Hemp Industry News

FDA officials say they will rush the release of federal CBD rules and regulations, potentially by the end of summer or early fall.

Oregon State University’s new Global Hemp Innovation Center’s launch will combine research efforts and expertise from around the world to investigate hemp.

Recent Statistics Canada figures suggest that Canadian hemp farmers will more than double their acreage from 41,200 in 2018 to 82,500 acres this year.

A cannabis decriminalization law in Hawaii has taken effect without Gov. David Ige’s signature; the governor, however, vetoed a bill allowing patients to transport medical cannabis products between islands and another bill that would have made permanent the state’s hemp program.

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) is now accepting applications for hemp manufacturing licenses.

A new hemp industry report from Headset indicates that the popularity of CBD products such as topicals, tinctures, and edibles is growing at a much faster rate than that of their THC-rich counterparts.

cbdMD has entered into a multi-year promotional deal with mixed martial arts company Bellator, whose events are broadcast to nearly 1 billion people around the globe.

Massachusetts state officials have banned the sale of most CBD products, including CBD-infused food and beverages, CBD flower, CBD products that make medicinal or therapeutic claims, and any dietary supplements or animal feed containing hemp.

Three weeks after its first public hearing on cannabidiol, the FDA says it will apply a “rigorous and science-based approach” to devising CBD regulations; however, despite the quickly growing marketplace, the agency has not yet set any official guidelines.

A new report from Arcview Group and BDS Analytics suggests that the global cannabinoid market could reach $14.9 billion by the end of 2019 – a 36 percent increase over last year.

Farmer Luis Hummel, who is in the process of suing the state because his license was revoked “without due process,” has been charged with two felonies and one gross misdemeanor after seized crops tested 10 times higher for THC than the federal limits.

The U.S. Postal Service has updated its policies to clarify that hemp and hemp products — including CBD — are legal to mail so long as they comply with hemp rules laid out by state agricultural programs.

Texas is the latest state to adopt hemp legalization language after the plant’s federal restrictions were lifted last year. The plan still needs USDA approval, which is unlikely to happen for this year’s growing season.

Despite the 2018 federal legalization of industrial hemp, banks are still hesitant to work with hemp-derived CBD companies, many of whom have lost their credit card processing capabilities in recent months.

Grocery store chain Kroger has begun selling CBD topicals at its stores in 17 states, joining a growing trend of traditional corporate retailers who are embracing CBD products since hemp was federally legalized last year.

A Minnesota hemp farmer is suing the state to protect his business and current hemp crop after police say they found hemp products from his farm containing THC that exceeded the 0.3 percent industrial hemp threshold.

The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe in South Dakota is suing the USDA for having failed to approve its proposed plan to regulate hemp production on tribal lands within the 60 days required under last year’s Farm Bill.

New hemp program rules in Tennessee have relaxed some of the regulations faced by farmers and hemp processors: processors no longer need to register with the Department of Agriculture, for example, while farmers can now apply to grow the crop year-round.

The FDA’s first-ever CBD hearing took place last Friday. The agency heard from a host of speakers including nutritional supplement experts, private citizens, medical cannabis patients, hemp businesses, and more.

Idaho law enforcement says it will continue arresting long-haul truck drivers who ferry industrial hemp through the state and confiscating their cargo, despite hemp’s federal legalization and a USDA memo that clarifies interstate hemp transport is legal.

Hemp farms in Washington are expected to expand from last year’s 140 acres to more than 6,000 acres of hemp this year now that the crop has been federally legalized via the 2018 farm bill.

The bill, which passed the Senate unanimously, now returns to the House for reconciliation by lawmakers there; senators added language implementing random CBD product testing and heavy fines against people whose hemp crops exceed 0.3 percent THC.

Iowa is the latest state to adopt hemp legalization language now that the crop has been federally legalized. Gov. Kim Reynolds warned, however, that the measure “does not legalize” the manufacturing or sales of CBD products.

A measure to establish an industrial hemp pilot program in Connecticut has been signed into law; the bill passed both chambers of the state’s General Assembly with unanimous support.