Let's Talk Hemp

Tag: farm bill

  • Trump Administration Asks for $5 Million Extra in 2021 Budget for FDA to Regulate CBD Products

    Trump Administration Asks for $5 Million Extra in 2021 Budget for FDA to Regulate CBD Products

    By Steven Hoffman

    Even though the production and sale of all products derived from hemp was made legal in the United States under the 2018 Farm Bill, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November questioned the safety of hemp-derived CBD in dietary supplements and food and beverages, causing disruption and uncertainty in the booming market for CBD and hemp extract products. Now, the Trump administration in a 2021 budget plan announced in February it is asking for an additional $5 million in the next fiscal year for FDA to regulate cannabis and its derivatives, including CBD, Hemp Industry Daily reported.

    The request for additional funding to regulate hemp-derived CBD products comes shortly after legislation was introduced in January in the U.S. Congress to require FDA regulators to treat hemp-derived CBD as dietary supplements, Hemp Industry Daily reported.

    FDA said the extra $5 million requested would help advance regulation of products containing CBD while allowing the agency to enforce the law against companies making unsubstantiated medical claims about the products, according to Hemp Industry Daily. “New funding will enable FDA to better regulate the usage of cannabis-derived substances, such as cannabidiol (CBD), in FDA-regulated products such as dietary supplements and when used as unapproved food additives, FDA said in its budget proposal. “The initiative will support regulatory activities, including developing policy, and continue to perform its existing regulatory responsibilities including review of product applications, inspections, enforcement and targeted research,” the agency said.

    Included among the activities that would be supported under FDA’s FY2021 budget request would be inspections of facilities manufacturing cannabis-derived products, additional research and funds for processing product-review applications, Natural Products Insider reported. The additional $5 million would be allocated as follows: $2 million for the Office of Regulatory Affairs; $500,000 for the Center for Veterinary Medicine; $2 million to the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition; and $500,000 for FDA headquarters.

    Dietary supplement industry trade associations were cautiously supportive of the budget request. “This is a step in the right direction and is an indication that the agency has the resources to regulate the industry. However, this does not go far enough to specifically address the issue of setting safe level of daily consumption for CBD products. Setting a safe level of consumption for CBD products is the best way to move forward with this promising new product while protecting consumers,” said Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA).

    NPA supports legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that would appropriate $100,000 for the FDA to perform a Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) and set a safe level of CBD for consumers to use each day. The process would follow the same precedent as red yeast rice, which allows a natural product to contain a level of a drug ingredient that the FDA has determined to be safe, NPA said in a statement. According to the World Health Organization, CBD oil is generally recognized as safe.

    # # #

    Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural, providing brand marketing, PR, social media, and strategic business development services to natural, organic, sustainable and hemp/CBD products businesses. Compass Natural serves in PR and programming for NoCo Hemp Expo and  Southern Hemp Expo, and Hoffman serves as Editor of the weekly Let’s Talk Hemp Newsletter, published by We are for Better Alternatives. Contact steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com.

    The Trump administration in a 2021 budget plan announced in February it is asking for an additional $5 million in the next fiscal year for FDA to regulate cannabis and its derivatives, including CBD.

    News Briefs

    Can CBD Help You Sleep?

    By Consumer Reports

    Clearing the Smoke about Hemp Flowers

    By CBS News Bismark

    Hemp Innovation Featured at World Ag Expo

    By AgWeb

    Jared Polis

    CO Governor Jared Polis to Headline 2020 NoCo Hemp Expo

    By NoCo Hemp Expo

    Headline News

    USDA Drops Requirement for DEA Lab Testing While FDA Acknowledges Demand for CBD
    By Hemp Industry Daily

    Natural Products Expo West Offers Free Livestream of Hemp & CBD Summit
    By New Hope Network

    GenCanna President Calls Out FDA’s Position on CBD for Industry’s Troubles
    By Progressive Farmer

    LA Weekly: Best Hemp Flower Companies in 2020
    By  LA Weekly

    U.S. Hemp Authority Names FoodChain ID as Official Certification Body
    By Cannabis Industry Journal

    Six Hemp and Cannabis Businesses Will Pitch Investors at SXSW
    By Cannabis Times

    Music Mogul to Hemp Entrepreneur: Interview with NoCo Hemp Expo Cofounder Morris Beegle
    By High Times

    Food, Beverage & Supplements

    Four Myths About Hemp Oil and CBD Oil Debunked
    By Tim Gordon, Progressive Grocer

    Global Hemp Based Food Market to Grow to Nearly $5 Billion by 2026 
    By MENAFN

    Former Cheese Factory Converts to Hemp Products Manufacturing Plant, with Grant from NM Economic Development Department
    By The Santa Fe New Mexican

    The Latest in CBD Is Not About CBD
    By New Hope Network

    Victory Hemp Foods Selected as World Champion of First Hemp Innovation Challenge at World Ag Expo
    By CSR Wire

    Fashion, Fiber, and Construction

    Pros, Cons and Cost Concerns with Hemp for Denim
    By The Sourcing Journal

    Illinois State Rep. Introduces Bill to Favor Procurement of Plastics Made from Hemp
    By the Illinois Hemp Growers Association

    Ask Our Experts: American Hemp Textiles
    By New Frontier Data

    Hemp Could Play Role in Reducing Plastic Packaging
    By The Packer

    Hempcrete Scores a Perfect “0” Under ASTM Fire Testing
    By HempToday

    Products Made with Hemp Plastic Enter Consumer Market
    By UPI

    Farming and Agriculture

    Hemp Insurance Arrives, Pushing Hemp One Step Closer to a Mainstream Crop
    By Modern Farmer

    Do You Need Special Equipment to Harvest Hemp?
    By ABC NTV News

    Group of New York Growers Bands Together to Form Hempire State Growers
    By The Daily Freeman

    Colorado Hemp Farmers Say they Know More than the Feds; Want to Keep Regulation in State Hands
    By The Colorado Sun

    USDA Approves Three More Tribes’ Hemp Plans
    By Native Business Magazine

    International News

    The World of Organic: Global Organic Farmland Increases 2 Million Hectares in 2018 to More than 71.5 Million Hectares
    By The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture

    Capetown, South Africa, at Forefront of Building Hemp, Cannabis Industry
    By IOL Independent Media

    Australian Craft Distillery Launches Hemp-based Gin and Vodka Products
    By Food Navigator-Asia

    European Industrial Hemp Association Says U.K. Move on CBD a Step in Right Direction
    By HempToday

