The North Carolina House Agriculture Committee approved a bill that supports a ban on smokable hemp. The House committee on Friday moved the legislation forward, including a smokable hemp ban that would take effect Dec.1. The ban, part of a bill outlining the state’s hemp program in accordance with... Read more
Europe’s booming CBD market needs better regulation and safety protocols, according to two reports out this week from both government regulators and nonprofit activists. First, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), an agency of the European Union, said there is an “urgent need” to get a... Read more
Hemp farmers and businesses continue to have difficulty financing their operations and securing banking services, despite federal lawmakers’ calls for them to be treated as lawful, legitimate businesses following passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. Due to a lack of clear federal banking regulations and uncertainty from financial institutions, hemp... Read more
(This is an abridged version of a column that appears in the May-June issue of Marijuana Business Magazine.) The hemp industry is changing fast. The federal government, not so much. The entire cannabis industry celebrated last December, when hemp was removed from the Controlled Substances Act in the 2018 Farm... Read more
Louisiana is starting to award permits to sell CBD products, and the first recipients include liquor stores, gas stations and CBD-specific shops. Louisiana’s Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control has so far awarded 20 temporary permits to sell CBD. A new Louisiana hemp law allows the sale of hemp-derived CBD, but... Read more
After months of preparation, the state of Florida is ready to move ahead with commercial hemp production under a bill signed Tuesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said hemp in Florida is needed to help farmers harmed by hurricanes and diseases that have affected citrus,... Read more
A CBD company expanding into shopping malls has tapped a marketing executive from mall staple Victoria’s Secret to lead its branding. Green Growth Brands of Columbus, Ohio, appointed Jann Parish its chief marketing officer. Parish also held that title with Victoria’s Secret. Before that, Parish ran branding campaigns for... Read more
by Payal Shah, Cannabis Insight Collective Today, Governor Jim Pritzker of Illinois signed the historic House Bill 1438, The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, into law, ending prohibition for recreational cannabis usage across the state, and making it the 11th state where cannabis is legal. I, along with so... Read more
by Michelle Rutter, NCIA’s Government Relations Manager Last week was arguably the biggest week for cannabis reform in Washington, D.C. — ever. As we noted last week, the House Committee on Small Business held a hearing entitled “Unlocked Potential? Small Businesses in the Cannabis Industry.” The hearing allowed members... Read more
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says it will complete federal rules for domestic hemp production by August. Although states and tribes began submitting their plans to the USDA for review starting the day after the 2018 Farm Bill was signed in December, the agency said in February it wouldn’t finalize... Read more
