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Gillette student earns top NASA ranking, presents space agriculture research at Spacepoint

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4 months ago

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Drea Hineman, a student at the University of Wyoming at Gillette, recently won regional recognition for her innovative space farming research supported by NASA. Hineman, an expert in plant production and protection in the UW Department of Plant Sciences and a Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium Research Fellow, studies sustainable food production in reduced gravity environments. In other words, he researches space farming.

The Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium supports education and research programs to support NASA’s missions. Hineman’s grant project tackles a major problem astronauts face when growing lettuce plants in space: salt build-up in the soil.

Reduced gravity also means reduced drainage. On the International Space Station, water — and the dissolved salts in that water — don’t flow like they would on Earth. Instead of leaving the growing pod, the salt accumulates in the soil, stressing the plants. Beginning in July 2025, Hineman designed and implemented a series of ongoing experiments to study the salt tolerance of lettuce exposed to environmental stressors in reduced gravity environments.

To mimic the movement of water in reduced gravity conditions, he used a sensor-based automatic irrigation system in the Laramie Research and Extension Center greenhouse. Hineman first learned how to operate the system as a research intern in the lab of plant science assistant professor JJ Chen. Chen later became Hineman’s mentor in the NASA fellowship program.

“He was working on a specialty crop project in my lab. Then he started working on his ideas about salinity that were relevant to the grant,” Chen recalled. “This is his idea, his research.”

The NASA scholarship program is very competitive, Chen added. Out of 29 students who applied for the 2025 scholarship, Hineman’s application ranked first.

© Paulo Pinto de Mello Neto Drea Hineman, a Gillette senior majoring in plant production and protection in the UW Department of Plant Sciences, recently won regional recognition at a Spacepoint symposium on Interplanetary Life in Boise, Idaho, for her groundbreaking NASA-supported space agriculture research. Here, he tends to plants undergoing a salinity test in the greenhouse at the Laramie Research and Extension Center.

Hineman presented his research at a regional event in October — called Interplanetary Life — in Boise, Idaho, hosted by the educational nonprofit Spacepoint. The organization’s mission is to promote awareness and participation in the space industry, says Spacepoint founder and CEO Kyle Averill. The recent Spacepoint symposium addressed the topic of interplanetary life with the goal of generating interest in careers related to the space industry. While open to the public, the event was designed primarily for high school students, college students, and early career professionals.

The presentations and research posters, including Hineman’s, are “examples of work, research and development going on in the industry, from propulsion to food production … how to get there, how to survive and how to thrive,” says Averill.

As a plant scientist, Hineman brought a unique perspective to the event, introducing some attendees to space farming for the first time. Spacepoint events do just that: make the space industry accessible to a wider public by connecting it with interests on Earth, Averill says.

“As the only agriculture major invited to present at the event, Drea effectively communicated to attendees from Washington, Idaho, Montana and California that students can make meaningful contributions to science and space exploration,” says Chen.

Hineman is conducting a second round of trials where he is investigating whether inoculating lettuce plants with fungi can help mitigate the effects of increased salinity.

“I never thought I’d be able to do this,” Hineman says. “When you think of Wyoming, you don’t think, ‘Oh, yeah, I can go to college and do a space agriculture research project.’ … But once I knew I was really interested, that’s when I realized my driver.”

Source: University of Wyoming

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EU regulators say Charlotte’s Web hemp CBD safety “cannot be established”

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15 hours ago

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May 12, 2026

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The growing tension between international scientific findings and US health policy has raised questions about whether Medicare beneficiaries are being exposed to cannabinoid products whose safety profiles have not been fully established.

In March 2026, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) carried out a formal scientific evaluation of a shipment of Charlotte’s Web hemp product, concluding that the safety of a carbon dioxide extract derived from Cannabis sativa L. “cannot be established”. The agency identified several gaps in the available data, including significant portions of the product remaining uncharacterized, a lack of reliable toxicological studies on the actual material, a lack of human clinical data, and an unknown allergenicity and long-term safety profile.