    Events

    Natural Products Expo West, March 3-7, 2020, Anaheim, CA
    By New Hope Network

    3rd Annual Indigenous Hemp Conference, March 4, 2020, Callaway, MN
    By Winona’s Hemp & Heritage Farm

    NoCo Hemp Expo Expands 2020 Show at National Western Complex in Denver, March 26-28, 2020
    By NoCo Hemp Expo

  • The FDA Strikes Back

    The FDA Strikes Back

    Agency Issues Warning Letters to 15 CBD Makers, Releases Consumer Guide Expressing Doubts About CBD Safety

    By Steven Hoffman

    As the USDA Takes Public Comments on Its Final Interim Rule for Hemp Production, FDA on November 25 Issued Warning Letters to 15 CBD Makers and Expressed Doubts about the Safety of CBD in a Newly Released CBD Consumer Guide

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seems to have flipped the Thanksgiving bird, so to speak, to the hemp and CBD industry when it issued on November 25 – the Monday before Thanksgiving – warning letters to 15 companies for allegedly selling products containing cannabidiol (CBD) in ways the agency said violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act.

    On the same day, the FDA also released a revised Consumer Update – titled What You Need to Know (and What We’re Working to Find Out) About Products Containing Cannabis or Cannabis-derived Compounds, including CBD – that details the agency’s alleged safety concerns about CBD products, in particular the safety of CBD in food. In a blow to the burgeoning CBD marketplace, the FDA said it couldn’t conclude that CBD is safe for use in human or animal food.

    Despite the 2018 Farm Bill removing hemp — defined as cannabis and cannabis derivatives with very low concentrations (no more than 0.3% on a dry weight basis) of THC — from the definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act, CBD products are still subject to the same laws and requirements as FDA-regulated products that contain any other substance. “The FDA is concerned that people may mistakenly believe that trying CBD ‘can’t hurt,’” it said in the Consumer Guide. “The agency wants to be clear that we have seen only limited data about CBD’s safety and these data point to real risks that need to be considered,” the agency added.

    The FDA expressed particular concerns in the Consumer Guide about potential liver toxicity, drug interactions and male reproductive toxicity. The FDA also stated that using CBD may have certain temporary side effects, including, among others, drowsiness, insomnia, gastrointestinal distress, decreased appetite, irritability, and agitation. The FDA says it is actively working to answer questions about science, safety and quality of products containing cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds, particularly CBD. It also said it wants to learn about and identify potential risks associated with cumulative exposure such as ongoing use and ingestible or topical use, the effect on special populations such as elderly, children, and pregnant or breastfeeding women, and the use of CBD by pets and other animals.

    Bad Comparisons

    However, Dr. Stuart Titus, CEO of Medical Marijuana, a publicly traded company which has created a CBD product line, challenged the FDA’s decision, telling Forbes, “The FDA has mistakenly substituted the adverse effects of Epidiolex, a refined, isolated and semi-synthetic form of CBD, as being the same form of CBD that is being sold by those in the nutritional supplement industry,” he said. “Nothing could be further from the truth. There is no evidence to show that botanical forms of CBD have much more ‘drug interaction’ than normal foods or that the natural botanical form of CBD confers the ‘toxic liver effects’ that the FDA mentions in its statement.”

    Titus also told Forbes that the CBD industry, the Hemp Roundtable and the U.S. Hemp Authority have been working to increase their standards and industry-wide vigilance toward the quality of manufacturing, and other regulations regarding the production of a safe and well-tested form of CBD.

    In a 2018 report, the World Health Organization found no adverse health effects but rather several medical applications for cannabidiol (CBD), despite FDA policy, reported Forbes. According to the WHO, naturally occurring CBD is safe and well tolerated in humans (and animals), and is not associated with any negative public health risks. Experts with the international health organization further stated that CBD does not induce physical dependence and is “not associated with abuse potential.” According to the WHO, people are not getting high off of CBD, either. “To date, there is no evidence of recreational use of CBD or any public health related problem associated with the use of pure CBD.”

    Currently, writes Stephanie Savage of law firm Miller & Martin, Epidiolex is the only FDA-approved drug product containing CBD. The FDA believes that the new drug approval process is the best way to ensure the safety and effectiveness of new medicines, she says. Even though products are being marketed and sold as a food or dietary supplement, FDA asserts it is illegal to market CBD by adding it to a food or labeling it as a dietary supplement. The FDA is evaluating the regulatory frameworks that apply to certain cannabis-derived products that are intended for non-drug uses, including whether and/or how the FDA might consider updating its regulations, as well as whether potential legislation might be appropriate, she writes.

    Calling Companies Out for Making Health Claims

    In issuing the warning letters, the FDA says it identified 15 companies that “are using product webpages, online stores and social media to market CBD products in interstate commerce in ways that violate the FD&C Act, including marketing CBD products to treat diseases or for other therapeutic uses for humans and/or animals. Other violations include marketing CBD products as dietary supplements and adding CBD to human and animal foods, the agency said in a release.

    “As we work quickly to further clarify our regulatory approach for products containing cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds like CBD, we’ll continue to monitor the marketplace and take action as needed against companies that violate the law in ways that raise a variety of public health concerns. In line with our mission to protect the public, foster innovation, and promote consumer confidence, this overarching approach regarding CBD is the same as the FDA would take for any other substance that we regulate,” said FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Amy Abernethy, M.D., Ph.D., in a statement.

    Michael Harinen, Chief Brand Officer at Louisville, CO-based Bluebird Botanicals, which makes hemp-derived CBD products, told Forbes that the FDA brought up valid concerns about companies that are selling products with unverified medical claims or are unsafe for human consumption. Some of the products are tainted with pesticides or herbicides, while others have little to no CBD in them, he said. “It’s affected our business because whenever the FDA comes out with an announcement, including this one, customers call us up,” said Harinen. “They are very wary and scrutinizing us. And they are concerned about the legal status of CBD.”

    Companies receiving warning letters from the FDA include the following:

    • Koi CBD LLC, Norwalk, California
    • Pink Collections Inc., Beverly Hills, California
    • Noli Oil, Southlake, Texas
    • Natural Native LLC, Norman, Oklahoma
    • Whole Leaf Organics LLC, Sherman Oaks, California
    • Infinite Product Company LLLP, dba Infinite CBD, Lakewood, Colorado
    • Apex Hemp Oil LLC, Redmond, Oregon
    • Bella Rose Labs, Brooklyn, New York
    • Sunflora Inc., Tampa, Florida / Your CBD Store, Bradenton, Florida
    • Healthy Hemp Strategies LLC, dba Curapure, Concord, California
    • Private I Salon LLC, Charlotte, North Carolina
    • Organix Industries Inc., dba Plant Organix, San Bernardino, California
    • Red Pill Medical Inc., Phoenix, Arizona
    • Sabai Ventures Ltd., Los Angeles, California
    • Daddy Burt LLC, dba Daddy Burt Hemp Co., Lexington, Kentucky

    The FDA also stated it has previously sent warning letters to other companies it says were “illegally selling CBD products in interstate commerce that claimed to prevent, diagnose, mitigate, treat or cure serious diseases, such as cancer, or otherwise violated the FD&C Act. Some of these products were in further violation because CBD was added to food, and some of the products were also marketed as dietary supplements despite products which contain CBD not meeting the definition of a dietary supplement,” the FDA added in a release.

