This Week in CBD: June 28, 2019

In the race to fight new antibiotic-resistant superbugs, CBD may be scientists’ latest weapon. Researchers at this week’s annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology reported on recent research which shows CBD to be as effective as many other common antibiotics. Unlike other antibiotics, though, it seems not to lose effectiveness over time.

For the study, researchers at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience’s Centre for Superbug Solutions partnered with Botanix Pharmaceuticals, a drug discovery company investigating topical uses of synthetic CBD for skin conditions. They tested synthetic CBD against a wide range of bacteria, with promising results.

“Given cannabidiol’s documented anti-inflammatory effects, existing safety data in humans, and potential for varied delivery routes, it is a promising new antibiotic worth further investigation,” noted lead study investigator Mark Blaskovich, PhD, a senior research chemist at the University of Queensland.

Following the federal legalization of hemp with the signing of the 2018 Farm Bill, the US Department of Agriculture has been busy hammering out new regulations for the hemp industry. These federal regulations will spell out for farmers and stakeholders the conditions under which hemp can be legally grown in the US.

The hemp industry has been eagerly awaiting the publication of these regulations, and the agency announced this week that they should be ready for public viewing sometime in August. This is earlier than many farmers had anticipated since the agency had previously only promised regulations would be in place “for the 2020 growing season.”

In Florida on Wednesday, Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 1020, a bill that officially creates an industrial hemp program in the state. The bill had unanimous bipartisan support in the legislature and its passing could see crops planted as early as this fall.

Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried expressed excitement over the prospects of the state’s new hemp program: “Tonight’s hemp bill signing marks a transformation in Florida, and a critical step on the journey to creating a green industrial revolution, strengthening agriculture with an alternative crop of the future, and expanding access to safe, quality CBD products.”

Hemp growers demonstrated outside the Massachusetts State House in Boston on Monday, decrying the state’s newly published guidance which outlaws the production of a wide range of CBD products.

Among the products banned by the guidance are lucrative items like CBD-infused food products, hemp in animal feed, and any product that makes therapeutic claims or includes CBD as a dietary supplement (like tinctures or capsules).

The recently formed coalition includes farmers, businesses, advocates, and consumers that want the state’s Department of Agricultural Resources to clarify its position. Many farmers have already invested heavily in the growth of a crop which, under the current guidelines, they fear they may not be able to turn a profit on.

On Monday, the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco issued its first permits to businesses wanting to sell hemp-derived CBD products. So far, twenty temporary permits have been issued, according to the office.

On June 6, lawmakers passed a bill that would allow some hemp-derived CBD products to be sold in Louisiana, but the bill excluded inhalable hemp products. Food and beverages containing CBD are also exempt from the bill until the FDA decides if CBD is allowable as a food additive.

Novartis, a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company, just sold a major manufacturing facility in Boulder, Colorado to Mile High Labs, an industrial-scale CBD manufacturer. Mile High Labs paid $18.75 million for the 400,000 square foot production facility which it will use to produce private label CBD products.

According to Stephen Mueller, chief technology officer of Mile High Labs, “This transaction is the largest infrastructure purchase in the history of the CBD market…Over the coming quarters, we plan to leverage this tremendous infrastructure to build the global center for CBD products manufacturing.”

Vermont is holding public hearings this week on the regulation of hemp, giving stakeholders in the industry a chance to weigh in on how the state regulates the crop.

According to the notice sent out by the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, the new rules will establish “standards and expectations for record keeping, reporting, testing, and labeling, and include enforcement provisions as outlined by both state and federal law.”

The hearings are taking place in Brandon and Newport, VT. Members of the public can contribute by filling out a comment form.