We often hear from acquirers and company owners alike in cannabis sectors that the times we are living in now are like “the first years after Prohibition in 1933.” The implication is that hemp and marijuana versions of Anheuser-Busch, Coors and Seagram are being formed now, and it won’t be long before products will start […]
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH CBD?
IT’S COMPLETELY LEGAL EVERYWHERE, RIGHT?
CBD, a naturally-occuring substance found in every variety of the cannabis plant, is touted for a bewildering array of potential therapeutic applications including inflammation, pain, anxiety, and depression. (Another substance found in cannabis you’ve probably heard of is THC — its psychoactive properties provide the “high” associated with marijuana and the U.S. Department of Justice still touts it as a felony.)
But what was a trickle of products containing CBD derived from marijuana burst through the Walgreens floodgates last November when CBD derived from hemp became legal following passage of the federal Farm Bill. Reversing 82 years of prohibition, Congress decreed that cannabis containing less than .3% THC would heretofore be known as hemp — and any products derived from it became legal to possess, own and transport in and among all 50 states.
So why is there still so much confusion about the legal status of hemp-derived CBD products?
For one thing, the federal Farm Bill didn’t magically do away with state laws outlawing hemp. That’s why grandmas with CBD oil at Disneyworld and truckers hauling hemp through Idaho still are being arrested. The U.S. Postal Service says it’s OK to mail CBD, and the TSA confirms you can fly with it, but if you’re not on federal property you could be violating state law. Even in states where hemp-derived CBD has become legal, if you are arrested and your CBD product exceeds the allowable state THC limit, you could be charged with state and federal crimes.
How can you protect yourself? By far the number one reason why hemp-derived CBD oils cause legal trouble is mislabeled product.
Research the products you see advertised or are recommended to you, and purchase only quality, reputable brands that undergo third-party-testing. Look for recent lab reports available via QR code or on the product’s website, and labels that provide clear information on dosing/serving size. Be extra-vigilant if you buy CBD from a dispensary or in a legal state — there is a much greater chance the product is marijuana-derived, and therefore a much greater chance it exceeds .3% THC.
Until every state aligns its laws with federal hemp legalization (or cannabis is descheduled), the best way to avoid being caught in this legal conundrum is to have a high degree of confidence that the label on your product accurately reflects its contents.
#CBD #hemp #hempderivedCBD #CBDproducts
Though Wyoming farmers can’t yet grow hemp, the state says its lab to test the crop for THC is almost ready. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and the state Department of Agriculture sent an update this week to would-be hemp farmers reminding them that production remains illegal until federal agriculture authorities set national rules, then approve Wyoming’s […]
A Nebraska farm equipment manufacturer and dealer who was denied a license to grow hemp in 2019 is suing the state Department of Agriculture and its director. Jacob Bish, head of public relations at Giltner-based Bish Enterprises and Hemp Harvest Works, was one of 176 applicants seeking to grow hemp this year, the first of […]
Strong patient interest in the only federally approved CBD product in the United States helped drugmaker GW Pharmaceuticals record $72 million in revenue last quarter. Epidiolex, a seizure control drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has seen brisk sales and new patient enrollments since the drug’s launch last November. GW Pharma (Nasdaq: GWPH) reported that […]
(This is an abridged version of a story that appears on the Marijuana Business Daily International website.) The first CBD products exported from Colombia to the United Kingdom soon will be available for sale in the U.K. and other European Union countries, Bogota-based Clever Leaves announced. The health-related products, which were exported as a food supplement, reached London’s Heathrow Airport […]
Work has begun on creating the nation’s only hempseed bank in New York’s Finger Lakes region. The Industrial Hemp Germplasm Repository will be established at Cornell University’s agricultural research facility in Geneva. U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York announced the launch of the new facility, saying he worked to secure $500,000 in […]
The market for hemp-infused topicals has never been hotter, with big-box retailers ranging from CVS to Sephora adding CBD creams and balms – despite pushback from U.S. health authorities. Even as the national market for topicals booms, though, opportunities abound for boutique CBD manufacturers in the U.S. spa industry, where wellness executives prize craft production even […]
Cronos Group, a Canadian vertically integrated marijuana company with international production and distribution, announced Friday it will buy four operating subsidiaries from Redwood Holding Group for $300 million. Based in Los Angeles, Redwood produces, markets and distributes hemp-derived CBD products, including skin care, bath items and gummies, throughout the United States under the Lord Jones […]
A federal court has ordered the Drug Enforcement Administration to respond to a lawsuit charging the agency with failing to move forward with a 2016 policy to expand the total number of federally licensed marijuana cultivators.