    # # #

    Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural, providing brand marketing, PR, social media, and strategic business development services to natural, organic, sustainable and hemp/CBD products businesses. Compass Natural serves in PR and programming for NoCo Hemp Expo and  Southern Hemp Expo, and Hoffman serves as Editor of the weekly Let’s Talk Hemp Newsletter, published by We are for Better Alternatives. Contact steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com.

  • Licensed Hemp Acreage Increases 455% in 2019

    Licensed Hemp Acreage Increases 455% in 2019

    by Eric Steenstra

    Licensed hemp acreage increased 455% in 2019 vs hemp acreage under license in the U.S. in 2018, based on new research by VoteHemp.com.
    (View larger graph image)

    Everyone seems to be talking about and using hemp products these days. Hemp extracts are suddenly available almost everywhere including your local supermarket, coffee shop and gas station.  Hemp derived CBD and the benefits of the “entourage effect” from whole plant hemp extracts is driving a revolution in consumer health and it couldn’t come at a better time.  Consumers are seeking natural alternatives to help them live healthier and happier lives.  It also comes at a perfect time for the emerging hemp industry.

    The legalization of hemp farming in the Farm Bill last December was a watershed moment for the hemp industry and for American farmers.  The return of hemp to agriculture while farmers are seeking alternative crops created an intense level of interest in farming hemp and inspired literally thousands to enter the industry as evidenced by a massive increase in licensed hemp growers for the 2019 growing season.  The Farm Bill also inspired thousands of new hemp processors and brands to enter the market.

    Vote Hemp has been conducting an annual survey of state departments of agriculture since 2016 to track the growth of hemp cultivation in the United States.  This year we are releasing a hemp licensing report first to document intent and will follow up with hemp planting and harvesting data once it has been reported.  The results on licensing show more than 500,000 acres of hemp were licensed across 34 states, an increase of more than 455% over 2018 licensed acreage.  Intent is a good indicator but we know from previous years that significantly less hemp is planted than what is licensed due to a variety of factors including access to seed and/or clones as well as inexperience.  This will be the case again for 2019 and we estimate that 230,000 acres of hemp will actually be planted and significantly less harvested due crop failure.

    Another important statistic is the growth in the number of farms that were licensed to grow hemp in 2019.  Almost 17,000 licenses were issued for hemp cultivation in 2019, an increase of 477% over 2018 licensure.  A significant amount of this activity is coming from new farmers which is good news for agriculture.  In Tennessee alone, licensees increased by more than 1000% and many of them are small family farms.  The number of family farms in the United States has been in steep decline for decades.  Today, there are only about 2 million American farms in operation, down from nearly 7 million farms in 1935 and farmers are finding it ever more difficult to make a profit with traditional crops like corn, soy and wheat.  Hemp is helping farmers to find new and more profitable markets and is encouraging new people to consider farming as a way of life.

    However, hemp is not yet a commodity and while demand for biomass has been high, it is not yet clear what the total market demand will be for 2019 and 2020.  Due to this uncertainty, I strongly recommend that farmers only grow hemp with a contract to sell it in hand and carefully vet their partners.  It is also advisable to start with a small crop the first year as there is a significant learning curve.  Bottom line, don’t grow more than you can afford to lose.

    While farming alone contributed $132.8 billion to the US economy, the industry’s reach extends far beyond the soil. From the ethanol gas you recently pumped into your car to the IPA calling your name at the bar, countless products and industries rely on agricultural inputs to contribute value to the economy.  Projections from the Hemp Business Journal show that hemp is likely to add at least $2.5 billion to agricultural output by 2022 and likely will continue growing at a fast pace for at least the next 5-10 years as demand grows for fiber and grain.  The future is bright but there will be speed bumps along the road so drive carefully!

    To learn more about the growing hemp industry, download our hemp licensing report.  If you are looking for more in depth background on the best states for hemp cultivation, you may also be interested in the upcoming Hemp States Report I helped write for the Hemp Business Journal which should be released very soon.

    ERIC STEENSTRA
    PRESIDENT, VOTE HEMP

    Eric Steenstra is a hemp industry pioneer, co-founding hemp clothing and lifestyle brand Ecolution with Steve DeAngelo in 1992.  Eric was a founding member of the Hemp Industries Association and served as HIA Executive Director from 2008 to 2016.  Eric now serves as the president of Vote Hemp, the political advocacy organization that he co-founded and as Vice President of the California Hemp Council. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and trusted source to the media, including CBS, the New York Times, Forbes, CNN, Rolling Stone, Reuters and the Washington Post.

    Vote Hemp lead the effort to pass hemp farming legislation nationwide.  In 2005, Steenstra worked with Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) to draft the first modern U.S. hemp legislation introduced in Congress (H.R. 3037). In 2012 he worked with Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) to get companion hemp legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate. Steenstra worked with Congressman Polis (D-CO) and Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) to have hemp legislation included in the 2014 Farm Bill.  The 2014 Farm Bill authorized the first legal hemp farming in over 50 years and resulted in 78,176 acres of hemp being planted across 24 states in 2018. Vote Hemp also played an integral role in the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill including fully removing hemp from the Controlled Substances Act.

  • USDA: National THC Testing Standard for Hemp Remains a Challenge

    USDA: National THC Testing Standard for Hemp Remains a Challenge

    August 22, 2019

    USDA: National THC Testing Standard for Hemp Remains a Challenge

    By Hemp Industry Daily

    Federal agriculture authorities are struggling to craft a nationwide THC testing standard so that state and local regulators can tell hemp from marijuana, complicating the release of standardized production rules, according to an official with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

    William Richmond, head of the Specialty Crops Program in the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, told a group of dietary-supplement and CBD business owners (at the American Herbal Products Association’s Hemp-CBD Congress in Denver) last week the agency hoped to have hemp rules prepared by now.

