Industrial Hemp News

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 […]

Oklahoma’s Senate has passed a hemp legalization bill by a huge 39-1 margin, according to a KOKO5 report. The bi-partisan measure unanimously passed the House last month. Rep. Mickey Dollens, a Democrat, said hemp has the potential to be the state’s “next $1 billion industry.” Dollens, along with his colleague Republican Rep. Jon Echols, estimate […]

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission has temporarily suspended issuing hemp cultivation certificates to Oregon Department of Agriculture-registered growers until the agency completes the rulemaking process. “The temporary suspension is because HB 4089 requires the OLCC to create and implement new rules for regulating hemp. All applications received prior to today have been processed; if the […]

New York’s hemp research program is expanding to more than 3,500 acres throughout nine regions in the state following a $650,000 earmark in the state budget for a hemp processing plant and $2 million for a state-run hemp seed certification program. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced more than 60 new farms and businesses have received […]

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-KY) announced a bill on Monday that would legalize industrial hemp as an agricultural product, according to a report by The Hill.  The bill — dubbed the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 — has bipartisan support, with Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) both listed as co-sponsors for the legislation. […]

The Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission will not allow a local brewer to move forward with plans to roll out a CBD-infused beer, arguing that the cannabinoid is a Schedule I drug and the infusion would violate the Food & Drug Administration’s Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Boston Business Journal reports. “Even though retail […]

Indiana’s CBD bill is finally headed to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk, FOX59 reports. The bill, which was unanimously approved by the House, allows CBD products derived from industrial hemp to be sold at retailers throughout the state. State officials had taken a hardline stance on the products. Last year, Indiana Excise Police confiscated CBD products […]

Washington state’s budget includes $100,000 to license hemp farmers and market hemp products, according to a Capital Press report. The funding – $187,000 less than requested by the Department of Agriculture – allows the program to continue for another year; however, the agency has not yet resumed licensing producers. The program has been on hold […]

Arizona’s House Land, Agriculture and Rural Areas Committee has approved a measure to legalize industrial hemp cultivation in the state, according to a report from Arizona Public Media. The measure has already been approved by the Senate. Sen. Sonny Borrelli, the Republican bill sponsor, indicated the measure would help boost the state’s agricultural economy, noting […]

Oklahoma’s House has unanimously approved an industrial hemp pilot program bill which would allow the state’s farmers to obtain a license to grow the crop, KOKH reports. The measure is sponsored by Democratic Rep. Mickey Collens and Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols, a Republican. “The potential provided in this bill is limitless. In the long […]

Wisconsin citizens interested in farming industrial hemp can begin applying to grow the crop under the state’s pilot program unanimously approved by lawmakers in November. Applicants will need to include on the forms their intentions for cultivating the crop. “We know that many Wisconsin farmers see a great opportunity here,” “As we’ve been telling them […]

The Oregon Legislature has unanimously passed a bill to classify hemp seed as an agricultural product, the Associated Press reports. Under the measure, the state Department of Agriculture must adopt rules for the new regime including identification documents. The program was initially launched in 2015 but was marked with slow progress at the onset. Later […]

Alaska’s Legislature has passed an industrial hemp legalization bill, which moves next to Gov. Bill Walker’s desk for his signature. The measure, if signed, will allow farmers to register with the state to grow the crop under a pilot program. Bill sponsor Sen. Shelley Hughes has said that farmers in her district wanted to use hemp […]