HempTalk - Business Blogs and Press Releases

The U.S. Small Business Administration updated its lending guidelines with new rules that could have a major impact on businesses servicing the marijuana and hemp industries – not just plant-touching companies. The revised guidance, published in early April, prohibits banks from issuing SBA-backed loans to any company that has a direct business relationship with a cannabis or […]

New SBA lending rules could curb loans to marijuana and hemp businesses is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Dispensaries are selling more low THC products and strains than ever before.

As weed is legalized and becomes more mainstream, cannabis products seem to be getting “weaker” rather than stronger.

This trend toward microdosing and low-THC products is, in part, to appeal to a wider audience of new and inexperienced users.

But, it’s also helping veteran stoners stay medicated and productive.

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The top Democrat in the U.S. House says that doctors should more often suggest medical marijuana and yoga to patients in pain instead of doling out so many prescription opioids.

“Doctors say, ‘Don’t tell us how many pills we can prescribe.’ Well maybe we should,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said at a press conference last week.

“Others say there are other ways to relieve stress and relieve pain and that you don’t need opioids in the first place. We are too reliant to transition from them. Marijuana, yoga, all kinds of other things that are homeopathic but are not addictive in this dangerous way.” 

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Tom Angell ~ MarijuanaMoment.net ~ 

Hemp pilot programs are coming online in the U.S. states ofKansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico as a result of developments in late April. The expansion of the USA’s federally controlled hemp program brings to 40 the number of states with hemp legislation now on the books, and anticipates a loosening of U.S. laws covering hemp under a bill expected to be voted on next month – and which has strong support among both Democrats and Republicans.

Kansas passed its hemp legislation April 20, with Oklahoma following on April 23. Legalization in New Mexico came only after the state’s Supreme Court overturned a series of vetoes by Gov. Susana Martinez in 2017. Martinez had blocked state hemp bills despite their passage by a Democratic-controlled State Senate and a Republican-controlled State House of Representatives.

Public views sought in Kansas

The program in Kansas – a traditional wheat, corn and soybean-growing state – is under an “Alternative Crop Research Act” that lets the state’s Department of Agriculture coordinate research in cultivation and other aspects of processing and production. The Department is developing rules and regulations for the pilot program. A series of public forums to guide that process are planned this month,

Full support in Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, where wheat is the major state crop, the hemp measure passed the state House of Representatives unanimously, and received only one dissenting vote in the state Senate. The pilot program, to be overseen by the state’s Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, will allow universities and farmers who contract with universities to grow the crop

Strong interest in New Mexico

Department of Agriculture officials in New Mexico, where the primary agricultural crop is hay, said they are already getting inquiries from both big and small farmers who are interested in growing the crop. Hemp also proved itself to be a bi-partisan issue in that state, with strong support from both Republicans and Democrats.

Industrial hemp could provide a $3 million a year boon to South Australia, Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Tim Whetstone said as he recently surveyed pilot projects in the state.

“Based on current predictions, it is anticipated that within five years an expanding industrial hemp industry in South Australia could have a farm gate value of $3 million a year,” said Whetstone, who lauded the state government’s recent decision to grant growing licenses to South Australian farmers.

Minister tours pilots

Whetstone toured two industrial hemp projects, one in the Kybybolite municipality, and a second site about three hours north in the town of Loxton, in the Riverland region of South Australia. Researchers are testing factors related to hemp cultivation and harvesting. The pilots are among the first in South Australia.

Similar research is going on at the two sites, which have slightly different conditions, according to Mark Skewes, who is leading the projects with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI). The research is intended mainly to help farmers understand when to put hemp in the ground for the best possible yield, and to get indicators regarding whole-crop harvesting.

Research under way

A team from the University of Adelaide is studying the nutritional value of the grains, and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is to study the quantity of fibre within the grains.

Hemp entrepreneurs and innovators can earn a free accreditation to HempToday’s upcoming Hemp Food, Health & Beauty Summit May 25-26.

To be held at HempToday Center in the Palace at Nakło, Lelów, Poland, the Summit will gather leading hemp industry veterans, investors and startups for two days of networking and lectures.

The scholarship program aims to connect entrepreneurs with mentors and potential investors, said Kehrt Reyher of HempToday. “There’s still a lot of need out there to connect great ideas with capital and expertise,” Reyher said. “While there are so many things happening in hemp, we still have to work on building up a center of gravity where great companies, people and ideas can connect,” Reyher said of the gatherings held at HempToday Center.

The entrepreneur scholarship application deadline is May 15.

A truly international event

Representatives from Australia, Czech Republic, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mongolia, Poland and USA are already signed up for the Summit, which is limited to 25 participants; 8 places remain open for the event as of today.