    But he said that the USDA is grappling with the Farm Bill‘s requirement for a national THC testing protocol “using post-decarboxylation or other similarly reliable methods.”

    “We need to have testing procedures in place,” he said. Coming up with reliable testing methods, he added, is “as complicated as you think it is.”

    Speaking at the American Herbal Products Association’s Hemp-CBD Congress in Denver on August 16, USDA crops specialist William Richmond shared that the agency is working hard on hemp policy, but that testing protocol for THC is “as complicated as you think it is.”

     

    News Briefs

    Gov. Polis Outlines Colorado’s Hemp Strategy
    by Westword

    Credit Unions Can Provide Banking to Hemp Businesses
    by Marijuana Moment

    Hemp: The Fabric of Fashion’s Future
    by Hypebeast

    Hemp Plastics Innovator Mark Linday Passes Away
    by Hemp Today

    Headline News

    2nd Annual Southern Hemp Expo to Feature Business Conference, Farm Symposium
    by Colorado Hemp Company

    Southern Hemp Expo Producer Morris Beegle Featured on Thinking Outside the Bud Podcast
    by Thinking Outside the Bud

    Organic CBD Makers RE: Botanicals and Palmetto Harmony to Merge
    by Hemp Industry Daily

    Hemp Company Featured as Presenting Sponsor at 2019 Kentucky State Fair
    by WFPL News Louisville

    Doane University Offers Online Course to Train Hemp Industry Workforce
    by Lincoln Journal Star

    How CBD Can Help with Menopause
    by The Chicago Tribune

    National Black Farmers Association Founder Grows Hemp to Combat Trade War
    by The Columbian

    Michigan Creates Standards for Hemp Testing
    by The Washington Times

    Hemp Legalization Leads to Hundreds of Derailed Marijuana Cases
    by NBC News

    Hemp Extractor Thar Processing Expands Operation in Pueblo, CO
    by The Pueblo Chieftan

    Florida A&M University to Conduct Hemp Research
    by The Tallahassee Democrat

    Hemp Plants Proposed to Clean Excess Nitrogen, Phosphorous from Water
    by Lake Okeechobee News

    Oregon Hail Damage Drives Need for Hemp Crop Insurance
    by Hemp Industry Daily

    FDA Official Slams Government for Blocking CBD Research
    by Marijuana Moment

    Upcoming Events

     

     

    An Interview with Dr. Jan Roberts:
    From the China International Hemp Industry Forum in Harbin, China

    Join Morris Beegle and Rick Trojan for a brand new episode of the Let’s Talk Hemp Podcast, featuring Dr. Jan Roberts to discuss the endocannabinoid system in the human body, cannabis dosing issues, and the pros and cons of regulating the cannabis industry. Dr. Jan Roberts is a host on the New Hemp Times podcast, CEO and co-founder of the International Research Center on Cannabis and Mental Health (IRCCMH), and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

    About Let’s Talk Hemp

    Let’s Talk Hemp is a publication of Colorado Hemp Company (a division of We Are For Better Alternatives) focused specifically on the subject of industrial hemp and cannabis. We present features and curate news from across the globe to share the benefits of cannabis on health, energy, manufacturing and planet (H.E.M.P.). Colorado Hemp Company also is the Producer of NoCo Hemp Expo and Southern Hemp Expo, the nation’s leading hemp conferences and expositions.

    Publisher: Morris Beegle, Elizabeth Knight
    Editor: Steven Hoffman
    Web Developer: Debby West
    Design: Allen Haeger
    Circulation: Evan Tompros
    Let’s Talk Hemp Podcast: Rick Trojan, Morris Beegle

    Send Us Your Hemp News!
    Send press releases and news announcements to news@letstalkhemp.com

  • Patchwork Legislation

    Patchwork Legislation

    Until FDA Issues Guidelines, Hemp-derived CBD Industry Forced to Navigate Shifting Federal, State and Local Regulatory Environments

    By Jane Wilson, Director of Program Development, American Herbal Products Association (AHPA)

    As the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sifts through the almost 4,500 comments it received during the recent public comment period requesting input on “Scientific Data and Information on Products Containing Cannabis or Cannabis-derived Compounds,” the hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) supplement industry remains focused on demonstrating that hemp CBD supplements can be used by consumers with the same confidence with which they purchase and use other supplement products to support their health and fitness. If the May 31, 2019, FDA public hearing on this same topic was any indication, many of the hemp industry’s leading companies, as well as the several national trade associations and advocacy groups that represent the hemp industry, submitted comments urging FDA to take prompt action to provide a critically needed regulatory pathway for these products.

    While FDA contemplates the possibility of such action, numerous states and local jurisdictions are enacting legislation related to the manufacturing and marketing of dietary supplements and foods containing hemp-derived CBD. Some of these laws allow for the manufacture, marketing, and consumer use of hemp-derived CBD products, while others appear to restrict or prevent further sales to consumers. Regardless of the intent, this type of legislation is creating a confusing patchwork of conflicting or inconsistent regulations across states and localities.

    States and local jurisdictions appear to be creating their own laws for hemp- or CBD-containing products due either to a perceived absence of federal regulations that pertain to these products or unfamiliarity with the existing federal regulatory frameworks for supplements and foods and how they can be applied to these products.

    What makes this situation so challenging? Currently, FDA’s position is that CBD is not a legal ingredient that can be used in dietary supplements and foods because it was first approved for investigation as a drug product. The current law for dietary supplements does not allow a compound to be a dietary ingredient or to be added to food, if it was first investigated or approved for use as a drug, unless the FDA issues a regulation that allows for that to happen. While the FDA does have the ability to take this acti

    n for CBD under the dietary supplement and food laws, the Agency has never used this part of the law before in the 25 years the dietary supplement rule has been in place.

    FDA has taken several encouraging actions since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill in December 2018, which marked the legalization of hemp cultivation and its removal from the Controlled Substances Act. The Agency has created an internal task force of high-level leaders to assess regulatory options, issued public communications, and conducted the May 31, 2019, public hearing and comment period, which concluded July 16, 2019. With public testimony and almost 4,500 comments submitted to the docket, FDA recently signaled they intend to expedite development of regulations for CBD and will provide an update on their progress in late summer or early fall.

    In the interim, hemp-derived CBD manufacturers are taking advantage of the self-regulatory mechanisms available to them, including certification programs that provide independent verification of the authenticity and quality of their hemp products and inspection of production facilities for compliance with good manufacturing practices (GMPs). Some are seeking organic certification for their hemp crops. These activities help the operators who are already in compliance with dietary supplement regulations differentiate their products to consumers in the crowded marketplace for hemp-CBD supplements.

