By: Pauline M. Pelletier and Deborah A. Sterling, Ph.D. Many cannabis and investor news outlets recently reported that the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) awarded what appears to be the first patent for a hemp strain to Denver-based Charlotte’s Web Holdings (CWBHF).[1] Plant patents are relatively rare compared to utility patents, but it […]
Hemp Business Executive
What Are the Benefits of CBD?
More than 60 percent of CBD users were taking it for anxiety, according to a survey of 5,000 people. Does it help? The CBD industry is flourishing, conservatively projected to hit $16 billion in the United States by 2025. Already, the plant extract is being added to cheeseburgers, toothpicks and breath sprays. More than 60 […]
California Industrial Hemp Measure Becomes Law
Senator Scott Wilk, representing the 21st Senate District, announces Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 153 (SB 153) into law. SB 153 ensures California law is in full compliance with changes to federal law regarding the cultivation of industrial hemp. SB 153 requires the Secretary of the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA), in consultation […]
The new weed on the block: hemp
In 2014, Kentucky farmer Brian Furnish was looking for ways to diversify his crops. His family had been growing tobacco for eight generations, but the market was withering. If he wanted to keep his farm profitable, he needed something new to grow. So he helped pioneer Kentucky’s hemp industry, a new crop the state was […]
CBD Products and False Advertising Under the Lanham Act
By Jesse Mondry, Attorney at Harris Bricken A few weeks ago, I wrote a Hemp/CBD litigation forecast in which I predicted that at some point a CBD company will make use of the Lanham Act by claiming that a competitor is engaging in false or misleading advertising. (See here). In that post I promised to […]
Amid Trade War, Farmers Lean on a New Crop: Hemp
With the rising popularity of CBD products, farmers are growing hemp. Some see it as a way to ride out President Trump’s fight over trade. Others fear it may not last. ROSEVILLE, Ill. — Surrounded by waist-high hemp plants, Andy Huston, a sixth-generation farmer in Illinois, stopped to admire one of the ridged green leaves. “I […]
Getting Started in Hemp Extraction: Step One: Choose Processing Method
Thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp is legalized federally and continuing to expand in popularity. Last year, the United States saw nearly 80,000 acres of licensed industrial hemp grown in 23 states (more than tripled from the year prior), and over 3,500 state licenses issued. The numbers aren’t out for 2019 just yet, but […]
CV Sciences, Inc. Announces Distribution Partnership With Harris Teeter
PRESS RELEASE Partnership Broadens Distribution of PlusCBD™ Oil Products to 150 Harris Teeter Locations SAN DIEGO, Oct. 01, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CV Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB:CVSI) (the “Company”, “CV Sciences”, “our”, “us” or “we”), a preeminent supplier and manufacturer of hemp cannabidiol (CBD) products, is pleased to announce further expansion of its industry-dominating PlusCBD™ Oil […]
September 2019 Spot Market Update
Spot Market Updates: It is officially the start of the harvest period, and the new crop is starting to make its way to the market. The price of biomass through the course of September has traded in the range of $1.95 to $3.50 per percentage point of CBD content per pound (/point). The amount of transactions […]
The Hemp-Farm Blues
Another harvest season is here, cutting down equally stalks of hemp and the investment dreams of many. With the days shorter and the shadows longer, hemp’s growing season is coming to an end. So, too, are many hemp-farm investment deals — even if the investors don’t realize it yet. After all, many startup hemp farms […]
5 Big Changes Are Coming to the CBD Market
A full year hasn’t passed since the 2018 Farm Bill made industrial hemp legal in the United States, but the market is still in a state of flux. This includes the hemp-derived CDB market, which is currently dominated by just a few brands despite the fact that there are more than 1,000 CBD-infused products available […]
August 2019 Hemp Market Update
Spot Market Updates:The spot biomass market throughout August has been transacting in the range of $2.73 to $4.50 per percentage point of CBD content (/point) as supply from the 2018 crop year is sporadic and early season crops are being harvested. The trend of biomass selling near the lower end of the range has continued […]
The Importance of Testing to the Standardization of Hemp Research
The legalization of hemp in the 2018 Farm Bill has opened many new opportunities for research by universities across the country. One example is that of the Oregon State University Global Hemp Innovation Center. This program is the latest example of expansion into institutional hemp research, with their program tasked “to advance the research of hemp […]
CBD Labeling and Marketing: The Straight Story
By Ian A. Stewart and Neil Willner Cannabidiol (CBD) products are being marketed, advertised and labeled in a manner that is giving rise to substantial regulatory exposure and civil tort liability. Setting aside the FDA’s current prohibition on CBD in food and supplements, companies that decide to market and sell these products must pay close […]
Former Organa Brands Co-Founder Ralph Morgan Enters the Global CBD Marketplace
PRESS RELEASE Teams up with a World Leading Medical Doctor, Published Author and CBD Expert, Dr. Dani Gordon, to Form Collective Hemp Brand, Announce and Unveil Cannabinoid Wellness Product Line Birmingham, England — Ralph Morgan, former co-founder of Organa Brands which was recently acquired by SLANG Worldwide prior to SLANG’s initial public offering on the Canadian […]
Vapes spiked with illegal drugs show dark side of CBD craze
Jay Jenkins says he hesitated when a buddy suggested they vape CBD. “It’ll relax you,” the friend assured. The vapor that Jenkins inhaled didn’t relax him. After two puffs, he ended up in a coma. That’s because what he was vaping didn’t have any CBD, the suddenly popular compound extracted from the cannabis plant that […]
Hemp Regulation: USDA Struggles with Drafting THC Testing Rules
By Nathalie Bougenies, Attorney at Harris Bricken Hemp stakeholders have been eagerly waiting for the release of rules and regulations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”). Although the 2018 Farm Bill removed the hemp and its derivatives from the Controlled Substances Act, it did not provide clear, consistent and reliable standards to safely and […]
The Criminal Hemp Processing Case That Could Have A Profound Effect On The Oregon Hemp Industry
There’s a battle brewing in Oregon state court that may have a serious impact on Oregon’s industrial hemp industry. We’re writing to clarify the issues and provide additional context for this highly controversial case. What’s happening? Key Compounds (“Key”), an Oregon Department of Agriculture (“ODA”)-registered industrial hemp handler (i.e., processor) in Albany, Oregon, and its […]
