Farm bill negotiators in Congress have struggled to resolve differences over work requirements for food stamp recipients, but the Senate’s top Republican guarantees the final version will include legalization of hemp. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday that completing work on a new farm bill looms as one of his top priorities when Congress […]
Industrial hemp
Amendment X: Why an ‘industrial hemp’ question on Colorado’s ballot is important to a fledgling agricultural industry
Imagine if Colorado, a pioneer in the nation for legalized marijuana, ended up locked out of a competitive advantage if the federal government relaxes its own rules for growing hemp. You can almost hear Alanis Morissette adding a verse to her famous song. But that could happen, say those in Colorado’s hemp industry who are counting […]
California Passes Industrial Hemp Legislation
We’ve been closely following the trajectory of SB 1409 and on September 30, 2018, Governor Brown signed the bill which will go into effect on January 1, 2019. This legislation is a huge step for California cannabis, in that it will add an industrial hemp pilot program to the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s […]
How legalization of hemp can help New York industry
Trees with fading leaves of early fall surrounded a wide field near Livingston at Old Mud Creek Farm, the home of Hudson Hemp. The site is one of the few legal hemp farms in the state, and may be a harbinger of what could become an agricultural economic driver in New York. “Hemp has tremendous […]
Florida Hemp Program Greenlit and Gearing for Growth
The fledgling pilot project led by University of Florida scientists to explore the potential of producing industrial hemp across the state is getting wings thanks to initial funding from a private partner. Green Roads Inc. has reportedly invested $1.3 million to sponsor the first phase of the UF/IFAS research program. The funds will go to support field trials currently […]
Colorado Loosens Hemp Testing Restrictions
A trio of state health and regulatory agencies have come to an agreement on how to test industrial hemp products in Colorado. In a joint bulletin issued Friday, September 21, the Colorado departments of Public Health and Environment, Agriculture and Revenue announced looser restrictions for licensed marijuana testing labs that wish to test industrial hemp and hemp-derived CBD products. Previously, […]
Edible hemp oil stores arrive in Minnesota, and are proving hugely popular
The first retail store specializing in the sale of pain-relieving, edible hemp products in the Twin Cities is now open. CBD of Maplewood opened last month, and while other retail chains such as GNC now offer hemp oil products, this is the retailer in Minnesota dedicated solely to it. The store carries products manufactured in […]
Delaware bill allowing industrial hemp farming now law
A measure to legalize marijuana was not passed the last legislative session, but a bill paving the way for industrial hemp and another bill allowing for the expungement of marijuana-related convictions were. Gov. John Carney has recently signed them both into law. During a two-day, bill-signing extravaganza, Aug. 28 and Aug. 29, Carney signed 29 […]
New Mexico Moves Closer To Allowing Hemp Cultivation
The state Department of Agriculture is proposing rules that would allow the growing of hemp in New Mexico – a key step in carrying out a 2017 law that Gov. Susana Martinez opposed. The rules outline licensing and testing requirements to ensure that hemp – a relative of marijuana – doesn’t have high levels of […]
Utah Officials Give Green Light For Industrial Hemp Production
Utah Farmers now have the rules and regulations in place to grow industrial hemp. Lawmakers in this year’s legislative session passed two bills giving the Department of Agriculture and Food the task of organizing an industrial hemp program for local producers. Three years ago the farm bill allowed pilot programs to grow industrial hemp for […]
Texas farmers see new source of green in legal hemp
Take a trip down the aisle of the nearest Whole Foods Market and it won’t take long to fill a shopping basket with products trumpeting the health and beauty benefits of a commodity Texas farmers are forbidden to grow: hemp. Lotions, shampoos and shower gels boasting hemp’s essential oils and antioxidants. Shelled seeds, or hemp […]
Illinois Governor Rauner Signs Bill Lifting Industrial Hemp Ban
After clearing the General Assembly with near–unanimous support, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law Senate Bill 2298, which lifts restrictions on the production of industrial hemp in Illinois, effective immediately. Industrial hemp fibers can be used for products ranging from building materials and textiles to cosmetics and health food, for example, through processes that reduce safety and environmental hazards. Filed in January by state Sen. Toi Hutchinson, […]
Hemp is back in Wisconsin, but with optimism comes the challenge of a new market
Hemp farmers and their supporters are bullish about the future as they prepare to harvest their first crop under a state program that started five months ago. “Hemp can change everything if we utilize it right,” said Andrew Johnson, a licensed hemp processor and founder of Wisconsin Hemp Strategies. Gov. Scott Walker and legislators in […]
Industrial Hemp Is On The Rise In Virginia
Somewhere near Cape Charles, eight acres of cannabis nods in an Eastern Shore breeze. It looks like pot. It smells like pot. Don’t call the law. The cops already know. This is a test plot of industrial hemp – a member of the marijuana family that could become a common sight across the state if […]
At George Washington’s Mount Vernon, a luscious crop of cannabis nears harvest time
Dean Norton, director of horticulture at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, pulls out his cellphone and cranks up some Jimi Hendrix as he walks toward the cannabis patch on the founding father’s estate. The weed is tall, planted in tight rows, and has the serrated leaf edges of your classic ganja. As Hendrix’s 1968 epic “Voodoo Child” […]
New Belgium Teams Up With Willie Nelson To Promote Hemp Production
New Belgium Brewing, which launched The Hemperor HPA in the spring, is partnering with Vote Hemp and GCH, the company behind Willie Nelson’s cannabis brands, on the American Hemp Campaign. The effort, which is aimed at promoting the benefits of allowing commercial hemp production in the United States, is being launched on the Fourth of […]
It’s Legal To Grow Hemp In Kansas, But It Won’t Be Easy
P.J. Sneed is a nurse at a hospital in Wichita, but only until the end of the June. That’s when he’ll quit to become a hemp farmer. “I’ve not grown a stitch of hemp,” he said. “But I feel like I know how I could do it and have a plan to do it.” He’ll […]
Minnesota Pilot Program Has The Industrial Hemp As High As An Elephant’s Eye
Michael Erickson’s newest cash crop was a real traffic stopper. As the little green plants sprouted in his fields outside East Grand Forks and began to unfurl their jagged narrow leaves, Erickson started to notice more cars cruising along his road, slowing for a good long look at the waving fields of hemp — a […]
