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The post Stakeholders working on EU ag policies to better position hemp was originally published on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

With the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) currently up for reform, the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) and members of the European Parliament (MEP) are working together to make improvements for the hemp industry in the EU. Stakeholders expect final recommendations could be ready by mid-January.

CAP implements a system of agricultural subsidies and other programs supporting member nations. Introduced in 1962, the program has undergone constant reform and now also embraces rural development.

THC levels, genetics

Efforts at policy shaping on the EU level currently embrace such things as increasing allowable THC levels allowed in hemp varieties grown in the EU from 0.2% to 0.3%, which would return the EU to the limit that was valid up until 1999, incoming EIHA Managing Director Lorenza Romanese told HempToday. Current restraints on THC levels “restricts the choice of varieties for European farmers,” she said. Currently, around 60 varieties are available but she believes an increase in THC levels could see that list grow substantially.

Clarity on EU-allowable THC levels in food is also being requested. Romanese believes outdated and unnecessarily strict levels of THC means “the hemp food industry in Europe has a significant competitive disadvantage to producers in North America and Asia.”

”Furthermore, the importance of plant genetic diversity (PGD) is now being recognized. Hemp plants used today in Europe are the result of long interbreeding process,” said Romanese, who believes this process undermines the genetic heritage and the strength of the plants; new varieties would mean new genes to breed.

The post CannabiGold signs on to sponsor first-ever Asian Hemp Summit was originally published on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

European CBD brand CannabiGold has signed on as a sponsor for the Asian Hemp Summit Feb. 1-2 in Kathmandu, Nepal. CannabiGold products also will be on display in HempToday’s HempBoutique, a traveling showroom for premium hemp products that is part of the Summit.

Rapid expansion

Produced by Elblag, Poland-based HemPoland, CannabiGold has rapidly expanded in the last two years. The brand currently has distribution in Poland, Austria, Germany and several other EU countries.HemPoland is a leading supplier of quality CBD products in Europe, managing more than 50 bulk and private label clients.

The vertically integrated company manages local hemp fields via third parties, as well as commercial scale extraction units in a tightly controlled production system. CannabiGold-brand products are turned out via state-of-the-art CO2 extraction technologies, while an on-site laboratory monitors for standards and quality.

All about hemp

A roster of international hemp industry leaders will give presentations on a wide range of topics during the Summit — from cultivation to food, hemp construction, cosmetics, textiles, CBD and more.

The post Elixinol names Beckerman regulatory officer and liaison in USA was originally published on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

Colorado, USA-based Elixinol has named Joy Beckerman Regulatory Officer and Industry Liaison, the company said in a release.

Beckerman is president of the (U.S.) Hemp Industries Association, and Vice President of the U.S. Hemp Authority. She also serves as national board member for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), and is principal owner of Hemp Ace International, a New York-based cannabis consulting firm.

Elixinol said Beckerman will advise the company’s executive team on industry changes and compliance with hemp’s fast-changing regulatory framework after passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. She’ll also represent the company in other cannabis and hemp industry organizations, Elixiol said.

Beckerman will report to Elixinol President Gabriel Ettenson.

The post Polish company launches hemp-infused ‘Jim’s Beard Oil’ was originally published on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

Poland-based Herbs & Hydro (H&H) has launched Jim’s Beard Oil, the first product in a planned line of men’s health and beauty products based on hemp and other herbs.

“Hemp has amazing properties in all health and beauty products,” said Tomek Gorski, H&H CEO and Founder. “It shouldn’t necessarily be singled out but should be integrated freely into natural products generally. We’re at that moment.”

Legacy Polish hemp firm

H&H, based in Katowice, Poland, which has been in business since 2014, already produces a high-end line of craft bar, liquid and foam soaps, sold primarily in Poland via its web site and specialized distributors such as health and herb stores.

Herb & Hydro’s planned line for men includes beard & pubic shampoos, mustache wax, lubricants, skin lotions and a massage oil — all incorporating hemp oil.

