EMAIL: kristenn@mjbizdaily.com
PHONE: 720.643.4450

Kristen Nichols

Kristen is a Denver-based reporter for Marijuana Business Daily specializing in the hemp and CBD industries. Previously, she worked at the Associated Press for nearly 20 years. She started covering the marijuana legalization movement in 2009 – when medical stores started popping up around Denver – and wrote about the state’s first legal hemp harvest. Kristen also covered agriculture and politics in Maryland and her home state of Georgia.

‘Open up the floodgates’: FDA approval signals further CBD investment

Published July 5, 2018 | By Kristen Nichols

Federal approval for a CBD drug means more for the hemp industry than just validation that cannabidiol has medical value. It’s also expected to increase investment in pharmaceutical uses for CBD derived from either hemp or marijuana, according to business owners working on other medicines extracted from the cannabis plant. “This is going to open up […]

Colorado company changing name to add ‘hemp,’ remove ‘pot’

Published July 3, 2018

A Colorado CBD maker is changing its name to take the word “pot” out of its title and add “hemp.” PotNetwork Holdings announced Monday the company would become BioTech Hemp.

Willie Nelson, New Belgium Brewing funding new hemp farming campaign

Published July 3, 2018

Willie Nelson’s cannabis company is joining with Vote Hemp and New Belgium Brewing to promote hemp cultivation. The new American Hemp Campaign plans to support changes to laws around commercial hemp production at the state and national levels.

Australia hemp expansion prompts manufacturing shift away from China

Published July 2, 2018 | By Hemp Industry Daily staff

Australia’s changing hemp laws have inspired at least one manufacturing company to move production of its hemp-based shipping pallets away from China.

Senate votes to remove hemp from Controlled Substances Act, expand opportunities

Published June 28, 2018 | By Hemp Industry Daily staff

The U.S. Senate has voted to take hemp out of the Controlled Substances Act. The move came as part of the 2018 Farm Bill, which passed 86-11 Thursday. The bill must now be merged with the House version, which does not mention hemp.

Canadian marijuana financier entering hemp industry in Nevada

Published June 26, 2018

A Canadian company that finances marijuana projects is expanding into the hemp business in Nevada. Crop Infrastructure announced Monday that it has entered into a loan agreement with Elite Ventures Group to buy 315 acres in Nye County, Nevada. Crop is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Elite Ventures in Las Vegas. The two companies […]

FDA approves CBD medicine for epilepsy; DEA must now weigh in

Published June 25, 2018 | By Kristen Nichols

The U.S. Food and Drug administration has approved a naturally derived CBD drug, a landmark decision that could trigger the health agency to seek rescheduling for the cannabinoid from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Florida CBD beverage maker inks distribution deals in California, New York & Bermuda

Published June 25, 2018

A Florida company that makes CBD beverages is expanding into new markets in California, New York and Bermuda. Kona Gold Solutions announced the expansions last week, tapping California High Beverages to distribute the drinks in the San Diego area. Last month, Kona Gold lined up distribution deals in New York and Bermuda. Kona Gold Hemp […]

California county rejects hemp moratorium amid statewide confusion

Published June 22, 2018

San Luis Obispo County officials voted this week against a proposed moratorium on commercial hemp production. The reversal came after “a parade of local growers” opposed the proposal from county staff.

Hemp industry won’t appeal DEA case that left CBD status murky

Published June 19, 2018 | By Hemp Industry Daily staff

The Hemp Industries Association and businesses that served as co-plaintiffs will not ask a federal appeals court in San Francisco to take another look at their unsuccessful challenge to a 2016 rule by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that declared CBD an extract of the marijuana plant and therefore illegal.

Las Vegas hemp firm poised to make big splash in European CBD market

Published June 18, 2018

A Las Vegas-based hemp company is making a play for the booming European CBD market by buying a greenhouse near Valencia, Spain. Freedom Leaf bought the 430,000-square-foot complex – formerly the largest poinsettia nursery in Europe – for 4.1 million euros ($4.75 million).

California’s hemp industry in ‘complete chaos’

Published June 11, 2018 | By Hemp Industry Daily staff

California has a cannabis-friendly attitude and a climate perfect for hemp, but regulatory confusion in the Golden State means that entrepreneurs have yet to realize any profits from legal hemp – and a pending bill could make matters worse for establishing the plant as a commodity crop.