New York City, Maine latest jurisdictions mired in CBD legal confusion
CBD’s legal problems have hit the nation’s largest city, with New York health inspectors seizing CBD-infused baked goods and warning restaurants to stop serving cannabidiol-infused foods. And in Maine, hemp entrepreneurs are protesting similar plans to take CBD foods off shelves. New York City officials said they’re not going... Read more
USDA chief questions hemp’s use in animal feed, gives nod to plant’s mounting interest
Hemp’s suitability as an ingredient in animal feed “remains to be seen,” according to the nation’s agriculture chief. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told reporters at a cattle-industry conference in New Orleans that he didn’t know animal feed was a potential use of hemp. “We hear a lot of... Read more
Interstate hemp commerce under fire despite Farm Bill assurances
Hemp entrepreneurs are facing jail time and hefty legal fees for transporting the plant across state lines, despite a federal guarantee that states can’t block legal hemp transport. Massive police seizures in Idaho and Oklahoma raised questions about how state and local law enforcement are supposed to tell the... Read more
Mississippi rejects hemp farming amendment, but proposals still pending
Mississippi lawmakers aren’t ready to regulate hemp. A panel in the Mississippi state House turned down an amendment Monday that would have allowed farmers to grow hemp. The proposal came on a bill to update the state’s classifications for drugs such as fentanyl. Separate proposals to allow hemp production... Read more
Maine orders CBD edibles removed from retail stores
Authorities in Maine have shocked retailers and hemp farmers by ordering CBD edibles be removed from stores amid concerns that cannabidiol still is not a federally approved food additive. Last week, health inspectors began ordering stores to remove “all foods, tinctures and capsules” containing the extract, the Portland Press... Read more
Chart: America’s hemp acres hit almost 80,000 in 2018; Montana new leader among states
The U.S. hemp crop tripled in 2018 with acreage rising rapidly in the 24 states actively growing last year, according to advocacy group Vote Hemp, and that figure is expected to grow now that the Farm Bill has opened the door nationwide to hemp production. Total American hemp acreage... Read more
Virginia’s fledgling CBD program faces criticism, appeals
Seven companies are challenging a CBD licensing process in Virginia criticized as “wildly prejudicial” and favoring multistate operators. Out of 51 applicants for five vertically integrated CBD and THC-A licenses, multistate operators received three, a situation that spurred the appeals,  The Virginian-Pilot reported. Applicants filing the appeals complained the closed-meeting review... Read more
Farm Bill thaws – but doesn’t clear – hemp’s advertising landscape
Under the historic 2018 Farm Bill, hemp companies should be able to advertise like other agricultural producers and manufacturers. But many businesses say they still face hurdles, especially with digital marketing. A good example is Evo Hemp, a Boulder, Colorado-based hemp food company. “The Farm Bill is opening the... Read more
Chart: Fast-rising CBD still trying to make inroads with mainstream retailers
CBD’s meteoric rise in popularity has hemp growers finding all kinds of market opportunities that don’t exist for THC products, including yoga studios, pet boutiques, gyms and coffee shops – all foreign territory for marijuana-derived products. One Kentucky hemp producer even has CBD products being sold in tractor supply stores;... Read more
Federal judge blocks THC test in West Virginia hemp suit, allows CBD extraction
A federal judge has blocked a government request for a THC test on a batch of West Virginia hemp and said the hemp can be processed for CBD extraction in nearby Pennsylvania. The developments come as federal prosecutors say they’re going to continue pursuing civil charges against the farm, Grassy... Read more
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