The hemp industry scored a victory on Tuesday after the Senate passed a coronavirus relief bill that, for the first time, will allow farmers to access a certain federal loan program amid the pandemic. Farmers have historically been left out of disaster relief legislation through the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) because they’re eligible for separate programs under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). But those programs are designated for natural disasters, and so industry advocates have been pushing Congress to allow farmers to be eligible for SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. With the coronavirus response bill expected to be passed by the House and signed by President Trump later this week, it seems they got their wish. The development comes after a coalition of hemp industry associations sent a letter to the SBA head, urging a policy change to ensure access to EIDL. As before, hemp farmers and businesses are eligible for SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program under the new legislation. “We are excited that our advocacy efforts yielded real results for hemp farmers,” the advocacy group Vote Hemp wrote in an email blast to supporters on Wednesday. The Hemp Roundtable also thanked supporters and ally groups for advocating for SBA access in a separate message. However, the group said it remains to be seen whether hemp producers can qualify for USDA’s Food Assistance Program and that it “will be working with our contacts on Capitol Hill and the USDA to try to ensure the maximum support.” The hemp industry certainly did make a strong push, but it should also be noted that stakeholders in the agriculture industry overall pushed for this policy change for farmers, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) thanked the head of the Senate Agriculture Committee for advocating for the issue. SBA has made much of its support for the hemp industry, despite ongoing questions about the extent to which these businesses can benefit from their programs. USDA, meanwhile, has continued to approve state and tribal regulatory proposals for domestic hemp programs. Florida and Kansas were the latest to have their proposals accepted last week. While the hemp industry is seeing some successes amid the health crisis, marijuana companies continue to struggle as they fight for access to federal financial relief. On Wednesday, 10 senators sent a letter to the body’s leadership, urging them to include SBA access for cannabis companies in future coronavirus legislation. A coalition of House members made a similar request last week. In a letter to state treasurers that was delivered earlier this month, a coalition of marijuana industry associations urged the officials to pressure their congressional delegations to include SBA access for cannabis firms in future coronavirus legislation. They also want the states to explore providing separate loan and lending programs for the market.
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April 22, 2020
Lebanon Passes Medical & Industrial Cannabis Legalization
Lebanese lawmakers have approved the legalization of medical cannabis and industrial hemp; the move was recommended by economic advisors prior to the coronavirus outbreak. Lebanon’s parliament passed medical cannabis legalization on Tuesday; however, according to a Newsweek report, there is some skepticism whether the law can be successfully implemented due to opposition from Hezbollah and their political allies. In addition to allowing cannabis cultivation for medical purposes, the measure aims to create an industry for cannabis health and wellness products – such as CBD – along with industrial hemp. The move was recommended by the nation’s economic advisers prior to the coronavirus pandemic as the country faces an $80 billion debt and defaulted on its debt for the first time last month, the report says. In 2018, Raed Khoury, Lebanon’s former caretaker minister for economy and trade, told Bloomberg News that legalization of medical cannabis and industrial hemp could bring in about USD$1 billion annually to state coffers. Activists had called for broad legalization, including amnesty for most cannabis-related drug charges and sentence reduction policies, but those measures were sent back to a parliamentary committee for further review. Hilal Khashan, a professor of political studies and public administration at the American University of Beirut, told Newsweek that Hezbollah would need “to get its share” from the implementation of the new law if there are to accept its ratification. Khashan noted that Hezbollah “is a primary beneficiary” of Lebanon’s illegal cannabis trade. The United Nations lists Lebanon as the third-most-common source for hashish in the world. The effort follows up on a 2018 plan by global consulting firm McKinsey & Co. to revitalize the nation’s economy.
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Philip Morris International scrapped its 2020 guidance and said its smokeless brands will be a drag on sales during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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April 21, 2020
Kansas receives $53 million from tobacco settlement
Every year, the state receives a payment from participating tobacco manufacturers. The settlement payments are intended to offset the costs of tobacco-related illness suffered by Kansans through funding government-paid medical benefits.
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The American Heart Association awarded researchers at Ohio State $5.5 million to study the health effects of e-cigarettes and nicotine on youth and develop quitting programs.
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April 21, 2020
Lebanon passes legislation legalizing medical marijuana cultivation as economy struggles amid Coronavirus fallout
The Lebanese parliament on Tuesday passed legislation to legalize cannabis cultivation for medical and industrial purposes, a move that was recommended by economic advisers even before the coronavirus pandemic dealt a devastating blow to the Mediterranean nation's struggling economy. Under the new law, the cultivation of cannabis by farmers would be regulated within the country, according to The Daily Star, a Lebanese English-language newspaper. Although the plant has long been widely and openly cultivated in Lebanon, particularly in the country's eastern Bekaa Valley, growing cannabis was strictly illegal.
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April 21, 2020
Legalizing Marijuana May Be Too Complicated For New York Lawmakers To Do Via Zoom, Governor Says
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said on Saturday that while lawmakers could theoretically pass marijuana legalization legislation remotely via online meeting software such as Zoom during the coronavirus pandemic, he wouldn’t necessarily advise it because of the complex nature of the issue. During a press conference, the governor was asked about the prospects of legalizing cannabis amid the health crisis after the legislature failed to accomplish it in the state budget.
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April 21, 2020
On 4/20, A Look At How COVID-19 Has Impeded Weed Legalization Efforts Around The Country
The coronavirus outbreak has put weed legalization — a movement that has made considerable strides in recent years with 11 states now allowing recreational marijuana and 33 permitting medical cannabis — on the back burner in states around the country, as politicians focus their efforts on combating the epidemic and the future of ballot referendums on the issue is thrown in the balance due to social distancing guidelines.
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April 21, 2020
Australia’s growing industrial hemp industry
The cultivation of hemp for food had been banned in Australia since 1937, when widespread concerns over the alleged dangers of cannabis – shored up by representatives of the growing cotton and nylon industries, working to destabilise their competition – led to strict legal sanctions which would last until the 21st century.
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April 20, 2020
A New Reality For E-Cigs & Vape
In a way, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) ban on flavored e-cigarettes and vaping ended in a compromise. As of Feb. 6, convenience stores and other retailers can no longer carry or display cartridge-based e-cigarettes or vaping pods in flavors other than menthol and tobacco.
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