    If you want to learn more about what’s going on in the hemp-derived CBD supplements industry, make plans to attend the American Herbal Products Association’s inaugural Hemp and CBD Supplement Congress taking place in Denver, CO, on August 15-16, 2019. The event combines the opportunity for technical workshops on applying GMPs and new dietary ingredient notifications (NDINs) to the hemp-derived CBD industry with a full day plenary that will explore the financial, supply chain, legislative and regulatory topics pertinent to this fast-growing segment of the supplement industry. More information is available here.

    AHPA also provides several free resources for the growing hemp-derived CBD industry.

    Note: Colorado Hemp Company, publisher of Let’s Talk Hemp and producer of the NoCo Hemp Expo and Southern Hemp Expo, is a supporting sponsor of the upcoming AHPA Hemp-CBD Congress in Denver, CO.

    Jane Wilson is the Director of Program Development at the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), the national trade association for the herbal products industry. She serves as the staff liaison to AHPA’s Cannabis Committee and supports other AHPA services and activities related to the hemp and cannabis industries. Visit www.AHPA.org.

     

     

  • Applications for Hemp Licenses Continue to Balloon Across US

    Applications for Hemp Licenses Continue to Balloon Across US

    By Hemp Industry Daily

    ]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 with 46 in 2018.

    The agency said the amount of acreage farmers plan to use for cultivation also saw a steep increase, from 155 acres (63 hectares) last year to 1,532 acres (620 hectares) this year.



    News Briefs

    Keys to Finding CBD’s Legal Path to Market
    by Nutra Ingredients USA

    CBD Oreos Sound Great but Honestly Extremely Unnecessary
    by Vice

    Hemp Farmers Are Making a Killing on the CBD Industry
    by CNN Business

    CBD: On A Real Market High
    by CBS News

    Don’t Miss Season 2 of the Let’s Talk Hemp Podcast

    In this new episode of the Let’s Talk Hemp 422 Podcast, you’ll hear Patrick Flaherty from P F Design Lab, who is studying the entire supply chain of hemp in the U.S. to better understand where hemp can replace traditional materials. While the hemp market in the United States continues to grow, there is still a disconnect between the farmers growing the hemp and the manufacturers who can make use out of it. This is an amazing story of the versatility and opportunity that remains largely untapped in the emerging hemp market.

    Send Us Your Hemp News!
    Send press releases and news announcements to news@letstalkhemp.com

  • The Year of Hemp

    The Year of Hemp

    The Year of Hemp: New Farm Bill Ignites Market for All Things Hemp, Showcased at the 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo, March 28-30, Denver

    Featuring an Investor Forum, Business Conference, Farm Symposium and an Impressive Lineup of Workshops and Education During the 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo.

    DENVER, Colorado (March 20, 2019) – Hemp growers, producers, manufacturers, investors and others are feeling bullish in 2019, since the passage in late December of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. Better known as the Farm Bill, the legislation championed by Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was nothing less than historic, in that it legalized for the first time in over 80 years the commercial cultivation and sale of industrial hemp, defined as containing less than 0.3% THC. Since then, the market for all things hemp has taken off.

    And, the exploding world of hemp will be on display at the upcoming NoCo Hemp Expo, March 28-30, 2019, at the Crowne Plaza DIA Convention Center in Denver. Now in its 6th year, the NoCo Hemp Expo is the largest gathering of hemp industry professionals under one roof. Given the excitement about the market today, nearly 10,000 attendees are expected.

    Indeed, the legalization of industrial hemp has been a boon for independent natural foods and specialty retailers, said Loren Israelsen, President of the United Natural Products Alliance, an expert on regulatory law, and a featured keynote speaker at NoCo6. “For smaller stores, this category has been a lifeline for them as they battle to maintain foot traffic in the stores as online sales continue to grow,” said Israelsen, who will present his perspectives on hemp, CBD, dietary supplements and the FDA at NoCo6’s Business Conference on Friday, March 29.

    According to Hemp Business Journal’s new report, The Global State of Hemp: 2019 Industry Outlook, U.S. sales of hemp products – from full-spectrum hemp extract and CBD products to hemp foods, textiles, building materials, bioplastics and more – estimated at $1 billion in 2018, are projected to grow 27% annually to reach $2.6 billion by 2022. Global hemp retail sales totaled $3.7 billion in 2018 and are projected to grow to $5.7 billion by 2020.

    NoCo Hemp Expo Program Highlights

    Featured speakers for this year’s NoCo Hemp Expo include Colorado Governor and hemp advocate Jared Polis; Native American tribal leader turned hemp farmer Winona LaDuke; David Bronner, 5th generation CEO of legendary soap maker Dr. Bronner’s; renowned market researcher Dr. Michelle Barry; regenerative agriculture and soil expert Ray Archuleta; hemp expert and author Doug Fine; hemp entrepreneurs Dani Billings of Nature’s Root and Janel Ralph of Palmetto Harmony; and other leaders breaking new ground in the industrial hemp market. For a complete list of speakers, visit here and for a full program schedule, visit here.

    Other NoCo6 event highlights include:

    Hemp Industry Daily Investor Forum, Thursday, March 28, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
    Legal updates and insights; investment trends and deal flow; opportunities and investments; networking; luncheon and more. Visit here for info.

    Let’s Talk Hemp Business Conference, Friday, March 29, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
    Vertical integration; policy and regulation; compliance and certification; processing and manufacturing; market research; the global business of hemp. Visit here for info.

    Let’s Talk Hemp Farm Symposium, Saturday, March 30, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
    Regenerative farming; soil health; genetics; new technology and equipment; regulations and compliance. Visit here for info.

    Expo Hall, Friday and Saturday, March 29-30, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
    With more than 225 exhibitors, NoCo6’s Expo Hall is open to B2B visitors on March 29 and March 30. The Expo Hall is open to consumers and the public on March 30. Features include the Bish Equipment Zone, HempToday International Alley, Science & Tech Spotlight, Adept Payments Workshop and Education Stage, EnviroTextiles Fashion Parade, Blu Nahulu Art Zone and more. Visit here for info.

    NoCo After Party, Saturday, March 30, 8:00 pm – Midnight
    Hang with friends at the Hemp Renaissance Ball After Party on Saturday, March 30, 8:00 pm – midnight at the Renaissance Hotel – Denver Stapleton. Buy tickets here.

    Press Conference, Friday, March 29, 9:00 am – 9:45 am
    For media attendees, NoCo Hemp Expo will host a press conference on Friday, March 29, 2019, onsite at the Crowne Plaza DIA Convention Center at 9:00 – 9:45 am, before the conference and exhibition hall opens. To qualify for a Press Pass, journalists, editors and media must complete a press application here.

