

In the next few decades, the research continued. In 1980, Dr. Mechoulam made another breakthrough in CBD history when he ran a study which showed cannabidiol could be a key factor in treating epilepsy.

HOW CBD IS USED TODAY

Today, the stigma surrounding CBD is starting to disappear as people are finally beginning to see its true potential.

Although CBD supplements and products are legal in all 50 states, there are cases in which it isn’t legal. The main factors in regards to its legality depends on a number of important factors determined by each specific state. The one crucial factor across all states is in relation to where the CBD is derived from, marijuana or hemp.

Even though CBD supplements made from industrial hemp are legal in all 50 states, there have still been some legal challenges. Major progress happened in 2014 when Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin passed laws legalizing CBD for medical purposes. It’s also legal as a supplement in the UK and many other countries around the world.

Today, CBD is used to relieve symptoms of numerous conditions, from anxiety and mental illness to chronic pain.

When it comes to healing, people use products such as CBD oil, CBD water and various CBD lotions to try and treat pain, inflammation, depression, anxiety, stress and other illnesses. It’s commonly used by athletes to help relieve their bodies after workouts and performances, by people suffering from mental illnesses to calm their symptoms down and many others. Some people even replace classic painkillers and other medication with CBD products, claiming that they have a better effect and treat their symptoms quicker with little to no side effects.

THE FUTURE OF CBD

Nobody can know for sure what the future will bring but we can always be optimistic.

Since more and more people are seeing the benefits of CBD and hemp, it looks increasingly likely that hemp will be fully legalized in the U.S. soon. Scientists are still researching CBD and conducting experiments that reveal its beneficial uses. For now, it’s been discovered that CBD may be beneficial for treating arthritis, insomnia, epileptic seizures, diabetes and many other illnesses.

There are many organizations that are lobbying for the total legalization of hemp and they just might succeed.

Sampling Carla Boyd’s cooking, including her hemp pesto aioli, was one of the highlights of our recent visit to Denver.

Boyd is the founder of Hemp Way Foods, a Colorado company. People lined up to sample her hemp burgers, vegan hemp nachos, and hemp tacos at the NoCo Hemp Expo last month. After we tried her food, we knew we wanted to find out more and get a few recipes for our readers.

Hemp hearts are a key ingredient in Carla Boyd’s hemp pesto aioli, along with many other delicious recipes.

We spoke with Boyd by phone to learn how she discovered hemp. She also shared two of her recipes, which you’ll find below: her famous hemp pesto aioli and hemp tacos.

HEMP WAY FOODS CREATED AFTER HEMP HEALED ILLNESS

Boyd began investigating hemp as a food source because of severe digestive problems. Her quality of life suffered, and nothing else seemed to help.

“I was a walking skeleton at the time,” she described. “I wasn’t absorbing any nutrients.”

Boyd was already involved with hemp advocacy, “but I had never really focused on the food side.”

Further research into hemp’s nutritional benefits led to the creation of her first product, a hemp burger.

“People started asking for it and wanted to buy it,” she recalled. “I never planned to have a food company; it’s almost like the company chose me.”

Hemp seeds are rich in antioxidants and natural anti-inflammatory substances. Hemp protein is also one of the most easily available and digestible proteins in the plant world. Boyd believes all of this contributed to making hemp easier for her body to process and use.

As Boyd’s health improved, the company grew with her. Four years later, Hemp Way Foods offers both the burger and hemp crumbles, which come in both original and sriracha pepper flavors. Both the hemp burger and hemp crumbles are vegan and free from common allergens like gluten, corn and soy. Hemp Way products are found in about a dozen restaurants and retail locations in Colorado, with plans to go national in the works.

Along the way, Boyd received the enthusiastic support of other hemp industry advocates and entrepreneurs.

“In the hemp world, there’s definitely a camaraderie,” she said.

Fresh basil and hemp hearts mix to create heavenly flavor in Carla Boyd’s hemp pesto aioli.

