Things are looking up for industrial hemp in the US! That’s because the joint House and Senate Farm Bill conference committee held their first meeting on Wednesday morning. Three conferees specifically mentioned hemp in their remarks:
It’s past time that we build on the work that we began with the pilot program in the 2014 Farm Bill and unleash farmers in Kentucky and any other state we represent that wants to take a shot at it. With proper oversight they can capitalize on this multi-billion dollar market.
– Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
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It should be something that this farm bill takes the opportunity to bring to full force, and allow American farmers to offer the base crop that can be converted into thousands of consumer products.
– Congressman Bob Goodlatte
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The last farm bill opened the door to bringing industrial hemp back to America through the state based pilot programs.
As Kentucky’s agriculture commissioner I had the pleasure of establishing the very first of those programs, and it has been wildly successful.
I’m proud to work with Leader McConnell to take the next step to advance this valuable commodity by expanding the ability to grow industrial hemp by removing it from the controlled substances list and by placing it under the USDA’s jurisdiction like other commodities.
– Congressman James Comer
You can check out our full coverage of Wednesday’s meeting here.
And if you want to make your voice heard, you can join the US Hemp Roundtable in working to ensure the final Farm Bill includes the Senate’s hemp-friendly language here.
Parents who lost custody of their 7-year-old daughter for treating her with legal CBD oil have filed a $1 million lawsuit against Orange County, California.
Ali Selva was prescribed the anti-seizure medication Keppra in 2016, but she experienced violent mood swings as a side effect. This led her parents to seek out alternative treatments, eventually finding success with CBD.
But police and social workers claimed that by taking Ali off Keppra, her parents were putting her health at risk. They separated the family for four nights until the parents agreed to put her back on the medication.
In December, the case was dismissed and the conditions were lifted, but the family claims that social services officials falsified court documents.
And in Wyoming, a felony case against Anita Maddux for possession of CBD oil that contained a small amount of THC was dismissed.
Police stopped Maddux while she was driving through the state on her way to Montana to care for her ailing mother, eventually leading to the confiscation of a small vial of CBD oil.
Teton County Deputy Prosecutor Clark Allan said that while Wyoming’s law prohibiting oils with THC is clear, whether the case is prosecuted depends on common sense.
See our earlier coverage of this case here.
Indoor cannabis cultivation requires massive energy resources for lighting, ventilation, and climate control. This week, Cannabis Business Times spoke to three cultivators who are working to reduce their operations’ environmental impact.
On Thursday, Michigan House Majority Leader Dan Lauwers introduced House Bill 6311, which will define hemp-derived topical and ingestible products, such as hemp-derived CBD, as industrial hemp.
Finally, this week Leafly took a close look at six myths and controversies about CBD, from CBD’s legal status to distinctions between the terms non-psychoactive and non-intoxicating.
CBD Deals and Promos
Green Gorilla introduced their new Hemp & Olive Botanical Balm this week with an introductory offer of 20% off the regular price of $49.99. No promo code needed! This promotion ends on Tuesday, September 11 at 11:59 pm PST.
Shop Hemp & Olive Botanical Balm
Pure Hemp Botanicals launched a weekly contest on Facebook, with the 3 winners and prizes announced every Monday evening. This week’s giveaway product is their CBD softgels.