    “With more than 25,000 industrial uses, hemp is a gift to humanity and the environment,” said Morris Beegle, co-producer of NoCo6. “We have an incredible opportunity to build the kind of sustainable, regenerative, socially responsible marketplace we want, and NoCo Hemp Expo is where the hemp community convenes to plan and prepare for a bright future.”

    Tickets Are On Sale Now

    Tickets are available for the Pre-Conference Hemp Industry Daily Investor Forum, Let’s Talk Hemp Business Conference, Let’s Talk Hemp Farm Symposium and B2B Industry Day in the Bluebird Botanicals Expo Hall. For all ticket levels, information and to purchase tickets, visit our website.

     

    Thank You to Our Sponsors

    GenCanna™ is the Presenting Sponsor of NoCo6.

    Business Conference Sponsors include: Elixinol, New Hope Network, Benmar Extractions, Hoban Law Group, Lilu’s Garden, McAllister Garfield P.C., Frank Robison Law Group, and Steep Fuze Coffee.

    Farm Symposium Sponsors include; Bluhen Botanicals, Bish Enterprises, Colorado Breeders Depot, Front Range Biosciences, Hempsac, New West Genetics, ProVerde Labs and Rad Extracts. Meet all of our Sponsor Partners here: https://nocohempexpo.com/sponsors/.

     

    About the NoCo Hemp Expo

    The 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo is produced by the Colorado Hemp Company, a division of WAFBA LLC (We Are For Better Alternatives), based in Loveland, CO. WAFBA also is the producer of the 2nd Annual Southern Hemp Expo and founder of TreeFreeHemp paper and printing services. Areas of focus include product and brand development, event production, consulting and advocacy. NoCo6 provides support to nonprofit organizations including Bee Heroic; the Jack Herer Foundation; and Hemp History Week, celebrating its 10th anniversary in June 2019. Learn more at NocoHempExpo.com, or visit us on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, #NoCo6. 

    # # #

    Contact
    Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, 303.807.1042, steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com
    Morris Beegle, Colorado Hemp Company, 970.541.0448, info@nocohempexpo.com

  • Despite Hemp’s Legality, Confusion Abounds

    Despite Hemp’s Legality, Confusion Abounds

    by Portland Press Herald

    Industrial hemp may now be legal to grow and sell in the United States under the 2018 Farm Bill, but there is still a lot of uncertainty out there. Despite hemp’s newly earned legal status, authorities in Oklahoma just last week seized a truckload of hemp, valued at $500,000, headed for a Colorado processing facility. After 11 separate tests confirming that the cargo is indeed hemp and not marijuana, two individuals still remain in jail and officials are now demanding the entire contents of the truck – over 17,000 pounds – be tested for THC content, reported Ganjapreneur on February 5.

    The incident, along with another in which an Oregon trucker was arrested in Idaho in late January for transporting hemp to Colorado, is becoming a test case for interstate commerce of industrial hemp. According to the Idaho Press, the federal Farm Bill forbids states from preventing the transportation of hemp, and the Colorado company that wants its seized shipment back from Idaho is citing the Farm Bill in a court filing against the state.

    In related news, health officials in the state of Maine on February 1 ordered that all edible products containing cannabidiol, or CBD, must be removed from stores, saying that the hemp-derived ingredient is not a federally approved food additive. Health inspectors began in late January informing businesses that they must remove all foods, tinctures and capsules from their shelves that contain CBD. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services has determined CBD is an unapproved food additive that federal authorities do not recognize as safe. The ruling threatens to derail Maine’s fast-growing hemp industry at a time when the CBD market is poised for explosive growth, reports the Portland Press Herald.


    News Briefs

    Can CBD Reduce Medication Addiction?
    by New Hope Network

    U.S. Hemp Production Nears 80,000 Acres
    by Hemp Industry Daily/Vote Hemp

    David Bronner to Speak at NoCo6
    by NoCo Hemp Expo

    Willie Nelson Introduces Willie’s Remedy CBD Coffee
    by the Star-Telegram

     

    Upcoming Events

    The Road to NoCo6 – Check Out Our Rockin’ Promo VideoFrom botanicals to bioplastics, hemp is changing the world and the NoCo Hemp Expo is the largest gathering of hemp industry professionals under one roof. For a rockin’ 60-second video introduction to NoCo6, visit here.

    https://coloradohempcompany.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=07510e9307f6e59e75d3be462&id=6eb084f97d&e=181a638cde” text=”Watch Here”

    About Let’s Talk Hemp
    Let’s Talk Hemp is a publication of Colorado Hemp Company focused specifically on the subject of industrial hemp and cannabis. We present features and curate news from across the globe to share the benefits of cannabis on health, energy, manufacturing and planet (H.E.M.P.).Join our mailing list and get the latest inside scoop on ALL THINGS HEMP with our new Let’s Talk Hemp Weekly newsletter and updates on Season 2 of Let’s Talk Hemp and The 422 coming early 2019.

    Send Us Your Hemp News!
    Send press releases and news announcements to news@letstalkhemp.com

  • 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo Moves to Denver; Announces Presenting Sponsor GenCanna

    6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo Moves to Denver; Announces Presenting Sponsor GenCanna

    Kentucky-based CBD producer GenCanna Global Inc. will be featured as the Presenting Sponsor of the world’s largest hemp expo and conference

    #NoCo6 will feature expanded exhibition space and educational programming, including a full-day business conference and farm symposium, on March 29-30, 2019, in Denver. More than 8,000 attendees are expected as industry businesses and thought leaders gather to create a vibrant future for the newly legal hemp market.

    DENVER (January 16, 2019) – Following five years of exponential growth as the world’s largest hemp exposition and business conference, the NoCo Hemp Expo is moving its upcoming sixth annual event from Loveland, CO, to Denver’s Crowne Plaza DIA Convention Center.

    As growers, producers and consumers consider a future that looks extremely optimistic after hemp was legalized under the game-changing 2018 Farm Bill, #NoCo6 promises to be the most dynamic expo and conference yet.

    GenCanna™, a Kentucky-based company that focuses on scaling premium agricultural hemp production for food products to promote easy availability locally, nationally and globally, is the presenting sponsor of NoCo6. With a 150-acre agricultural campus near Winchester, GenCanna™ conducts groundbreaking research and commercialization of hemp processing methods and product development. With a $40 million processing plant in rural Kentucky under way, GenCanna™ has been growing rapidly to meet market demands.

