Attorney General Jeff Sessions didn’t have hemp in mind when he repealed Obama-era protections for state-legal marijuana businesses. But his Jan. 4 announcement sent shock waves into the hemp industry, too, leaving entrepreneurs scrambling to reassure skittish investors. It’s been a rocky couple of weeks for hemp entrepreneurs. That’s despite the fact that hemp’s legal […]
Read MoreCBD confusion mounts in Iowa as police seize goods but don’t always test for THC
Iowa police who’ve been seizing CBD products off store shelves have in some cases not been testing them to see if they contain illegal THC, adding to the confusion surrounding cannabidiol’s legal status in the state. Authorities have seized oils, lotions and candies containing CBD in at least two jurisdictions, the Des Moines Register reported. Some […]
Read MoreCongress members defend CBD, blast DEA’s hemp decision
In a bold show of support for the hemp industry and CBD, 28 members of Congress are asking a federal appeals court to reject the Drug Enforcement Administration’s argument that cannabidiol is a Schedule 1 drug. The Congress members filed the brief Thursday in conjunction with a pending lawsuit against the DEA. The 9th Circuit Court […]
Read MoreHemp State Highlight: Virginia’s changing hemp model could pay big dividends
You can’t make money growing hemp in Virginia. Literally, even though the plant is legal.
Virginia bans farmers from selling the crop commercially and limits hemp production to a handful of university research projects.
If that strikes you as odd for a state with centuries of experience growing hemp, you’re not alone.
Read MoreColorado hemp producer leaving for Arkansas’ new market
A hemp grower and CBD manufacturer in Denver is shifting operations to Arkansas, which will allow hemp cultivation and processing for the first time this year. Tree of Life Seeds is owned by Arkansas natives who said they set up shop in Colorado in 2015 to learn the ins and outs of the hemp industry. […]
Read More$3.2 million hemp processing plant in New York gets state funding
A new $3.2 million facility near Binghamton, New York, is the first in the United States to receive some form of government assistance to promote the processing of hemp. The hemp processing plant, an unnamed project slated to open later this year, is receiving $650,000 from the state, Binghamton TV station WIVT reported. It is the […]
Read MoreIndiana apologizes to 50 businesses cited for selling CBD
Indiana authorities are apologizing to about 50 businesses after regulators erroneously cited them for selling illegal CBD products. The letters were sent despite assurances by state officials that the store owners wouldn’t be penalized until CBD’s legal status is settled. Indiana’s Alcohol and Tobacco Commission sent the citation letters just before Christmas, WTHR-TV reported. The letters […]
Read MoreNew Mexico hemp industry blocked again in court ruling
New Mexico’s hemp industry is on hold – again – after the state Supreme Court put the brakes on two bills setting up hemp production. The 3-2 decision doesn’t mean New Mexico’s hemp program is permanently blocked, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. Instead, the justices ruled that two hemp bills vetoed last year […]
Read MoreCanadian hemp company inks California distribution deal
A Canadian hemp company clinched a California distribution deal that will see its CBD-infused foods and waters on shelves in 550 dispensaries. Phivida Holdings of Vancouver, British Columbia, said it struck the agreement Wednesday with Green Reef Distribution, a company in Santa Monica, California, that distributes cannabis products. The Green Reef deal gives Phivida its first […]
Read MoreUtah launches CBD probe, but some retailers unfazed
CBD chaos has spread to Utah, where state authorities have launched an investigation of the nascent cannabidiol industry even as business owners are risking expansion into the hot market. The confusion started in late December, when the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing seized about $400 worth of CBD products from an antiques store […]
Read MoreWater access poses big risk for many hemp growers in 2018
Confusion at the federal level about water is causing a huge dilemma for hemp producers: Licensing deadlines are fast approaching in many states, but farmers don’t know if they’ll be able to irrigate their crops. That’s because the nation’s largest wholesale supplier of water – the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation – won’t allow its water to […]
Read MoreYear in Review: Top 10 stories in the marijuana industry from 2017
It was a lung-busting 2017 for the North American cannabis industry, with marijuana executives stateside holding their collective breath wondering whether the new Trump administration would crack down on legal MJ businesses.
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