The post Elixinol CBD, other cannabis brands to advertise on Times Square was originally published on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

After being denied advertising space on Times Square in New York a year ago, CBD brand Elixinol secured space for this year’s annual celebration at the iconic New Year’s Eve celebration, the company said.

Brand parent Elixinol Global, which has distribution in 40 countries, said advertisements for its namesake brand will appear in multiple locations throughout Times Square during the celebration. This year marks the first in which ads for cannabis brands will appear at the event — due in part to passage of the 2018 Farm Bill which is opening new avenues of advertising for brands in the CBD and hemp extract space, Elixinol said.

Iconic ad venue

”What a difference a year makes,” said Chris Husong, Director of Sales and Marketing for Elixinol, noting last year’s ban on cannabis ads at the New York City event. “Times Square on New Year’s Eve is one of the most iconic advertising spaces in the United States, with over a million in-person visitors and over a billion around the globe watching the festivities on TV. This placement reflects our optimism for 2019.”

Elixinol was the first CBD company to advertise CBD on outdoor space in Japan at Toyko’s Omotesando subway station.

The post Asian Hemp Summit organizers look for innovative ideas was originally published on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

One entrepreneur will earn a spot at the podium during the inaugural Asian Hemp Summit under the event’s Entrepreneur Reward Program, which organizers have announced. The deadline for applications is Friday, Jan. 11, with winners to be announced Monday, Jan. 14.

“A lot of the industry’s future is in the ideas that bubble up from the bottom,” said Dhiraj K. Shah, Shah Hemp Inno-Ventures (SHIV), which is one of the organizers of the Summit, Feb. 1-2 in Kathmandu. “We’re looking to give those innovators a higher profile, to help get their ideas before others in the industry who can help them realize their vision.”

Enterprise Hemp, an online business matchmaker, is the sponsor of the Entrepreneur Rewards Program.

Up to five honorees will be selected from among researchers & business students, startups and other initiatives. The top prize winner will receive a free accreditation and accommodation at the Summit and make a 15-minute presentation to attendees.

The post Sustainability ethos drives hempcrete-built village in Western Australia was originally published on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

An eco-village which utlitizes hempcrete in all 12 of its homes recently opened in Western Australia.

“We are pretty sure this is the biggest hempcrete construction project in Australia,” and may be be the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere, Project Manager Paul Llewellyn recently told local media.

Located in the town of Denmark, the village is known as the DecoHousing project. Llewellyn came up with the idea five years ago and now is enjoying life in the village as one of its first residents.

Strong sustainability ethos

Developed by DecoHousing Denmark Group, the project is a local initiative to create a co-housing community with a strong sustainability ethos among its collaborative owner/builders. 

The post Irish hemp firm cited for ‘high-potential’, earns development award was originally published on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

Hemp farmers Laura Foley and her partner Daniel Lyons have been awarded a stipend of €15,000 to help develop their hemp business from Enterprise Ireland, a development agency. The partners launched their company, Canabaoil, in late-2017.

The award, under the agency’s “New Frontiers” program, is among a number granted annually to high-potential startups.

Stamp of approval

“It is an opportunity to develop our strategic growth plan with guidance from a panel of international experts but most importantly for me, it was the stamp of approval to say yes this is a commercially viable idea,” Foley said. It also opens other avenues for the company to help promote hemp in government and business circles and add legitimacy to the wider Irish hemp industry.

Canabaoil, based in County Clare on the west coast of Ireland, hopes to have a CBD tincture on the market in March 2019, and is researching other products such as cosmetics, foods, beers and pet food.

The post Legacy, vast market make India a rich target for hemp investors was originally published on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

Nivedita Bansal Shah is co-founder of Shah Hemp Inno-Ventures (SHIV) where she manages administration and human resources, and imbues every aspect of the company with social consciousness. Trained as a psychologist and life and relationship coach, she began her professional career in organization development, working toward improving the quality of education for underprivileged students. Nivedita has a Masters Degree in Psychology from the University of Delhi, and holds certification as a Trained Positive Psychology Coach. She is also SHIV’s coordinator in the company’s partnership with HempToday on the Asian Hemp Summit next February.

