Rocky Mountain High NY
Hemp as Modern Medicine
Are you getting enough hemp in your diet?
For years as cannabis battled it out in the political system, the courts and in the eyes of public opinion, its health-nut, exercise-loving, extremely good for you cousin hemp made its debut onto supermarket shelves and into the healthy hearts of consumers everywhere.
Hemp, of course, has many of the same great qualities as cannabis except for one significant difference, you can’t get high on it. Nevertheless, for decades hemp had to deal with the same stigma that the marijuana community works to erase, but in 2014, the US Government finally recognized hemp as being distinct from cannabis which slowly helped the floodgates open.
Now there is a river of hemp products in your local food store including hemp seeds, hemp hearts, hemp oils and various other extracts. Most of these products are made specifically from the seeds themselves, but what about the incredibly useful cannabinoids in the stock and leaves? For years, that was still a no-no but today products are coming out with whole plant utilization. Cut to the drink manufacturer Tinley Beverage Company, who makes a tasty thirst-quencher called Hemplify, filled with hemp extract-infused products.
“I’d been involved with several Canadian medical marijuana companies over the past few years. I felt that it would be healthier for patients to consume cannabis via health drinks rather than via sugary or fatty edibles – and far healthier than by inhaling smoke into their lungs.” said Jeff Maser, CEO of the company.
“While developing the initial products, I quickly realized that portions of the hemp plant contain many of the non-psychoactive cannabinoids that patients and everyday consumers are seeking. Products made with extract from these parts of the hemp plant could therefore be positioned next to popular functional drinks such as Kombucha, curcumin, probiotic, omega and vitamin drinks. This created an opportunity to bring these wonderful ingredients to mainstream consumers, which creates a larger addressable audience than cannabis-specific distribution channels.”
Thankfully when it comes to the stigma of hemp and marijuana products, Jeff is doing things at a time where there is growing national and international acceptance of these plants, as opposed to hitting a wall twenty years ago. “Both hemp and marijuana are enjoying increased acceptance by mainstream consumers. Hemp seed products are being widely distributed in mainstream grocery channels and are very much accepted as omega-rich health products rather than merely products for cannabis enthusiasts. As for hemp stalk products, I’ve been amazed at the significant level of consumer awareness, particularly in California, and I believe this awareness will expand across the country fairly quickly.”
Marijuana reform has also been a factor for the growing promotion of hemp as a healthy product, which will no doubt help Hemplify. “There have been several excellent hemp seed drinks on the market for years. Popular brands include Hemp2O and Rocky Mountain High. Drinkable products made with parts of the hemp plant that contain cannabinoids – notably the stalk – have just been starting to hit the market, though oils and capsules containing these cannabinoids have been available for some time. I believe that marijuana reform has helped bring attention to many cannabinoids other than THC, which in turn has created interest in products such as Hemplify that contain these ingredients.”
As for the future of the company, Tinley is doing a larger roll-out of Hemplify shortly and no doubt similar drinks like it will be following as well. “We have a distributor and several salespeople in California and Colorado, and we have received orders from retailers and wholesalers in several other states. We plan to hold tasting events in stores and music festivals in these states, and our web store should open for pre-orders soon.”
Whether your love for cannabis is all about the buzz or all about your health, there’s no reason why you can’t marry the two. The next time you enjoy some Mary Jane, instead of reaching for the orange soda, try a drink like Hemplify and do your body a favour.
Read more http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/2016/05/he...-medicine/
Hemp as Modern Medicine
Are you getting enough hemp in your diet?
For years as cannabis battled it out in the political system, the courts and in the eyes of public opinion, its health-nut, exercise-loving, extremely good for you cousin hemp made its debut onto supermarket shelves and into the healthy hearts of consumers everywhere.
Hemp, of course, has many of the same great qualities as cannabis except for one significant difference, you can’t get high on it. Nevertheless, for decades hemp had to deal with the same stigma that the marijuana community works to erase, but in 2014, the US Government finally recognized hemp as being distinct from cannabis which slowly helped the floodgates open.
Now there is a river of hemp products in your local food store including hemp seeds, hemp hearts, hemp oils and various other extracts. Most of these products are made specifically from the seeds themselves, but what about the incredibly useful cannabinoids in the stock and leaves? For years, that was still a no-no but today products are coming out with whole plant utilization. Cut to the drink manufacturer Tinley Beverage Company, who makes a tasty thirst-quencher called Hemplify, filled with hemp extract-infused products.
“I’d been involved with several Canadian medical marijuana companies over the past few years. I felt that it would be healthier for patients to consume cannabis via health drinks rather than via sugary or fatty edibles – and far healthier than by inhaling smoke into their lungs.” said Jeff Maser, CEO of the company.
“While developing the initial products, I quickly realized that portions of the hemp plant contain many of the non-psychoactive cannabinoids that patients and everyday consumers are seeking. Products made with extract from these parts of the hemp plant could therefore be positioned next to popular functional drinks such as Kombucha, curcumin, probiotic, omega and vitamin drinks. This created an opportunity to bring these wonderful ingredients to mainstream consumers, which creates a larger addressable audience than cannabis-specific distribution channels.”
Thankfully when it comes to the stigma of hemp and marijuana products, Jeff is doing things at a time where there is growing national and international acceptance of these plants, as opposed to hitting a wall twenty years ago. “Both hemp and marijuana are enjoying increased acceptance by mainstream consumers. Hemp seed products are being widely distributed in mainstream grocery channels and are very much accepted as omega-rich health products rather than merely products for cannabis enthusiasts. As for hemp stalk products, I’ve been amazed at the significant level of consumer awareness, particularly in California, and I believe this awareness will expand across the country fairly quickly.”
Marijuana reform has also been a factor for the growing promotion of hemp as a healthy product, which will no doubt help Hemplify. “There have been several excellent hemp seed drinks on the market for years. Popular brands include Hemp2O and Rocky Mountain High. Drinkable products made with parts of the hemp plant that contain cannabinoids – notably the stalk – have just been starting to hit the market, though oils and capsules containing these cannabinoids have been available for some time. I believe that marijuana reform has helped bring attention to many cannabinoids other than THC, which in turn has created interest in products such as Hemplify that contain these ingredients.”
As for the future of the company, Tinley is doing a larger roll-out of Hemplify shortly and no doubt similar drinks like it will be following as well. “We have a distributor and several salespeople in California and Colorado, and we have received orders from retailers and wholesalers in several other states. We plan to hold tasting events in stores and music festivals in these states, and our web store should open for pre-orders soon.”
Whether your love for cannabis is all about the buzz or all about your health, there’s no reason why you can’t marry the two. The next time you enjoy some Mary Jane, instead of reaching for the orange soda, try a drink like Hemplify and do your body a favour.
Read more http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/2016/05/he...-medicine/