HEMP PESTO AIOLI RECIPE

Recipes by Carla Boyd, Hemp Way Foods

Ingredients:

• 1 12 oz. jar mayonnaise
• 1 bunch fresh basil
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup hemp hearts (any brand)
• 1 tsp. sriracha for added kick
• 1 tsp. lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

Combine Hemp Way Foods’ hemp burger crumbles with hemp pesto aioli and other fresh ingredients for a delicious taco dinner. (Carla Boyd / Hemp Way Foods)

Directions: De-stem basil leaves. Blend all ingredients together and refrigerate. Hemp pesto aioli can be used as a sauce or spread in almost any dish.

HEMP TACOS WITH HEMP WAY FOODS’ CRUMBLES

Ingredients:

• 1 8oz package of Hemp Way Foods hemp burger crumbles
• 1 tsp. Cumin powder
• 1 tsp. Coriander
• 1 tsp. Fennel seeds
• 2 cloves garlic chopped

Directions: Defrost crumbles in a skillet with small amount of oil to crisp (1 tsp.). Stir all ingredients together and toast in the pan. Toast crumbles to desired crispness (about 8-10 minutes). Serve in corn tortillas with hemp pesto aioli on top.

Healthy seeds like flax, hemp, and sesame are an incredibly rich source of nutrients.

Seeds are especially rich in trace minerals like folate, iron, zinc, and healthy fats. But we don’t always get seeds in our diet. For many of us, nuts are the main type of seed in our food, and we rarely expand our diet to take advantage of the wide variety of healthy seeds available in nature – which means we’re missing out on many health benefits.

Healthy seeds like flax add valuable nutrients and delicious flavor to your meals. Other good options include hemp, sesame and chia seeds.

EATING SEEDS FOR A BETTER DIET

Seeds contain minerals, monounsaturated fats, fiber, and vitamin E; and these nutrients help keep your heart healthy and your body disease-free. Our ancestors relied on seeds to stay strong and healthy, and you can do the same by making minor adjustments to your diet. Let’s take a look at some healthy seeds to add to your diet, and reasons why you should be eating them.

FLAX SEEDS

They contain antioxidant properties and essential omega-3 fatty acids including alpha-linolenic acid, which enhances cardiovascular health. According to a paper published by Biochimie, a journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, alpha-linolenic acid reduces the risk of stroke significantly.

Flax seeds contain lignans, which are plant compounds that are reported to have antioxidant properties and to reduce the risk of cancer. The concentration of lignans found in flax seeds is 800 times higher than any other plant food. One Canadian study found that women who eat flax seeds are 18% less likely to develop breast cancer.

One way to eat flax seeds is to bake them into cookies or muffins, but you can also sprinkle them into your salads to get all the nutrients.

Hulled hemp seeds, or hemp hearts, are a popular form of hemp seeds.

HEMP SEEDS

Hemp seeds contain over 30% healthy fat, and are rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. They also contain phytosterols, a compound that is known to reduce cholesterol, and gamma-linoleninc, another compound that has great health benefits. The balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids affects immune responses in the body; and hemp seeds provide a good supply of polyunsaturated fats.

One study showed that giving hemp seeds to people with eczema can increase the levels of essential fatty acids in the blood. To get the most out of hemp seeds, grind them or buy them hulled as “hemp hearts” and add a spoonful to your morning yogurt or sprinkle them over fresh fruit.

Chia seeds are a source of nutrients like calcium, fiber, iron and omega-3 fatty acids.

CHIA SEEDS

They are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, and they contain calcium, fiber and iron. Omega-3 acids help to raise HDL cholesterol in your body (don’t worry this is “good” cholesterol), and they also protect you against strokes and heart problems. Chia seeds can help you reach your fitness goals by curbing your appetite, which is essential in managing body weight.

The best way to eat chia seeds is to add them into smoothies, salads, and granolas. You can also add one or two tablespoons into a beverage drinks – make sure to stir for at least 3 minutes. If you add the seeds to a drink or a “wet” dish, they swell up slightly as you eat, and they’re also a bit crunchy.

