Industrial Hemp News

Hawaii’s Department of Agriculture licensed three separate farmers in June to grow hemp under the state’s pilot industrial hemp program, Maui Now reports. One grower is located on Kauai and the other two are located on Hawaii Island. The industrial hemp licenses last for just two years and licensees are required to pay annual fees of $250 […]

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture announced it has received 162 industrial hemp applications for 2019, according to a WYFF report. The state is doubling the number of industrial hemp farmers from 20 to 40 — and doubling their allowed acreage from 20 acres to 40 acres — for next year’s harvest. “Expanding the Industrial Hemp Pilot Program […]

On Thursday, the U.S. Senate voted 86-to-11 to pass its version of the 2018 Farm Bill, The Washington Post reports. The Farm Bill, which provides $428 billion in subsidies and other funding, includes language for the federal legalization of industrial hemp. However, some hurdles remain before the bill can be fully passed, despite overwhelming bipartisan support […]

New rules for Vermont’s industrial hemp program will take effect July 1, according to a WCAX report. The state-level changes seek to reduce the likelihood of federal interference among the state’s hemp farmers. Specifically, Vermont’s new industrial hemp rules set up a lab certification standard under a cannabis quality control program through the Agency of Agriculture. […]

On Thursday, the Arkansas State Plant Board formally approved rules that will allow farmers to begin growing hemp in the state, according to Arkansas Online. The program was originally approved by the Arkansas General Assembly at the beginning of 2017 but was sidelined for over a year. Arkansas is the 37th state to approve an […]

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry advanced the 2018 Farm Bill on Wednesday in an overwhelmingly supportive 20-1 vote, according to a Marijuana Moment report. “It’s a landmark piece of legislation that will benefit farmers and communities throughout our country. I’m particularly excited that the legislation being considered today includes provisions from the Hemp Farming Act […]

The Senate Agricultural Committee unveiled its version of the 2018 Farm Bill last Friday, which includes a push to fully legalize industrial hemp, according to a Harvest Public Media report. The Senate’s Farm Bill has so far this year been a bipartisan project spearheaded by committee chairman Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) and ranking minority member Sen. […]

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday unanimously and without amendment passed a resolution recognizing the economic potential of industrial hemp. The non-binding measure was passed in recognition of Hemp History Week, according to reporter Tom Angell’s investigation for Forbes. This is the third year in a row that the U.S. Senate has adopted non-binding resolutions recognizing the […]

An industrial hemp crop has been planted at Mount Vernon, Virginia in what the estate managers call a truer interpretation of the land as it was once run by the nation’s first president.  According to a report by The Zebra Press, Dean Norton — the director of horticulture for Mount Vernon — recently partnered with Dr. […]

It’s, so far, been a banner year for hemp policy as Alaska, Kansas, Arizona, and Oklahoma each passed industrial hemp legislation during their respective sessions while two other states – New York and South Carolina – expanded their programs; while one state program, Wisconsin, came online. Illinois, too, is just one Senate concurrence vote away […]

A Montana hemp farmer has secured a contract to use federally-controlled water to irrigate her plants, the Associated Press reports. Kim Phillips had battled the Helena Valley Irrigation District and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for more than a year to use water from the Canyon Ferry Reservoir to water her 12-acre hemp crop. “It […]

Oklahoma State University, the state’s largest agricultural college, will not participate in the inaugural hemp pilot program because the law was passed too late in the year for school officials to develop a plan for the program, News9 reports. The bill was signed into law in late April and required 30-day notice in an application […]

Editor’s update: Since this news broke, 7-Eleven has denied having a partnership with CBD company Phoenix Tears and claims that the press release cited in the below article is false. 7-Eleven stores across the country will begin carrying CBD products by the end of 2018, CBD company Phoenix Tears announced today in a press release. […]

About 1,500 attended the New England Cannabis Convention’s inaugural show in South Burlington, Vermont, meeting the expectations of organizers and setting the stage for an event next year – when cannabis use and possession will be legal for adults in the state. “The hype is real,” said Eli Harrington, co-founder of Heady Vermont and one […]

The Illinois Senate has unanimously approved a bill to allow the state Agricultural Department to license farmers to grow hemp, according to a WAND report. Currently, only universities can get licensed to grow hemp for research purposes in Illinois. The measure was subsequently approved by the House Agriculture & Conservation Committee and just needs to […]

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has signed the bill allowing the state Department of Agriculture to license institutes of higher education, private businesses, and individuals to grow industrial hemp. The measure requires that hemp growers, harvesters, transporters, and processors all obtain a license from the Agricultural Department. “This bill opens Arizona to the possibility of a […]

Michigan regulators have announced that CBD products – even those derived exclusively from industrial hemp – are subject to regulation under the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act and the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act. “Cannabidiol (CBD) comes from the marihuana plant. Based on the statutory definitions related to “marihuana” found in the Michigan Public Health Code […]

Last month, the federal Small Business Administration released a new policy indicating that direct cannabis businesses, indirect cannabis business, and hemp businesses would be locked out of the federal agency’s lending services, according to Green Market Report’s Debra Borchardt. Last week, Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer wrote to SBA Administrator Linda McMahon urging her to repeal […]

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture is doubling the number of permits and the acreage allowance for industrial hemp – from 20 to 40 – under the state’s pilot program, according to a WTOC report. The permits will also allow farmers to grow 40 acres of hemp, up from 20 acres. In order to qualify […]

The Federal Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled in an unpublished Memorandum of Disposition this week that the Drug Enforcement Administration’s December 2016 Marijuana Extract rule change stands. The rule change added a new code number to the DEA rules for “Marihuana Extracts” to make it easier for the DEA to track and trace […]

Kentucky’s hemp industry saw more than $16.7 million in gross product sales last year, which led to $7.5 million for hemp farmers and created 81 new full-time jobs, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. The figures, outlined in a letter by state Agricultural Commissioner Ryan Quarles to Kentucky’s Senators, further bolster Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s legislative […]

Ninth Circuit appeals court judges have ruled against the Hemp Industries Association in their bid to overturn a move by the Drug Enforcement Agency to classify CBD as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. The new rule took effect Jan. 13, 2017. In the April 30 ruling, the panel of three judges […]

Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer has signed the bill to create an industrial hemp pilot program in the state which passed the Senate in February and the House earlier this month. The final version of the measure allows the State Department of Agriculture, either alone or with an institution of higher education, to grow the crop […]

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) took to the chamber floor and laid out his case for the Hemp Farming Act of 2018, calling hemp a cash crop for the nation’s struggling farmers, a modernization of federal law, a “new spark” for the U.S. economy. McConnell was also the driving force securing the […]