Hemp stakeholders have been eagerly waiting for the release of rules and regulations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”). Although the 2018 Farm Bill removed the hemp and its derivatives from the Controlled Substances Act, it did not provide clear, consistent and reliable standards to safely and lawfully produce the crop. Instead, the new…
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Top Five Hemp Purchase Order Terms
HempUncategorized August 26, 2019
A few weeks ago, we addressed the need for hemp sellers and purchaser to enter into agricultural production agreements (“APAs”), and in doing so, avoid unnecessary litigation. APAs are generally entered into at the beginning of a contractual relationship. In other cases, parties will forego a formal APA, and opt for a simpler, more “casual”…
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Hemp-CBD Across State Lines: Hawaii
HawaiiHempUncategorized August 25, 2019
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“2018 Farm Bill”) legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) and by providing a detailed framework for the cultivation of hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill gives the US Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) regulatory authority over hemp…
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Utah MLM Essential Oils: doTERRA’s Copaiba Oil Challenges Young Living’s CBD Oil
HempUncategorizedUtah August 23, 2019
Recently I wrote about the two dominant global MLM essential oil companies based in Utah: Young Living and doTERRA. Last month Young Living announced it is entering the CBD oil market, but doTERRA publicly stated on its website that it will not (yet) follow suit, even though everyone and their dog are clamoring for CBD…
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Commercial marijuana activity remains a federal crime, and the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) generally prohibits financial institutions from accepting marijuana-generated dollars. Financial institutions that work with marijuana businesses must conduct due diligence to ensure that marijuana businesses are complying with state law. That includes regularly submitting Suspicious Activity Reports (“SARs”) to the Financial Crimes Enforcement…
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California’s legislature introduced a potentially game-changing hemp-derived cannabidiol (“Hemp CBD”) bill in January 2019: Assembly Bill 228 (“AB-228”). For those of you who aren’t familiar with AB-228, see my posts here, here, here, and here. AB-228 would change California’s anti-Hemp CBD policies, and the highlights of some of the more significant changes from the recent version are: Licensed cannabis companies…
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Hemp-CBD Across State Lines: Georgia
HempUncategorized August 18, 2019
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“2018 Farm Bill”) legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) and by providing a detailed framework for the cultivation of hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill gives the US Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) regulatory authority over hemp…
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State governments and the federal Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) take wildly different approaches when it comes to Hemp-derived cannabidiol (“Hemp CBD”), and for the most part, the ball is still in the government’s court to actually regulate hemp and Hemp CBD. The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) haven’t…
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Hemp-CBD Across State Lines: Florida
HempUncategorized August 11, 2019
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“2018 Farm Bill”) legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) and by providing a detailed framework for the cultivation of hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill gives the US Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) regulatory authority over hemp…
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