Hemp farming exploded after the 2018 Farm Bill passed last December. The bill decriminalized the plant at the federal level, opening the door for many U.S. farmers to grow and sell hemp. Over the past year, licensed hemp acreage increased more than 445%, according to the advocacy and research group Vote Hemp. More than 510,000 acres of hemp […]
2018 Farm Bill
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 […]
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 […]
Credit Unions Greenlighted to Bank with Hemp Businesses
On August 19, 2019, the National Credit Union Association (NCUA), a federal agency that regulates, charters, and supervises federal credit unions, released updated guidance on federally-backed credit unions working with hemp-based businesses. The guidelines clarify that credit unions are permitted to offer financial services, including loans, to businesses dealing in the realm of hemp or […]
Proceed with Caution: Marketing Claims for Cannabis and CBD Products
The CBD market is exploding, prompting companies to use bold and creative marketing moves to differentiate themselves in the sea of products beginning to flood the market. But what happens when a company’s eagerness to convey the supposed revolutionary effectiveness of its CBD products leads it to make cure-all, but scientifically unsubstantiated, claims? Curaleaf, a […]
Hemp-CBD Across State Lines: California
By Griffen Thorne, Attorney at Harris Bricken The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“2018 Farm Bill”) legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) and by providing a detailed framework for the cultivation of hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill gives the US Department […]
Removing Roadblocks in the Hemp Industry Six Months after the 2018 Farm Bill
Nearly six months have passed since the 2018 Farm Bill was enacted on December 20, 2018, but the road to developing a successful business in the hemp industry is still filled with roadblocks. Some of these obstacles are becoming easier to navigate, but we’re still a long way from a free and open hemp market, […]
Capitalizing on Legal Hemp!
An Entrepreneur’s Guide By Mark Goldfogel In December of 2018, the U.S. Government legalized hemp; joining China, France, Great Britain and most of the developed world in recognizing that rope is not dope. This ended a prohibition on hemp dating back to 1937 and foretells the end of marijuana prohibition. To date, the dope or […]
Market Confusion on CBD and Hemp; FDA Commissioner Resigns amid Congressional Pressure for Federal Guidance
By Ian Stewart & Neil Willner The Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Scott Gottlieb MD, who has received high marks for his leadership of the agency since May 2017, announced his resignation on March 5, 2019, stating that he wants to spend more time with his family. His resignation came only days following […]
Federal Courts Are Split on the Legality of Transporting Hemp and CBD in Interstate Commerce
By Ian Stewart When the 2018 Farm Bill was signed by President Trump on December 20, 2018, there was widespread optimism that hemp and hemp-derived products, including cannabidiol (CBD), soon would be freely moving in interstate commerce without interference by state and local authorities. That optimism may have been premature. State and local governments across […]
FDA Updates its Position on CBD upon Signing of Farm Bill
Hours after President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law, the FDA released a lengthy statement from its commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, M.D., updating its position on CBD products intended for human consumption. Flexing its muscle, the FDA points out that the Farm Bill “explicitly preserved the agency’s current authority to regulate products containing cannabis […]
New Law Removes Major Barrier for Hemp-based CBD Industry
By Rebecca Gwilt On December 12, 2018, Congress passed the 2018 Farm Bill (The “Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018” or the “Bill”), which includes provisions that exempt Cannabis plants with lower than 0.3% THC content (also called “Hemp”) from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Once signed into law, the Farm Bill effectively legalizes the production, […]
Will the FDA/DEA Epidiolex Rulings and the 2018 Farm Bill Change the Industry?
In late June 2018, the Food and Drug Administration announced approval for a new medication that could potentially change the way the world views cannabis. Epidiolex is a CBD-based oral solution that is prescribed to treat two forms of rare epilepsy. Patients who suffer from Dravet syndrome, as well as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, may find that […]