Healthy seeds like sesame can add fiber and trace nutrients to your diet.

SESAME SEEDS

Sesame seeds are known for having a high nutritional content that include vitamins, minerals, natural oils, and trace minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and copper. In addition to all that, they also contain fiber, vitamin B6, folate, thiamin, and proteins.

The high fiber content helps with digestion and zinc is useful in production of collagen, which gives your skin elasticity and helps to repair damaged tissues. A study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food in 2016, sesame seeds enhance antioxidant properties and minimize oxidative stress.

SUNFLOWER SEEDS

These small healthy seeds contain at least two nutrients that are good for your heart; Vitamin E, and folate. Just one quarter cup serving will give you 60% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin E – and from a nutritional standpoint, this is important in a number of ways. Vitamin E assists the body in neutralizing free radicals and this protects cell membranes against swelling and redness.

The magnesium found in sunflower seeds can promote better moods, while other nutrients keep your heart healthy.

Both Vitamin E and folate have been shown to promote cardiovascular health, and magnesium, another ingredient found in sunflower seeds, enables muscles and the skeletal system to function properly. Magnesium also assists in respiratory function, heart health, and healthy PMS.

Magnesium also promotes a healthy mood. Over a century ago magnesium sulphate was given to people suffering from depression, and its success made it a valuable nutrient. Today magnesium is used in homeopathic therapies for mental health.

MAKE HEALTHY SEEDS AN EVERYDAY PART OF YOUR DIET

In order to see the long-term effects of these nutrients you have to make seeds a part of your daily diet. Find creative ways to include seeds in your snacks, drinks, and whole meals. Keep a bag of mixed seeds in your fridge to sprinkle on soups, salads, casseroles, and any other food you like. Remember, cooking is also a option when eating seeds, so find new ways to cook with seeds for a healthier diet.

We think you’ll quickly find that these healthy seeds become an essential, even craveable part of your meals.

Life’s Balance gummies are the latest sweet CBD edible to please our review team’s tastebuds.

These gummies are on the softer side, a little less chewy than some, but with an enjoyable fruit flavor and very little aftertaste from the hemp extract. CBD gummies are an increasingly popular choice for people interested in the healing benefits of hemp. They offer easy dosing and some people prefer the flavor over traditional tinctures.

Gummy candies are an increasingly popular way to take CBD oil. Some consumers prefer the flavor and convenience over traditional tinctures. Life’s Balance CBD gummies are sweet with very little aftertaste. (Stock photo)

Life’s Balance is a newer company from Austin, Texas offering a variety of high-quality CBD products. Like all the products we review, Life’s Balance is careful about where the source of their hemp, and offers third-party lab testing results to ensure purity.

Read on for our full review and a special discount for Ministry of Hemp readers.

LIFE’S BALANCE IS PART OF GROWING TEXAS HEMP INDUSTRY

Life’s Balance is part of the burgeoning Texas hemp industry. While it’s still illegal to grow industrial hemp in the Lone Star state, the massive interest in hemp and CBD suggests it’s probably only a matter of time until that changes. In the meantime, an increasing number of companies are getting involved with delicious products like these CBD gummies, made from hemp that’s legally produced in other parts of the United States.

Life’s Balance is a woman-owned business whose mission is to “educate the country on the benefits of CBD 1 milligram at a time.” They use full spectrum / whole plant hemp extract, another important factor when buying CBD oil. Life’s Balance gummies are infused with CBD-oil during creation, rather than simply being coated or dipped in CBD oil.

