Cure for What Ails You

Willie Nelson grows cannabis empire with new line of CBD oil products

The small batch coffee will be available in September.

Courtesy photo

Whether it's a song about heartbreak or an eighth of his own brand of marijuana, Austin's own Willie Nelson always has the cure for what ails you. Beginning in September, Nelson is expanding his cannabis line to include one of the buzziest products in recent memory: CBD oil.

According to a release, Willie's Remedy, the CBD line of Nelson's Willie's Reserve, will first debut a whole bean, CBD-infused coffee to help perk up your morning. The small batch roast will be infused with oil naturally derived from American-grown, organic hemp. When brewed, an 8-ounce cup of Willie's Remedy carries about 5 milligrams of CBD oil.

"It's two of my favorites, together in the perfect combination," says Nelson in a release. "Like coffee, cannabis is a plant that works for me." The coffee is set to launch in September in Colorado. According to a representative, the brand plans to roll out additional CBD products sometime this year.

In addition to music, education about the cannabis plant has been a large part of Nelson's lengthy career. With Willie's Reserve, which sells marijuana, accessories, and edibles in states where pot is legal, Nelson is monetizing the regulatory and social shifts happening in places like Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and California. Now, says the singer, it's time to focus on hemp.

"Hemp production was suppressed in America because hemp was competitive to too many industries. The country probably missed some opportunity during hemp prohibition," says Nelson. "But another way to look at it is that hemp is the answer to [a] huge range of challenges we're facing right now. Allowing commercial hemp farming will create jobs for the farmers."

Nelson also hopes to use his CBD line to educate consumers on the benefits of THC-free products. Though it is a derivative of the cannabis plant, CBD carries many of the same benefits as marijuana, but without THC, users don't have the psychoactive or "high" effects.

The launch of Willie's Remedy comes just months after Willie's Reserve made its debut in April. That line includes Willie's Reserve Legendary Stash of packaged flowers and pre-rolled joints. In true Nelson fashion, the Red Headed Stranger tests all of his products, which are cultivated on independent farms in small batches, using only organic inputs.

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keep austin healthy

Austin is the 2nd 'healthiest' city in America, Forbes says

Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash

There are plenty of places for Austinites of varying abilities to be active.

The city's abundance of yoga studios, health-conscious restaurants, and run clubs is paying off: Austin was just named the second healthiest city in the nation in a new study by Forbes Advisor.

The report, "Cities With The Least Healthy (And Healthiest) Populations, Ranked" examined 2021 health data from the City Health Dashboard for 46 of the most populated cities in America. Eight metrics were analyzed for each city, such as the number of heart disease or opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 residents, the percentage of adults with diabetes or high blood pressure, among others.

The study focuses exclusively on physical health, and leans on broad risk factors more than the actual occurrence of specific diseases or conditions.

Austin ranked second to San Jose, California, which was dubbed the No. 1 healthiest city in America.

Forbes found that Austin has the lowest percentage of adult high blood pressure out of all 46 cities in the report, at just 22.5 percent. Only 7.4 percent of Austin residents have diabetes, which is the fourth-lowest rate nationwide. The city also boasts the fifth-lowest percentage of adults who smoke (11.3 percent).

Here's how the report ranked four other metrics for Austin:

Eighth-lowest number of heart disease deaths per 100,000 residents (175.5)
Eighth-lowest number of opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 residents (9.6)
10th-lowest percentage of adults who report having obesity (28.2 percent)
10th-lowest percentage of adults who report being physically inactive (18.5)

Austin has a reputation for being an accommodating city, whether it's through restaurants expanding their culinary offerings for vegans and vegetarians, or through local organizations adding exercise equipment to outdoor trails. And you can't forget about all the new gyms and country clubs opening around the city.

At the opposite end of the study, Detroit, Michigan landed as the most unhealthy city in the country.

Elsewhere in Texas
Though Austin is one of the healthiest cities in the U.S., and the healthiest in the state, several other Texas cities fell far behind. Houston appeared as the No. 12 most unhealthy American city on the list, and unhealthiest in Texas. The report attributes this to a high percentage of adults who report binge drinking (18.2 percent), smoking (17.2 percent), and more.

"Houston has the seventh-highest percentage of adults who report having obesity (37.7 percent) and the eighth-highest percentage of adults with diabetes (12 percent)," the report said.

San Antonio ranked as the 15th unhealthiest U.S. city, followed by Dallas (No. 18), El Paso (No. 22) and Fort Worth (No. 25). Arlington appeared as No. 30, technically making it the No. 18 healthiest city in the U.S.

The top 10 cities with the most healthy populations are:

No. 1 – San Jose, California
No. 2 – Austin, Texas
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – San Diego, California
No. 5 – Denver, Colorado
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – Boston, Massachusetts
No. 8 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 9 – Colorado Springs, Colorado
No. 10 – Minneapolis

The full report can be found on forbes.com.

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