April 30th marks the 43rd anniversary of the Fall of Saigon and the end of the War in Vietnam.

About three million Vietnamese, and more than 58,000 Americans, were killed during the war.

Close to three million American men and women served in Vietnam.

And around one-third of those military personnel, according to recent studies, smoked marijuana.

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The Hollywood Reporter’s guide to pot in Los Angeles reveals a smoking-hot market: "The normalization happened more quickly than expected."

Four months after recreational marijuana became available in California, new products and experiences offering a high-end high are blooming, and in some corners, cannabis is becoming as much a part of the L.A. lifestyle as juice cleanses and hiking Runyon.

You can work it out at Higher Self Yoga, where vape pens are distributed at the beginning of class to help "ease into the sacred"; treat yourself to a Canna-cure pedicure at Bellacures; score an $889, one-of-a-kind, hand- carved Argentinian blue onyx pipe from pot lifestyle boutique Mister Green; then hit Alfred Tea & Coffee for a CBD-infused peach ginger iced matcha. 

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Booth Moore ~ HollywoodReporter.com ~ 

Women can have a special place in Vermont's cannabis industry, according to Kathryn Blume, the content and events manager for cannabis advocacy group Heady Vermont.

After all, only female cannabis plants produce the buds that can be smoked, which gives women an "innate connection" with the plant, she explained.

Blume aimed to foster that connection with "Women of Cannabis," a networking event meant to encourage entrepreneurship ahead of recreational marijuana legalization in Vermont on July 1. 

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Katie Jickling ~ SevenDaysVT.com ~ 

The battle to free the weed officially started Thursday when the State Board of Canvassers ruled that a group pushing a proposal to legalize marijuana for recreational use got enough signatures to qualify for the Nov. 6 ballot.

The 4-0 decision by the board was met with cheers by advocates for the proposal.

"The people of Michigan deserve this. They earned it," said Rick Thompson, a board member of the Michigan chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws or NORML.

"We've faced many trials and tribulations. We've had so many stop and go signs from the federal government. That's why states have to take the reins on the issue and really be the crucibles of democracy that they've always been intended to be."

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Montreal, Canada based LGC Capital has canceled its participation in a deal with South African company House of Hemp (HoH). The parties had previously announced plans to develop a medical research, cultivation and commercial production facility at a 424,000 sq. ft. indoor cannabis growing operation in the Dube TradePort AgriZone near Durban’s International Airport. Under the deal, LGC was to partner with SA farm transport firm AfriAg, with both firms taking a 30% interest in HoH.

“The absence of medical cannabis legislation in South Africa unfortunately means that House of Hemp’s business is no longer one that suits LGC’s business objectives of investing in near-term cash-flowing businesses,” LGC CEO John McMullen said in backing his firm out of the deal. “As a result, House of Hemp no longer fits with LGC’s investment objectives.”

Whiff of corruption

But the deal also had been clouded by revelations that some in HoH circles had close connections to former president President Jacob Zuma’s scandal-ridden government. Zuma was charged April 6 with corruption in relation to a 1990s arms deal, and his government was wracked by corruption charges before he left office Feb. 15, 2018. Critics had claimed the venture would benefit only foreign investors and those with close ties to Zuma’s scandal ridden admnistration. Zuma faces 16 counts of corruption, racketeering, fraud and money laundering in the corruption case.

“Anyone who is trying to apply for cannabis commercial licenses knows that the delay lies with the MCC (South Africa’s Medicines Control Council) stringent criterion and its tediously long bureaucratic processes,” House of Hemp owner Dr. Thandeka R. Kunene wrote in a lengthly response to coverage of the LGC pullout by South African by blogger William Wallace of thehighco.za, a frequent HoH critic.

The post Canadian firm backs out of deal in South Africa appeared first on HempToday.

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones sent a letter last week to the state’s insurers urging them to offer insurance products for the legal cannabis industry.

In the letter, Jones indicated that he would “not object to proposed rates for the industry that have a rational basis.”

“The mission of the California Department of Insurance is ‘Insurance Protection for All Californians,’" he said. 

"We work with the insurance industry to promote a healthy insurance market that offers insurance products to meet the ever-changing needs of Californians and California businesses."

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Healthy soil is essential to growing quality cannabis, but new soil can be prohibitively expensive.

If growing outdoors, you may find that the soil native to your backyard is heavily compacted and have a clay texture, or it might crumble and appear sandy.

While these are signs of poor quality soils, much can still be done—even on a budget.

Give these free or inexpensive techniques a try, and watch your garden thrive.

