August 6, 2020
New Program To Regulate Texas' Hemp Industry
The Texas Department of State Health Services introduced a program to regulate the consumable hemp industry in the state. Consumable hemp products include foods, drugs, devices or cosmetics that contain industrial hemp or hemp-derived cannabinoids, like CBD. As of Aug. 2, those involved in the manufacturing, processing and distribution of consumable hemp are now required to purchase a license for $258 per facility. Plus, retailers who sell consumable hemp have to register each location where the products are sold.
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August 5, 2020
The Medical Cannabis Industry Is Booming In Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico legalized medical cannabis in the summer of 2017. Two months later Hurricane María tore through the island, leaving it in chaos and without electricity for months on end. Political turmoil and earthquakes followed. And this year, the pandemic has wreaked havoc on the population. However, through it all, the medical cannabis industry has managed to thrive, selling an average of $10 million a month in 2020. To date, sales have reached $51.4 million. Last year, sales reached $128.5 million and produced $14 million in taxes.
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August 5, 2020
Ease Up on Cannabis Restrictions, Heart Group Urges
Cannabis should be removed from Schedule 1 of the U.S. Controlled Substances Act so that it can be better researched, according to a statement by the American Heart Association (AHA). Regulators should also start standardizing concentrations of THC and CBD content in recreational and medicinal marijuana, according to the AHA writing group led by Robert Page II, PharmD, MSPH, of University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Denver.
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August 5, 2020
Planning Commission to consider industrial hemp zoning
As the City of Turlock works behind the scenes to get its four retail cannabis dispensaries opened and operating, it’s also looking to cash in on another form of the crop — hemp. The Planning Commission will decide during their meeting on Thursday whether or not to amend the City’s Zoning Code to allow for a City Hemp Program, which would permit industrial hemp manufacturing businesses to operate in approved areas. While hemp was excluded from the City’s regulation of cannabis businesses, one industrial hemp manufacturer who applied to be a part of the Pilot Cannabis Program — approved by the City Council in June 2019 — helped staff realize the potential for more revenue and new jobs in Turlock.
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Just over a year ago, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation allowing production and retail sale of hemp and hemp products in the state. Since then retail shops selling things like cannabidiol, better known as CBD oil in a variety of forms, including tinctures and edibles. Some also sold hemp products that could be smoked or vaped. It's important to note the legal hemp is not the same as marijuana. It does not contain a level of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC — the psychoactive component of marijuana — so it doesn't produce a high. Instead, many feel it provides relief from the symptoms and effects of a variety of medical conditions. But final rules on the state's hemp program changed the game as of Sunday. Retailers can still sell hemp products — as long as they are not specifically manufactured to smoked or vaped. The reason? Well, it's pretty detailed but to keep things simple it seems even the small amount of what is called Delta 9 THC in legal hemp grows in potency when heated or burned. So it's hard to accurately ensure that, when smoked, the THC inhemp stays within legal limits. Advocates for legal hemp say some users find smoking the plant works better for them than other forms of the product. And they worry the new rules will leave them without needed relief. Some estimates put sales of smokable hemp at about 30 percent of the industry. So retailers will feel the pinch, too. At least legally. You see, growers can still grow the stuff and retailers will be able to sell loose hemp flower just as they have been. But they cannot market anything as smokable or make anything smokable, such as vape cartridges or pre-rolled hemp cigarettes. What the consumer does with the still legal loose hemp flower is another matter. Basically, it's now illegal to sell a hemp "joint," but legal to sell what's in it. So what we have here is a law that serves practically no purpose except to make things slightly more annoying to retailers and customers.
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August 5, 2020
Mississippi farmers can start applying for hemp license
Mississippi farmers, or those interested in becoming farmers, can now apply for a hemp grower license. The license application period began Saturday and runs through Oct. 31 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hemp is a member of the cannabis plant family used for textiles, fuels, clothing and other products. The new Mississippi law legalized the cultivation of hemp and allowed Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson to create a state plan for hemp farming. State lawmakers did not appropriate the money for a state hemp program, so Gipson said he asked the USDA to handle the licensing for Mississippi hemp growers.
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August 4, 2020
Arizona Governor Slams Marijuana Legalization Ballot Measure In Voter Pamphlet Argument
Ahead of what’s shaping up to be a contentious campaign season around marijuana in Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey (R) and other opponents are claiming that legalization would unleash a host of public health hazards on the state. In an official voter guide argument published on Monday against a proposed initiative that’s likely to be on the November ballot, the governor called legalizing cannabis “a bad idea based on false promises.”
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August 4, 2020
Hemp farming regulations signed into Georgia law
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has signed a bill that regulates the state’s new hemp farming industry by increasing processing fees, setting transportation rules and allowing out-of-state hemp sales. The measure prepares the state for its first hemp crops, which are already being grown this summer after the General Assembly legalized hemp farming last year.
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The Texas Department of State Health Services announced Monday it has launched a new program to regulate the manufacturing, processing, distribution and retail sale of consumable hemp products. It’s called the Consumable Hemp Program. DSHS is currently accepting applications online for consumable hemp product licenses and retailer registrations, the agency said in a news release Monday. “The program establishes a consistent regulatory framework for consumable hemp products that are manufactured or sold in Texas,” said Stephen Pahl, DSHS Associate Commissioner for Consumer Protection.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said marijuana is a “therapy that has proven successful” in response to a question about whether cannabis banking provisions are germane to coronavirus relief legislation. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) filed a bill to federally legalize marijuana and regulate it like tobacco. U.S. Customs and Border Protection would be tasked with developing rules for cannabis imports and exports, and there would be a federal purchasing age limit of 21. A new Louisiana law allowing doctors to recommend medical cannabis for any debilitating condition they see fit took effect. Other new laws that came into force protect banks from being punished by state regulators for working with marijuana businesses, set hemp and CBD rules and provide legal immunity for physicians and hospitals caring for medical cannabis patients. A new study found that marijuana use is associated with “improved sexual desire, arousal, orgasm, and overall satisfaction” for women.
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