A panel of scientists with India’s Ministry of Environment said in a risk assessment of genetically modified mustard that the crop does not “pose any risk of causing any adverse effects on human and animal health and safety.” [1]
Mustard oil accounts for more than 10% of India’s cooking requirement of approximately 21 million metric tons.
The scientists have spoken, but not everyone is convinced that the information is accurate.
Insys Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company that sells fentanyl, an opioid painkiller 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin, is fighting pot legalization in Arizona with the most powerful weapon in business and politics: money. [1]
The U.K. government pledged on September 3 to phase out plastic microbeads in cosmetics by the end of 2017. We’re expected to know which products will be covered by the ban in the coming days. [1]
You can’t smoke cigarettes in a bar, but if some marijuana advocates in Colorado get their way, you’ll soon be able to vape cannabis in one. [1]
In November, Denver, Colorado residents will vote on an initiative that would allow businesses to obtain city permits to create designated areas for using marijuana.
Kayvan S.T. Khalatbari, the lead proponent of the initiative, said in a statement:
On September 2, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned most antibacterial soaps and body washes currently on store shelves, saying the products pose health risks, and don’t work any better than regular soap. [1]
News has recently broke that the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) will temporarily ban Kratom, a popular herbal supplement that is used for issues like chronic pain, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Individuals have previously been able to buy Kratom online and in smoke shops. It typically comes in both pill and powder form.
You might love the idea of a soda tax or hate it, but for better or worse, the tax is being instituted around the country. A new analysis released by researchers at UC Berkeley shows that Berkeley’s soda tax seems to be working
Kristine Madsen and her colleagues surveyed people in low-income communities before and after the tax was voted for in 2014, making Berkeley the first California city to impose a 1 cent-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks. [1]
Madsen said:
Whether raw milk is safe to drink has been a controversial issue for many years, particularly in countries with more nanny-state tendencies. However, a study published in early 2015 showed that babies given raw cow’s milk instead of ultra-high temperature (UHT) processed formula actually had a reduced risk of common infections, such as colds and ear infections.
If a food product contains small amounts of glyphosate (an herbicide chemical), can it still be considered “100% natural?” Fed-up consumers are saying no to false advertising, and now multiple lawsuits have been filed against Nature Valley for exactly that.
On August 26, President Obama created the largest ecologically protected area on earth by expanding a national marine monument in Hawaii, his home state, to encompass more than half a million square miles. It’s called the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. [1]
The area of remote Pacific waters known for both extraordinary marine life and importance to native cultures is twice the size of Texas. [2]
