Most American farmers are in full-fledged panic mode following news that companies in China have suspended use of U.S. agricultural products in response to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese goods. But the nascent U.S. hemp industry shouldn’t worry, economists and trade experts told Hemp Industry Daily. A $5.9 billion market, China is […]
With industrial hemp and recreational/medical cannabis becoming what it calls more “mainstream,” law firm and lobbying giant Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck said it has created a new industry group to accommodate the maturing markets. The group will be co-chaired by Melissa Kuipers Blake, a shareholder in the Denver-based firm’s government relations department, and Amy Steinfeld, […]
New Jersey has expanded its hemp law to allow more cultivation and derivatives such as CBD to go in foods and cosmetics. However, state analysts say it’s unclear how big of a player New Jersey will be in the national hemp market. Signed into law Friday, the new measure replaces a 2018 law that allowed commercial […]
Young people who vape are more likely to use marijuana, according to a study published Monday. The findings, researchers say, support the theory that nicotine rewires the developing brain, changing how people respond to and crave addictive substances.
Business partners involved with an Oregon hemp farm are taking a former partner to court over allegations he stole from the farm to make and sell CBD oil worth more than $500,000. Bakers Ranch Botanicals in Deschutes County, Oregon, filed a lawsuit seeking $950,000 in damages against Michael Schook and corporate entities affiliated with Schook […]
California has lagged behind other states in passing hemp policy. That could change in the next month. A pair of long-debated hemp and CBD proposals are awaiting California lawmakers when they return from their summer recess on Monday. At stake is the future of the hemp industry in the nation’s largest agricultural state. The state […]
Cronos Group, a Toronto-based marijuana company, predicts CBD customers in the United States will be the “largest contributor” to its sales over the next couple of years. But company executives cautioned investors that it’s “too early to speculate” on how big the European market for CBD will become. The comments came as Cronos released its […]
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 […]