LIFE’S BALANCE CBD GUMMIES OFFICIAL REVIEW

• Highlights: Fruit Flavor Gummy’s from Life’s Balance are sweet with a soft, chewy gummy texture.
• Specials: Use coupon code MofH18 for 20 percent off your order and free shipping on orders over $75!
• Price: $30.00 for 10 gummies
• Strength: 10 mg of full spectrum hemp/CBD extract per bear-shaped gummy
• Customer Service & Shipping: Fast customer service. $7.00 standard shipping fee (unless you use coupon code).
• Independent Test Results: Online.
• Flavor: These gummies are soft but retain a chewy texture, with a pleasing fruit flavor. There is very little medicinal aftertaste to these treats.
• Ingredients: Sugar, Gelatin, Citric Acid, Natural Flavoring, Coconut Oil, Phytocannabinoid Rich Hemp Oil.
• Other: Also available in packs of 5 or 20 gummies. Free of yeast, wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs, peanuts, and artificial flavors or preservatives.

Life’s Balance uses hemp extract made from U.S.-grown, non-GMO hemp. They also offer tinctures, vape pens, and CBD pet treats.

Hemp packaging could be a solution to the problem of disposable, single-use paper and plastic.

“The statistics are in: every second … a half acre of trees are cut down,” said Matthew Glyer of Hemp.Press. “7.5 bllion trees for paper alone is not sustainable.”

Every industry is struggling with the growing problem of waste. The legal cannabis industry is no exception. Both medical and recreational dispensaries depend on plastic and foil containers which are used once, then thrown away. For the most part, these materials are not biodegradable. Single-use paper packaging is also commonplace in the industry.

While hemp plastic is still being perfected, companies like Sana Packaging are already creating composites from hemp and corn. Sana Packaging’s products are created using hemp hurd, the fibrous woody core of agricultural hemp, then combined with corn to create composite bioplastic.

A Sana Packaging tube designed for use in the legal cannabis industry. This “doob tube” is made from a combination of hemp and corn. Hemp packaging can be part of reducing dependence on single-use, unsustainable packaging.

Working with domestically-sourced materials also ensures the sustainability of their products.

“Our hemp is sourced here domestically in Kentucky, processed in North Dakota and we manufacture in Minnesota and Arizona,” said Ron Basak-Smith of Sana Packaging. “All American made, all American supply chain.”

Hemp.Press also targets the cannabis industry with products that replace boxes or display cards made from trees with hemp paper.

The companies are also involved in lobbying to change cannabis laws. Currently, most states with legal medical or recreational marijuana programs prohibit the re-use of packaging at cannabis dispensaries. If those laws changed, consumers would be able to bring their hemp packaging back to the dispensary to be refilled with fresh flower, extract, or pre-rolled cannabis joints.

The HIA vs. DEA decision, a ruling in a landmark lawsuit by the hemp industry, has caused a lot of confusion about CBD’s legal status.

The Hemp Industries Association sued the Drug Enforcement Administration last year in an effort to overturn a DEA rule declaring CBD oil illegal. When the court dismissed the case on April 30, based on what was essentially a technical matter, misinformation about the ruling quickly spread online. Since we’re hemp advocates and supporters of access to CBD oil, we knew we had to get to the bottom of the HIA vs. DEA decision and what it means for the industry.

“Our hope was that they would withdraw the rule or go back through the traditional rule making progress,” said Colleen Keahey, executive director at the HIA.

Rather than hear their argument, the court ruled that their case was invalid because the HIA hadn’t participated in an official comment period which took place years ago. Keahey pointed out that the comment period was in 2011, while the DEA waited until 2016 to suddenly claim that CBD is illegal.

A statue of Lady Justice holding her scales. The HIA vs. DEA decision prompted misleading media stories suggesting CBD was now illegal.

While the hemp industry can chalk the ruling up as a loss, all is not as it seems. In fact, the DEA may have been forced to admit that CBD products derived from hemp are actually legal after all.

CBD AND THE DEA: WHY THE HEMP INDUSTRY LAUNCHED A LAWSUIT

While marijuana, the form of cannabis that makes people feel high, remains illegal at a federal level, most legal experts agree the same isn’t true for industrial hemp.

