Cultivation

A bipartisan proposal by U.S. Sens. John Tester (D-MT) and Mike Braun (R-IN) is seeking to reduce regulations for hemp farmers producing grain and fiber.

The USDA’s National Weekly Hemp Report found that hemp planting in the U.S. is off to a slower start this year compared to the same period in 2022.

The international industrial hemp market is expected to reach $18.1 billion by 2027, according to a new market report.

In the second installment of our 2023 predictions series, we asked experts in cannabis science, cultivation, and agricultural technology — as well as industrial hemp and psychedelics — to weigh in with their industry expectations for the next year.

Cherokee medical cannabis company Qualla Enterprises LLC will receive $63 million to increase staffing and build new facilities following a recent Tribal Council vote.

Connecticut regulators said three of the state’s four medical cannabis producers have finished converting to a hybrid adult-use license and that sales should launch by early next year.

Illinois plans to distribute $8.75 million in loans of up to $500,000 at zero interest for 18 months to cannabis social equity licensees.

Cannabis is the sixth-most valuable crop in the U.S., according to the 2022 Leafly Cannabis Harvest Report.

The Federation of International Hemp Organizations, a newly-formed international consortium of hemp associations, will hold its first meeting next month in Canada.

British Columbia, Canada has launched a Producer Retail Store license that will allow adult-use standard producers, micro-producers, and nurseries to conduct on-site retail sales.

California Gavin Newsom (D) called for creating the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce, a multi-agency unit designed to combat illegal cannabis operations.

Morocco has distributed its first permits for medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial cannabis production.

Carlos “Los” Arias is the CEO of Green Horizons, an upcoming Coachella, California-based cannabis cultivator with a brand-new cultivation campus.

Triton College in Illinois is now offering a cannabis cultivation course wherein students will study plants similar to cannabis in the school’s greenhouse operations certificate program and take educational tours of licensed cannabis grow facilities.

Connecticut has awarded 16 recipients the state’s first social equity commercial cannabis licenses; the licensees still have to pay a $3 million fee and pass a background check before receiving their final licenses. 

Albania is planning to legalize the cultivation of medical and industrial cannabis and will allow companies to apply for licenses in 2023.

California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Cannabis Control, and State Water Resources Control Board have launched their 2022 enforcement program addressing the effects of cannabis cultivation on the environment.

California has officially eliminated the cannabis industry cultivation tax after the governor signed the state’s new budget on Thursday, which also included a 15% cap on the cannabis excise tax for three years.

This guide will help cannabis operators determine whether automation in the harvesting process would benefit their cultivation business.