    “We are excited to have GenCanna™ join us this year as our Presenting Sponsor. GenCanna™ has been a leading company out of Kentucky since the 2014 Farm Bill passed, and has established itself as a market leader and an organization positioned to play a significant role in the expansion of the hemp industry for years to come,” said Morris Beegle, co-founder of Colorado Hemp Company, which produces the NoCo Hemp Expo, and will present the second annual Southern Hemp Expo in Nashville on September 6-7, 2019.

    “The Southern Hemp Expo was excellent, and that’s where we made our decision to sponsor the upcoming NoCo6 in a bigger way,” said GenCanna™ Chief Sales Officer Garrett Bain. “We see it as an opportunity to tell the community at large what we’re doing, because 2019 is an important year for us. Our commitment to the hemp industry has been strong since 2014, and with the Farm Bill, we’ll see rapid evolution of hemp’s place in the American economy. We’re excited to be stewards in that marketplace and to come together with some of the greatest minds at NoCo6.”

    NoCo Hemp Expo, the largest gathering of hemp industry professionals under one roof, will feature 70,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, 225 exhibitors, a business conference and farm symposium, a global hemp village, science and technical workshops, and several networking events and after-parties. The Let’s Talk Hemp Business Conference, Let’s Talk Hemp Farm Symposium and the Bish Enterprises Equipment Zone will all be expanded this year. The event is expected to draw more than 8,000 attendees.

    “We have built the biggest stage and best platform in the hemp space over the past five years to bring together industry experts, thought leaders and organizations as we curate a future for an industry that can truly and meaningfully impact the world in a positive way,” Beegle added.

    Colorado Hemp Co. also recently launched a weekly e-newsletter, Let’s Talk Hemp, covering news, entertainment and trends in the emerging hemp products market to accompany its Let’s Talk Hemp podcast featuring industry leaders Morris Beegle and Rick Trojan. To subscribe, visit https://letstalkhemp.com/.

    Video Presentation

    For a 60-second video introduction to the 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo, visit here.

    Thank You to Our Sponsors

    In addition to Presenting Sponsor GenCanna™, International Hemp Solutions is NoCo6’s Global Outreach Sponsor. Other sponsors include PureHemp Technology, Bluhen Botanicals, Elixinol, Bluebird Botanicals, SubZero Extracts, Palmetto Harmony, HGH Seed, Restorative Botanicals, Boulder Botanicals, Key to Life, Bish Enterprises and Nature’s Love.  

    Tickets Are On Sale Now

    Tickets are now available for the Let’s Talk Hemp Business Conference, Farm Symposium and Expo Hall. For all ticket levels, information and to purchase tickets, visit our website.

    About the NoCo Hemp Expo

    The 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo is produced by the Colorado Hemp Company, a division of WAFBA LLC (We Are For Better Alternatives), based in Loveland, CO. WAFBA also is the producer of the 2nd Annual Southern Hemp Expo and founder of TreeFreeHemp paper and printing services. Areas of focus include product and brand development, event production, consulting and advocacy. Learn more at NocoHempExpo.com, or visit our YouTube Channel for a promo video about #NoCo6. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter, #NoCo6.

  • Hemp Hemp Hooray!

    Hemp Hemp Hooray!

    Leading Hemp Expo Producer Colorado Hemp Company Celebrates Historic Farm Bill Legalizing Industrial Hemp in the U.S.

    World’s largest hemp expo producer poised to meet opportunities and challenges of legal hemp with industry-leading events including the upcoming town-hall style Winter Hemp Summit on January 11; the hemp industry’s flagship event, the 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo in Denver, March 29-30; and the second annual Southern Hemp Expo in Nashville, TN, and the 3rd Annual Hawaii Hemp Conference in Fall 2019.

    Fort Collins, CO (December 21, 2018) – Following the successful second annual Hawaii Hemp Conference in Honolulu and President Trump’s signing of the 2018 Farm Bill into law—with watershed provisions to legalize industrial hemp—Colorado Hemp Company, the world’s largest hemp expo and conference producer, is ramping up to meet the unprecedented momentum surrounding the emerging industry in 2019.

    “On a scale of 1 to 10, we’ve been operating at 11 for the past year,” said Colorado Hemp Company co-founder Morris Beegle. “Now we’re moving into overdrive, and we’re ready to take it ‘#OneLouder.’ It’s such an exciting time to be spreading the word about hemp,” he says.

    “With the signing of the Farm Bill, a very long battle was won,” Beegle continues. “Hemp and all parts, including cannabinoids, extracts, and derivatives of the plant, have been removed from the Controlled Substances Act. All parts of the plant. After the Farm Bill passing both houses of congress and being signed today by President Trump, #Hemp is now explicitly legal and hemp prohibition is over. It’s great news for the cannabis plant (yes, hemp is cannabis and all cannabis should experience freedom), and for everyone who has fought for its freedom over the years, decades, centuries and millennia.”

    As the hemp industry prepares for legalization, Colorado Hemp Company will host the Winter Hemp Summit on January 11, 2019, in Fort Collins, CO. The town hall-style one-day forum is sure to be lively as industry leaders take a look back over important events and issues of 2018, including the Farm Bill, and look forward to what’s to come in 2019.

    The largest gathering of industry professionals ever under one roof will feature 70,000 square feet of exhibitions with more than 225 exhibitors, a business conference and agriculture & farm symposium, a global hemp village, science and technical workshops, a fashion parade and several networking events. For speaker and sponsor information, visit www.nocohempexpo.com.

    “After five successful years in Fort Collins, we’re thrilled to bring this industry-leading event to a convenient location not only for Coloradoans but for people traveling from around the world to learn about and celebrate this plant,” Beegle said. “Our path of exponential growth reflects this industry’s extraordinary journey.”

    On September 6 and 7, 2019, Southern Hemp Expo, a robust, program-rich trade show for the industrial, nutritional and therapeutic hemp industries, will return to Nashville, TN, to build on the success of this past year’s first-ever expo. The event will feature more than 100 vendors and exhibitors, more than 50 industry expert speakers, a business conference, farm symposium and plenty of networking opportunities.

    The company also recently launched a weekly e-newsletter, Let’s Talk Hemp, covering news, entertainment and trends in the emerging hemp products market to accompany its Let’s Talk Hemp podcast featuring industry leaders Rick Trojan and Morris Beegle.

    “To say we’re hitting the ground running in 2019 would be quite an understatement,” Beegle said. “It’s looking to be a groundbreaking year for this groundbreaking industry.”

    Passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which President Trump on December 20 signed into law, has been a watershed moment for the hemp industry. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) stated it will “encourage new opportunities for struggling farmers and their families, new products for use in construction, health care, and manufacturing, and new jobs in a broad range of fields.”

