Hemp Industry News

David Wayne Jenkins, owner of now-defunct Castle Management, is facing 33 counts of grand theft of labor for failing to pay employees.

Idaho is now accepting applications for its hemp program after receiving federal approval on November 1. The program will exclude people convicted of a felony drug violation in any state or federal court in the last 10 years.

A recently surfaced letter by a high-ranking DEA official may have hinted that the agency considers delta-8 THC products synthesized from hemp extracts to be federally legal.

Under a provision in Montana’s adult-use cannabis rules, licensed cannabis companies are not allowed to grow, process, or sell hemp products, which effectively relegates the retail sales of hemp-derived CBD products to gas stations, corner markets, and grocery stores.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to send 20,500 hemp producers across the country their first Hemp Acreage and Production Survey.

Alabama’s Department of Agriculture and Industries is now accepting applications for new hemp producers, processors, and university research facilities. The application period closes on November 29.

An Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission report found that 54% of registered hemp farms inspected in southern Oregon were growing THC-rich strains of cannabis.

New rules from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services aim to phase out polystyrene packaging in favor of hemp-based products.

A Tennessee hemp farm recently hosted an educational workshop for law enforcement from around the state to learn about CBD products and the legal differences between hemp and cannabis.

The FDA and CDC issued warnings this week against consumer products containing hemp-derived delta-8 THC, which has yet to be thoroughly studied.

Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture announced the state’s industrial hemp program will transfer to federal control next year.

Global Hemp Group Inc has acquired 664 acres of land in Hayden, Colorado to build affordable housing with hemp-based materials over the next 25 years.

The U.S. Department of Energy has invested in Hempitecture, a firm that manufactures a hemp wool insulation product that is highly thermal resistant and has a low carbon footprint.

A Texas man has been indicted on theft charges after allegedly bilking investors out of tens of thousands of dollars he said would be used to purchase a hemp license.

Hawaii regulators last week banned CBD gummies and beverages and all smokeable hemp products—critics are saying the new rules could make hemp production in Hawaii less desirable.

Kentucky-based Victory Hemp Foods, a B2B food ingredient processing company, has raised about $4.5 million to expand its production capacity.

Idaho officials are preparing to submit a plan to regulate hemp to the U.S. Department of Agriculture by September 1.

Oregon’s new hemp regulations give police more authority against illicit cannabis grows, limit THC in hemp products (including Delta-8 THC), and increase product testing.

The Kentucky Hemp Association and other hemp businesses in the state are suing to stop crackdowns on hemp businesses selling Delta-8 THC.

A Colorado hemp seed genomics company is among the five firms selected to participate in the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator for indoor agriculture.

A White House committee is recommending changes to business categories that would re-classify cannabis retail stores alongside smoking shops, among other updates.

The Oregon legislature has passed a bill that more tightly regulates both Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC and more closely regulates total THC in hemp.

Cannabis dispensaries in Massachusetts are now allowed to sell most consumer-ready hemp products including hemp seeds, oils, powders, proteins, clothing and other items made from hemp fiber, hemp building materials, and non-food CBD products.

New York banned the sale of Delta-8 and Delta-10 THC under new hemp industry regulations released last week.