The number of applications to grow hemp received by states has continued to increase rapidly in the wake of the 2018 passage of the Farm Bill. The West Virginia Agriculture Department reported that the number of licenses issued so far this year has more than tripled to 158, compared... Read more
Massachusetts-based Curaleaf, a vertically integrated marijuana and hemp company, agreed to acquire Portland, Oregon-based Cura Partners in an all-stock deal worth 1.27 billion Canadian dollars ($949 million). Curaleaf will issue 95.6 million subordinated voting shares, giving Cura a roughly 16% stake in the company. Cura’s Select brands are available in... Read more
The hemp industry in Canada is welcoming a move by the country’s regulatory body to simplify the export of hempseed to the United States ahead of this spring’s planting season. Last week, Health Canada notified hemp license holders and applicants the agency would no longer require an import permit... Read more
Green Growth Brands, which sells hemp-derived CBD personal-care products in U.S. shoe stores and mall kiosks and trades on the Canadian Securities Exchange as GGB, won’t be buying Canadian marijuana producer Aphria. The hostile takeover bid has expired. Aphria, which trades as APHA on both the New York Stock Exchange... Read more
Canadian marijuana giant Canopy Growth has chosen a small New York town near the Pennsylvania border as the site for its $150 million entrance into the U.S. hemp market. Canopy announced Monday it will build an industrial park on a 48-acre property in Kirkwood, New York, about 5 miles... Read more
Hemp entrepreneurs are still waiting to realize the benefits of being able to import hempseed as a commodity, even as they cheer recent assurance from the federal government that change is on the way. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released new guidance this month on how hemp importing... Read more
In an effort to move into the mainstream CBD space, Boulder, Colorado-based CBD manufacturer Charlotte’s Web Holdings has selected a former Kellogg executive to serve as its CEO. Adrienne “Deanie” Elsner will assume the role effective May 15. Elsner was previously president of the U.S. snacks division at Kellogg.... Read more
European hemp producers and manufacturers are struggling to capitalize on the global CBD boom and compete with U.S. manufacturers as they navigate the continent’s thorny regulations – but they’re optimistic that upcoming changes will open new CBD opportunities. The hemp and CBD industry wants the European Union to change... Read more
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is ready to protect seed-propagated hemp varieties, a landmark move that could generate numerous business opportunities for breeders of the plant. The USDA announced Wednesday that its Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) is taking hemp applications because of the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill.... Read more
Elixinol has purchased a 25% stake in Altmeds, the manufacturer of hemp-derived CBD pet health brand Pet Releaf. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Denver-based Altmeds already gets its CBD from Elixinol, a Colorado producer of hemp-derived CBD extract. The Altmeds investment allows Elixinol to gain a... Read more
