DENVER — It’s a giddy time for the U.S. hemp industry.
Farmers are planting more acres. Businesses are selling more products.
And with Congress on the brink of fully legalizing hemp, industry insiders are eagerly anticipating a boom.
But even if the legalization provisions in the 2018 farm bill pass, hemp will remain a tightly regulated crop facing plenty of regulatory and legal challenges.
CLEVELAND – An alert about a popular remedy used to help with mental and physical ailments: some stores in Northeast Ohio are pulling CBD oil from their shelves following a new warning from the Ohio Board of Pharmacy.
For folks who use the product, which comes from cannabis, the move is creating controversy.
This week, the board sent out a reminder to gas stations, stores, pharmacies and restaurants that the sale of CBD oil is illegal.
But one criminal defense attorney says not so fast.
News 5 found out that it really boils down to the interpretation of the law and what’s in the oil.
Though state laws allow for the cultivation, sale and purchase of industrial hemp, Mike Stuart, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, and his office filed a civil lawsuit against a Mason County hemp farm and related parties earlier this month for violating the federal Controlled Substances Act.
Both hemp and marijuana come from the cannabis sativa plant. By state law, hemp must be comprised of less than 1 percent THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana. Documentation from the West Virginia Department of Agriculture states it will test harvested hemp to ensure it is comprised of less than 0.3 percent THC, even with federal law.
ONTARIO — The marijuana form of cannabis has received a lot of press, as of late, with the drive to allow its growth and sales, but hemp is catching up as it is coming into favor as a crop which can be made into a variety of products, including a medicinal oil which is being used to control medical conditions, such as seizures.
Both hemp and marijuana are cannabis, but hemp has levels less than 0.3 percent THC, the mind-altering substance of cannabis. Any cannabis with more than 0.3 percent is marijuana, according to Ben Fortner, of Ontario, who is working to grow hemp.
Fortner, who is with MalheurCan, spoke about both kinds of cannabis, during the Ontario Area Chamber of Commerce Ag Forum, Thursday at the Clarion Inn, but most of his focus was on hemp.
The Hemporium Boutique has pulled all hemp oils from its shelves — roughly half its business, says the owner — after law enforcement issued an ultimatum to stop selling the products.
“They came in the door yesterday morning to our Rapid City store and knew exactly what they were doing,” store owner Leonard Vandermate said Wednesday.
Vandermate said he then proceeded on Tuesday to pull the various products comprised of an extract of the cannabis plant called cannabidiol, or CBD, from both his Rapid City and Spearfish stores. CBD oils are hemp extracts used as chronic pain relievers, for people and pets but are not psychoactive. Hemporium Boutique, until Tuesday morning, sold products from Green Roads, a leading manufacturer of CBD oils, edibles and topical creams.
Kansas took its first step this week in joining 40 other states in the U.S. that are growing industrial hemp, according to a spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
A law passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jeff Colyer on April 20 — the unofficial holiday for hemp’s psychotropic cousin, marijuana — allowed research-based production of industrial hemp in Kansas. The production of hemp, which does not share the “high” inducing chemical compounds of marijuana, will be monitored by the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
http://www.gctelegram.com/news/20180916/kansas-takes-step-toward-industrial-hemp-production
Illinois will now permit growing cannabis for use in non-drug products like paper and fabrics, biodegradable plastics, health food and construction supplies.
The decision by Gov. Bruce Rauner to sign the Industrial Hemp Act (Senate Bill 2298) means that the state joins others like Kentucky and Tennessee in developing a hemp industry. https://ilbusinessdaily.com/stories/511546376-illinois-farmers-permitted-to-grow-cannabis-for-hemp-products
https://www.ganjapreneur.com/industrial-hemp-looks-secure-in-2018-farm-bill/
Language in the 2018 Farm Bill that would establish a national, comprehensive industrial hemp marketplace appears to be safe and untouched as lawmakers work to reconcile small differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill, Benzinga reports.
The hemp legalization language was added to the annual mega-bill and has been consistently championed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky).
“It’s time to remove the federal hurdles and give [farmers] the opportunity to seize its full potential and once again become the national leader for hemp production. That is why I strongly advocated for this measure to be included in the Farm Bill.” — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky
As he encouraged lawmakers to embrace his push to legalize hemp, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cited fellow Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer as the “first Kentuckian to take a major lead role in what has now developed into a national consensus.”
https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article217921440.html
Washington, DC (September 7, 2018) – The battle to end taxation of constitutional money has reached the federal level as U.S. Representative Alex Mooney (R-WV) today introduced sound money legislation to remove all federal income taxation from gold and silver coins and bullion.
https://www.moneymetals.com/news/2018/09/07/bill-to-end-tax-on-gold-silver-001611