  • Hemp Prohibition Ends in U.S.; President Signs Historic Farm Bill

    Hemp Prohibition Ends in U.S.; President Signs Historic Farm Bill

    Hemp Prohibition Ends in U.S.; President Signs Historic Farm Bill

    President Donald Trump today signed the 2018 “Agriculture Improvement Act,” known to most Americans as the Farm Bill, removing industrial hemp from the controlled substances list. The historic legislation allows farmers and producers to grow and sell industrial hemp for the first time in over 80 years.

    There was strong bipartisan support for the bill in Congress, which last week passed a sweeping $867 billion Farm Bill. President Trump was expected to sign the bill into law this week, spurred in part by pressure from farmers battered by an on-going trade war with China that has disproportionately affected U.S. producers of soy and other agricultural goods.

    For hemp producers across the U.S., the Farm Bill is nothing but historic. “The Farm Bill…both legalizes hemp as an agricultural commodity and removes it from the controlled substances list. It gives states the opportunity to be the primary overseers of hemp production. It also allows hemp researchers to apply for competitive federal grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and made hemp eligible for federal crop insurance. Together these features will encourage new opportunities for struggling farmers and their families, new products for use in construction, health care, and manufacturing, and new jobs in a broad range of fields,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), sponsor of the hemp provision.

    The final five-year Farm Bill sets policies and reauthorizes farm, conservation, nutrition, rural development, agricultural trade and other programs. In an interview with Fox Business News earlier today, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue welcomed the new hemp legalization. “This is an industrial-use product, medicinally as well as other products, and we look forward to developing markets for it if it’s a profitable crop. Agriculture needs new products,” he said.

    From Left: Sonny Perdue, Donald Trump, Mike Pence


    The Road to NoCo: After a hosting a successful Hawaii Hemp Conference, we hope you will join us for the upcoming  Winter Hemp Summit, Jan. 11, 2019, in Fort Collins, CO.

    News Briefs

     


    Winter Hemp Summit to Feature Town Hall Style Forum
    by Winter Hemp Summit

     


    CBD Set for Big Boost from U.S. Farm Bill
    by Rolling Stone

     


    Hemp Legalization Could Be Boon for Banks
    by American Banker (subscription required)

    Wisconsin Farm Bureau: Hemp an Amazing Chemical Factory
    by Wisconsin State Farmer

     

    Upcoming Events

    The Road to NoCo: Mark Your Calendar for the Largest Gathering of Hemp Industry Professionals Under One Roof

    Have a listen.
    The Let’s Talk Hemp Podcast     with Morris Beagle & Rick Trojan

    Let’s Talk Hemp & The 422

    Join us for a short 422 podcast featuring author and hemp expert Doug Fine on opportunities in Hawaii’s emerging hemp industry.

    About Let’s Talk Hemp

    Let’s Talk Hemp is a publication of Colorado Hemp Company focused specifically on the subject of industrial hemp and cannabis. We present features and curate news from across the globe to share the benefits of cannabis on health, energy, manufacturing and planet (H.E.M.P.).

    Send Us Your Hemp News!
    Send press releases and news announcements to news@letstalkhemp.com

  • Mitch McConnell Offers to Loan President Trump His Hemp Pen to Sign Historic Farm Bill Legalizing Industrial Hemp

    Mitch McConnell Offers to Loan President Trump His Hemp Pen to Sign Historic Farm Bill Legalizing Industrial Hemp

    In a speech on the Senate floor on December 12, Mitch McConnell (R-KY) celebrated the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill with provisions for legalizing industrial hemp in the United States – a historic move and a watershed moment for the emerging hemp industry.

    “What exactly does this legislation do?” asked McConnell. “The Farm Bill we passed yesterday both legalizes hemp as an agricultural commodity and removes it from the controlled substances list. It gives states the opportunity to be the primary overseers of hemp production. It also allows hemp researchers to apply for competitive federal grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and made hemp eligible for federal crop insurance. Together these features will encourage new opportunities for struggling farmers and their families, new products for use in construction, health care, and manufacturing, and new jobs in a broad range of fields,” said.

    “I look forward to the House passing our Farm Bill soon and sending it to President Trump for his signature. I’d be happy to loan him my hemp pen for the occasion,” McConnell added.[/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”15″]

    The Road to NoCo: After a hosting a successful Hemp Hawaii Hemp Conference, we hope you will join us for the upcoming Winter Hemp Summit, Jan. 11, 2019, in Fort Collins, CO.


    NBC Nightly News Covers CBD Health Craze
    by NBC Nightly News

    Cannabis Sector Stocks Lower on News of Hemp Legalization
    by Ciara Linnane via MarketWatch

    Pueblo, CO, Seeks to Be Leader in Indutrial Hemp Production
    by Dennis Darrow via Pueblo Chieftain

    Barrons: CBD Will See Boost with Passage of New Farm Bill
    by Bill Alpert, via Barron’s

     

    Upcoming Events

    The Road to NoCo: Mark Your Calendar for the Largest Gathering of Hemp Industry Professionals Under One Roof

    Have a listen.
    The Let’s Talk Hemp Podcast     with Morris Beagle & Rick Trojan

    Let’s Talk Hemp & The 422

    Join us for a short 422 podcast featuring author and hemp expert Doug Fine on opportunities in Hawaii’s emerging hemp industry.

    About Let’s Talk Hemp

    Let’s Talk Hemp is a publication of Colorado Hemp Company focused specifically on the subject of industrial hemp and cannabis. We present features and curate news from across the globe to share the benefits of cannabis on health, energy, manufacturing and planet (H.E.M.P.)

    Join our mailing list and get the latest inside scoop on ALL THINGS HEMP with our new Let’s Talk Hemp Weekly newsletter and updates on Season 2 of Let’s Talk Hemp and The 422 coming early 2019.

  • 12 Countdown to NoCo5 with Hannah Cornelison

    12 Countdown to NoCo5 with Hannah Cornelison

    Episode 12 transports us into the countdown to NoCo5 including the big Mitch McConnell announcement that he is introducing legislation next week to pull industrial hemp off of the controlled substances act.

    We’ll keep discussing this in the coming weeks and get into the language of the bill once it’s introduced.

    Our guest this week is Hannah Cornelison who is a host on Joint Venture, a CSU student run produced show and a show that Morris and Rick appeared on this week and will appear on next week.

    Rick and Hannah recap a tour at PureHemp Technology that happened Wednesday and will be part of next weeks Joint Venture show.