At the same time, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the Substance Access Beneficiary Engagement Incentive (BEI) program. The initiative allows participating healthcare providers to discuss and supply certain hemp and marijuana-derived cannabinoid products to Medicare beneficiaries under the authority of the Center for Innovation, and does not require approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. That distinction is at issue in a pending federal case: Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), et al. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. et al., Case 1:26-cv-01081 (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia).

Under the FDA’s standard framework, products intended for therapeutic use typically undergo controlled clinical trials, dose standardization, safety and toxicology evaluation, and manufacturing and stability validation. The BEI program operates outside of this structure. Some observers point out that this could introduce products into federally funded care settings before those benchmarks are met, while proponents of the program characterize it as a legitimate model of innovation.

Medicare beneficiaries represent a medically complex population, with many patients managing multiple medications, chronic conditions, and increased susceptibility to drug interactions. Cannabinoid compounds, including THC, interact with metabolic pathways such as CYP450 enzymes, which process many common medications. The safety profile of these products in this population has not been fully characterized through controlled studies.

Following the launch of the program, several companies publicly announced their positioning within the emerging healthcare supply chain. Charlotte’s Web highlighted alignment with CMS drivers and Cornbread Hemp announced institutional distribution through a national group buying organization, reflecting broader commercialization activity in the category.

SAM v. In Kennedy, the court is evaluating whether CMS overstepped its statutory authority by introducing avenues for the supply of cannabinoids without formal regulations, public notice and comment, or FDA validation standards. A resolution will determine whether the program is scaled back, modified, or stopped pending further review as implemented.

The EFSA’s conclusion does not ban the marketing of CBD products, but indicates that the scientific evidence necessary to fully establish their safety remains incomplete. The political debate reflects a broader question in health care regulation: how to balance the pace of innovation for therapeutic products with the standards of evidence typically required in federally funded systems of care.

Source: MMJ International Holdings

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Trump’s Medical Marijuana Move Focused On Helping Ailing Seniors, But Lack Of Coordination Could Cause Backlash (Op-Ed)

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15 hours ago

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May 12, 2026

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“The rush to provide medical marijuana to the elderly will require substantial legal, scientific, and commercial infrastructure, which in an ideal world would avoid repeating historical mistakes with clarity and coordination.”

By Emily Dufton

Everyone knows that the last month was historic for cannabis. There are big changes coming with the rescheduling of medical marijuana and federal Medicare coverage of hemp.

But what many have misunderstood is why.

For the first time in 56 years, a type of marijuana has finally escaped Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Cannabis was placed there in 1970, and despite previous attempts at legalization – including 40 states that legalized medical access and 24 states that legalized recreational use – for more than half a century, cannabis continued to be defined as a substance with no approved medical use and a high potential for abuse.

Until last month, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche moved medical marijuana to Schedule III, a drug category with some medical uses approved and “moderate-low” addiction potential.

This review includes four cannabis products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in all 40 states and Washington DC. These products are now Schedule III, which means that dispensary owners don’t have a heavy tax burden like 280E.

Medical marijuana became a much more legitimate industry.

But what makes this change even more historic is who it is intended to benefit: the elderly.

Previous legalization movements all focused on young adults. The decriminalization movement of the 1970s painted cannabis as an “adult right” for a mature baby boomer. Activists in the 1980s and 90s argued that medical marijuana was needed for young people struggling with HIV/AIDS. And in the 2010s and 2020s, social justice movements promoted legalization as a means to end the mass incarceration of Black youth.

Recriminalization movements have been equally concerned with pot’s impact on children. Reagan’s zero-tolerance, “Just Say No” drug war of the 1980s was launched explicitly to save children. And the intoxicating hemp products accidentally legalized in the 2018 Farm Bill are slated to be made illegal again this November, after opponents warned they sent too many children to emergency rooms.

