Latest news with #Manske
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Saying Goodbye to the High: Bill could outlaw THC products in Abilene, sparking local outcry
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Texas House Bill 3 proposes a ban on the sale and consumption of any product containing any amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but what will the move mean for Texans who rely on these types of products for alternative medical uses? Texas House bans THC products, reduces criminal penalty for possessing intoxicating hemp It comes in gummies, chocolates, or even just the traditional flower form. THC products can be found in a variety of styles with uses that span beyond simply recreational. Texas Senate Bill 3, which has now passed both the Texas Senate and House, seeks to completely ban the consumption and sale of hemp products that contain any amount of THC, though it would not affect the sale of non-psychoactive cannabinoids such as CBD and CBG. Brittany Manske, the owner of the Abilene CBD House of Healing, expressed concerns about the bill and claimed that Texas lawmakers are mischaracterizing the product she sells. 'The picture that Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has painted just doesn't apply to businesses like ours. We operate with integrity, high standards in regards to quality and safety,' Manske said. The bill is now on Governor Greg Abbott's desk and just needs his signature to become Texas law. Now, many who rely on the product as a substitute for various treatments for both medical and mental ailments are voicing their concerns about this action. CBD and other hemp products make their mark on the Key City One of those individuals is retired Veteran Andrew Peterson, who regularly uses THC products to help with pain management from injuries he sustained while he was serving, and says that more military members like him are switching to using THC products as a safer alternative than other coping mechanisms. 'I feel like when people get out of the military, it's a lot better than choosing to go directly to alcohol and ruining their lives and going down that rabbit hole,' Peterson explained. Valerie Armstrong said that she uses THC products for a variety of ailments, including both physical and mental, and speaks to the benefits of the product, as well as proposing monetary ventures that could benefit the state. 'It is good for people who have cancer. It helps them eat. It helps them get through their day. You say this is going to affect our kids? Yeah, it could affect our kids,' Armstrong said. 'You know what we could do? We could take the money from the taxes. We can no longer make kids pay for school food.' Lawmakers hope to expand medical marijuana program as state bans intoxicating hemp products At this point, no action has been taken by the governor's office regarding SP3, but Brittany Manske says she's not waiting around and has decided to take action. Manske and her business have Texas Senate Bill 3 and are seeking 100,000 signatures to present to Governor Abbott. If the bill is signed into law, the ban will take effect in September of this year. However, the proposed law will not apply to individuals in Texas who possess a license for medical THC use. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Iowa farmers continue to worry amid trade war
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) – China has threatened to raise existing tariffs on U.S. goods by 50%, which could increase U.S tariffs on China to 104%. This new development has many farmers worried going into the planting season. Last year, U.S. agricultural exports totaled $175 billion, with China being one of the largest trading partners for goods. That relationship is currently in limbo. 'I think the sense was that, you know, this was a negotiating tactic,' said Matt Russell, the former State Executive Director of the USDA Iowa Farm Service Agency during the Biden Administration. 'At this point, we are in a full-blown trade war, and as a farmer, I'm sitting here trying to figure out how is this going to impact me.' Farmers say these tariffs will cause problems with partners in other countries. Last wall of former KCAU 9 building being torn down 'We have undermined those, and so if I'm a buyer of American products, American farm products, this is a big signal I need to make sure that I'm looking for other partners,' Russell said. 'Going back to 2017, we were exporting about 2.3 billion bushels of soybeans and roughly 50% of the soybean crop is exported,' said Joshua Manske, a farmer in Iowa and Minnesota. 'So now currently, we're exporting, I think USDA is estimating 1.8 billion bushels of soybeans being exported compared to 2.3 [billion] back before the trade war.' On top of countries seeking other producers, the cost of soybeans is not looking good. 'When you look at the futures and you look at where those prices may be locally this fall, for soybeans, you're seeing kind of a similar low $9 range,' Russell said. 'There are just very few farmers who can even cash flow without losing money at those prices.' 'Yeah, even before this whole thing took place, soybeans did not look very profitable, if profitable at all,' Manske said. 'Now, if you're looking at the new crop contract, corn's had good demand so that makes sense. But I think you also see a reduced soybean number because people are just not excited about growing a crop that you're not really going to make money on.' Russell says he's all for fair trade, but that the Trump Administration is not wielding tariffs correctly. 'What we've got is like you're walking into your shop and instead of grabbing the specific tool that you need, you're grabbing the biggest hammer and you're just swinging it at all your equipment and everything,' Russell said. Sioux City council again defers decision on Human Rights Commission 'We obviously want fair trade, right? If there's any sort of issues, which are why these agreements are done in the first place, so if there is problems, it's like 'hey, you're manipulating your currency' or 'hey, you're dumping steel' or dumping rubber,' Manske said. 'You almost need some sort of a scalpel to deal with this kind of an issue instead of coming at it with a sledge hammer.' However, farmers aren't the only people that will be impacted by the tariffs put on China. 'You know, this is not just going to hurt farmers' pockets, right? This is reverberating through the rural economy,' Manske said. 'Look at John Deere and Kinze, for example. Those are jobs that are being shed based on the farm economy. So I think it's important, and then, of course, what's going to happen to our rural communities as well?' The 104% tariffs could go into effect as early as Wednesday night at 12:01 a.m. Trump's cabinet members say there will be no exceptions to the tariffs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