Click here to read the complete article

Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., is teaming up with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on a bill that could finally reconcile the current discrepancy between federal and state cannabis laws.

Earlier this year, Gardner protected thriving marijuana industries in states like Colorado by threatening to block all Justice Department nominees after Attorney General Jeff Sessions killed the 2013 “Cole memo,” which effectively allowed states to determine their own cannabis laws.

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Michael Walsh ~ Yahoo.com ~

Canadian hemp food producer Manitoba Harvest says it will soon be certified as having a zero carbon footprint after a number of measures it has taken in consultation with Toronto-based Carbonzero, a consultancy that helps companies become more environmentally friendly.

Ryan Bracken, Manitoba Harvest’s VP of Innovation, said the advancement reflects the company’s “triple bottom line” approach that emphasizes profits, people and planet. “We care passionately about the environment and the communities we work in,” Bracken said in a release from Carbonzero. The consultancy is an officially recognized party to Canadian Standards Association Clean Projects.

Investment in wind-power offsets

Manitoba Harvest invested in wind-power carbon offset credits as a first major step in reducing its environmental footprint of 650 tons CO2 emissions per year. The investment is primarily in the sponsorship of Manitoba-based wind farm, the companies said.

In other measures the company’s taking on its path to a zero carbon footprint, Manitoba Hemp also is sponsoring a reforestation project on the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve that features the oldest forest ecosystem and trees in eastern North America. The company also reduced its gasoline usage by 20% by figuring out the geometry that let them increase shipping capacity from 24 to 30 pallets per truckload.

Manitoba Harvest and subsidiary Hemp Oil Canada say earlier this year applied for certification under standards governing the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

'It is time to stop treating marijuana like a deadly drug,' nation's oldest monthly magazine says.

Scientific American, the nation’s oldest continuously published monthly magazine, says it’s time to “End the War on Weed.”

In a story published in its upcoming May issue, the 172-year-old publication made the case for legalization, calling our current federal policy “ill informed and misguided.”

The story, bylined by “The Editors,” details the reasoning behind legal reform and the hypocrisy of criminalizing the plant.

Click here to read the complete article

In Washington, evolution on the marijuana issue is proceeding at warp speed in political terms.

A couple of weeks ago, John Boehner was dining at one of his favorite Washington haunts, Trattoria Alberto on Barracks Row, when in walked Earl Blumenauer, the Democrat from Oregon known as one of the most fervent advocates for legal marijuana in Congress.

In years past, the two men would have had little in common, but earlier that day Boehner announced he was joining the advisory board for Acreage Holdings, one of the largest marijuana corporations in the country.

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James Higdon ~ Politico.com ~ 

We asked every US senator what they thought of marijuana legalization. Here's what we learned.

Last week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told VICE News he would introduce a bill to "decriminalize" marijuana, a testament to the slow-but-steady mainstreaming of the drug in America.

Of course, if you live in the Pacific Northwest, California, Nevada, Colorado, DC, or any of the other handful of states that have legalized weed, chances are you've taken the idea of blazing in (relative) peace for granted for some time now.

Click here to read the complete article

Eve Peyser ~ Vice.com ~ 

Political support for reforming federal cannabis laws appears to be snowballing: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, President Donald Trump and former House Speaker John Boehner all recently signaled varying levels of support. In short, a variety of pro-cannabis bills – from hemp legalization and tax reform to granting MJ businesses […]

Despite historic inroads, federal marijuana reform faces uphill climb before midterm elections is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

A growing number of producers are entering the CBD business in China where – as in most other hemp-growing nations – the sector grapples with the thorny issue of THC limits in hemp-based health products. Wang Yu Fu of the Institute of Bast Fiber Crops at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, will give an update on CBD and other hemp sectors in China at this year’s European Industrial Hemp Association’s annual conference in Cologne June 12-13.

According to Wang, more than 20 Chinese companies are already in the CBD sector or are moving in that direction. He is recommending that Chinese authorities relax THC restrictions particularly for medicinal hemp. Hemp research, farming and production are expanding rapidly in China, where about 50,000 hectares went under the crop in 2017.

More than 350 delegates are expected

More than 350 attendees from 40+ countries are expected to attend this year’s event at Cologne’s Maternushaus hotel.

Wang also will talk about challenges in China regarding seeds, technology and multi-cropping, and offer his views on sustainable development of the industry. His presentatiion is part of a Day 1 session that will survey hemp in different countries. Also presenting country reports will be Tony Budden, Hemporium (South Africa), who’ll talk about the South African and Malawi hemp markets, and Rick Trojan, Hemp Road Trip (USA), who’ll give an update on the United States.