But the Trump administration’s support for medical marijuana reform is based on something new: the concern of 18 percent of Americans over 65 — nearly 1 in 6 — a number expected to rise to nearly a quarter of the population by 2050.

A new industry is emerging to service this demographic. Howard Kessler, of the Commonwealth Project, is one of the biggest proponents of medical marijuana use for seniors.

A Project video (reposted by Trump on Truth Social last September) he seemed to be addressing the president directly. “You can revolutionize healthcare for the elderly,” begins the narrator, before listing cannabis’ positive effects on pain, stress and sleep. The video ends with the promise: “You will deliver the most important senior health initiative of the century, strengthening your legacy and transforming aging care. Millions everywhere will thank you.”

As a drug historian, I did not see this coming. The historic overhaul of medical marijuana is being hailed as a victory for the elderly, a demographic that was almost never included in the conversation.

For years, prohibitionists argued that today’s cannabis products are too strong, a far cry from the tamer, weaker weed of yesteryear. But with these new products aimed at seniors, this really is your grandma’s marijuana. The baby boomers who fought for decriminalization in the 1970s are getting it, in 2026, with federal funding from Dr. Mehmet Oz’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Focusing on the health and well-being of the elderly, Kessler’s campaign successfully overturned decades of drug policy concerns about children, and this shift will have major implications for both legalization and recriminalization campaigns. The “save the kids” attitude that changed the law before may not work when marijuana users are older.

But a backlash could arise just as quickly if unregulated “medical” products start harming grandma.

Therefore, as a historian, I am concerned that this project has been rapidly expanded with vocal support but little coordination. There is a significant lack of clarity on how this transformation will work.

Given that Schedule I marijuana has been around for half a century, the science behind medical cannabis is still a work in progress. It’s also not entirely clear who is responsible, as multiple entities are involved in the change, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FDA, the Department of Justice, and the Internal Revenue Service, as well as legislative, regulatory, and law enforcement agencies at the state and local levels.

And so far no one has addressed the impact it has had on hemp/marijuana distribution. Lack of coordination doomed previous legalization campaigns, and could harm reprogramming if it unfolds in a chaotic fashion.

At the moment, the outlook does not look promising. Dr. Gillian Schauer, executive director of the Cannabis Regulatory Association, told NPR, “We’re implementing policy that’s far from where the science is… It’s like flying an airplane blind when we’re building it without parts.”

Last month’s rescheduling was historic, but it’s also incomplete. The rush to provide medical marijuana to the elderly will require extensive legal, scientific and commercial infrastructure, which in an ideal world would avoid repeating historical mistakes by providing clarity and coordination.

It may not happen yet, but it’s what grandma deserves.

Emily Dufton is the author of Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America and Addiction, Inc.: Medication-Assisted Treatment and America’s Forgotten War on Drugs.

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Kambis expands cultivation infrastructure as Thai medical cannabis facility eyes international markets

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2 days ago

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May 11, 2026

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A certified medical cannabis facility in Thailand is adding a specialized mother room and an advanced drying room as part of its capacity expansion aimed at international supply.

KAMBIS Community Enterprise Innovative Farming announced through construction LinkedIndescribing the two rooms as nearing completion and central to the roadmap for scaling up production. The company sees investment as a prerequisite for consistent production in export markets, not just for increased volume.

The expansion is accompanied by an ongoing fulfillment push. KAMBIS has been working to prepare GACP and EU GMP, a combination that reflects the standard required to supply the regulated medical markets in Europe and elsewhere. The company noted that medical expertise has been embedded in its leadership since the beginning, and it says it has kept clinical requirements at the center of cultivation decisions as the operation has grown.

The addition of the mother’s room is particularly notable in the context of the international offer. The mother-room infrastructure allows the facility to maintain genetic consistency across production cycles, which is a prerequisite for the kind of batch-to-batch reproducibility required by EU GMP frameworks. Drying room capacity, on the other hand, is often the bottleneck that limits how many post-harvest flowers a grow site can fill without compromising quality metrics.

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