The 2014 Farm Bill, which Pres. Barack Obama signed in that year, declared industrial hemp legal as long as it’s grown under a state-run hemp program. According to Vote Hemp, 15 states grew hemp last year for a total of over 25,000 acres. One of the most popular products made from this hemp is CBD, or cannabidiol, an extract of hemp which science suggests has numerous healing benefits.

The DEA has tried to claim that all CBD is illegal, even when it’s made from legal hemp. Though CBD remains available, at least online, in almost every part of the U.S., the DEA rule has caused a great deal of legal confusion. States like Wisconsin and Indiana have struggled with the legality of CBD. One Indiana resident narrowly escaped drug possession charges for CBD before a new law passed that declared CBD fully legal in that state.

The HIA were joined in their lawsuit by several other hemp advocates, all of whom hoped that the case could clear up this confusing legal landscape.

HIA VS. DEA DECISION FORCES GOVERNMENT TO UPDATE POLICIES

Another major party to the suit was Hoban Law Group, well-known specialists in cannabis law. In a statement to their clients which was shared with Ministry of Hemp, Hoban Law collectively fired back against the rumors and misconceptions swirling around the HIA vs. DEA decision.

“Contrary to many media reports suggesting otherwise, the Court’s ruling does not find that industrial hemp, or derivatives or extracts of hemp, are illegal,” they wrote. “In fact, this ruling should not be understood to practically impact the hemp industry in an adverse way and does provide some clarity.”

According to the statement, in dismissing the case the court stated that the Farm Bill actually supersedes the Controlled Substances Act. The CSA is the anti-drug law the DEA tried to use to argue that CBD is illegal. Essentially, the court said that when the CSA conflicts the Farm Act, the Farm Act — and legal hemp and CBD — win out.

“This is good news for the hemp industry,” Hoban wrote.

A hemp farmer surveys his crop at sunset. The HIA vs. DEA decision caused confusion, but may actually have forced the government to admit that CBD derived from hemp is legal.

Rod Kight, another well known legal advocate for cannabis, struck a cautious note in his May 2 analysis of the HIA vs. DEA decision.

“The outcome was not entirely awful,” he wrote on his blog Kight on Cannabis.

Kight pointed to a clarification on CBD that the DEA published soon after the court case began. While the DEA’s statement is confusingly written, it states that “CBD is not illegal, per se,” as long as it’s derived from a legal source like hemp. Though the DEA admitted CBD was always legal, it’s clear the question of CBD’s legality is still not settled.

“On the one hand, nothing has changed and life in the wake of this ruling is the same as it was before the ruling,” Kight wrote. “On the other hand, things are more confusing than ever.”

CBD LAWSUIT DECISION HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR LEGAL CHANGE

The lawsuit could be appealed but, according to Keahey, the Hemp Industries Association is keeping their options open.

“As of April 30, we have 45 days to decide and our board of directors and our legal counsel and our co-petitioners are just putting together thoughts and opinions and reviewing potential strategies,” she said. “We’ve got some time so we’re going to take it and make sure we do our due diligence to take the appropriate action.”

Overall, most hemp experts don’t seem to think the results of this lawsuit will have much effect on the industry. CBD supplements continue to sell online and in most states. However, cases like these highlight the need for legal change at the federal level. A Senate bill called the “Hemp Farming Act of 2018” could fully legalize hemp and derivatives like CBD, taking them out of the hands of the DEA once and for all. Originally sponsored by Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the bill is rapidly gaining bipartisan support.

Regardless of whether they appeal the court case, Keahey said she’s excited for the upcoming Hemp History Week, which the Hemp Industries Association cosponsors with the nonprofit Vote Hemp and others. Taking place from June 4 through 10 in 2018, Hemp History Week is a major annual grassroots campaign that raises awareness about the benefits of this crop and the many ways it can be used.

This year, the campaign is perfectly timed to draw attention to the need for full hemp legalization and encourage voters to lobby their lawmakers.

“We hope we get more response from constituents to Congress than ever before,” Keahey told us.

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