HempToday: What do you think are the biggest potential strengths of the Indian hemp industry?
Nivedita Bansal Shah: Hemp and cannabis in general are nothing new for India and the Indian subcontinent. So acceptance of this plant and its products is inherited. Medicinal benefits of cannabis are highlighted in Ayurveda (Vedic science), so proving its potential for human health is not painstaking. We’ve also worked with hemp fiber throughout history, particularly as that applies to textile production. We also see a strong entrepreneurial class developing.

HT: What do things look like at the entrepreneurial/startup level in India?
NBS: There is a lot of interest among entrepreneurs, and the urge among these startups to work hemp into broader initiatives that help people is very strong. While Uttarakhand in the north is most advanced in the beginning stages of development, we get inquiries from all over the country.

HT: Why should investors be interested in putting their money into Indian hemp?
NBS: India has always been an area of interest for investors and entrepreneurs mainly because of the vastness of its market and population. Investors can see returns from investments in cultivation, research and other fundamental areas initially. There are Indian entities looking into every application of industrial hemp including health and medical products such as CBD. And, of course, it’s always an advantage to the investor to get in on the ground floor of any economic movement.

Canadian cannabis giant Canopy Growth announced it will make forays into the U.S. market after the United States government passed the Farm Bill. “Canopy Growth will participate in the American market now that there is a clear, federally permissible path to the market,” Bruce Linton, chair and co-CEO of Ontario-based Canopy Growth (TSX: WEED; NYSE: […]

Canadian marijuana firm Canopy pledges to enter US market with Farm Bill passage is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

(This is an abridged version of a story that appears at Hemp Industry Daily.) While the President’s signature on the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp and its derivatives, how those derivatives are used is still under the purview of U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In a response released Thursday, the FDA reiterated that CBD and THC […]

FDA maintains ban on CBD in food, but promises further review is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

The post HISTORY: 2018 Farm Bill ends ban on hemp in USA appeared first on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

FILM: President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law Thursday. The measure contains provisions that significantly loosen the bonds on industrial hemp across all 50 states in the USA after more than 80 years. The law takes effect in January. Provisions in the bill treat hemp as an agricultural commodity and remove it from the Drug Enforcement Agency’s list of schedule 1 drugs. (Q2 News, KTVQ-TV, is the CBS affiliate in Billings, Mont.)
Editor’s Guide to Hemp & the U.S. Farm Bill.

The post Goal to make Kentucky ‘epicenter’ of U.S. Hemp, state official says appeared first on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

Local agriculture officials in Kentucky, USA say the state is well-positioned to be a national leader in hemp farming and production after enactment of the U.S. 2018 Farm Bill Thursday.

“We are eager to take the next step toward solidifying Kentucky’s position as the epicenter of industrial hemp production and processing in the United States,” the state’s Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said after submitting Kentucky’s hemp plan to federal officials at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

First state to submit rules

Kentucky was the first state to put its regulatory framework before the USDA following passage and signing of the Farm Bill. The legislation removed industrial hemp from the federal Controlled Substances Act, giving hemp growers access to USDA programs such as crop insurance.

The post Editor’s guide to hemp provisions in the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill appeared first on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

Enactment of the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, signed into law by President Donald Trump today, marks the beginning of tectonic shifts in the global market for industrial hemp. Here’s a selection of resources that summarize the latest developments and offer some insight into what it all means for the industry going forward. – ed.

What does the Farm Bill do?
Summary: Two-page analysis of hemp provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill,  indexed with citations relevant to industrial hemp in the 2018 Farm Bill (807p).
Source: U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a coalition of more than 60 hemp companies and major national grassroots organizations.

– – –

Outlook for CBD under the U.S. Farm Bill
Summary: Overview analysis with chart of Top 5 Hemp-derived CBD companies
Highlight: “The Farm Bill would help to create a more ‘laissez-faire’ open market that would enable more market entrants, operating under softer federal regulation.”
Source: SmallCaps Australia, analysts who cover penny stocks companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in the mining, resources, biotech, pharmaceutical, technology, and oil & gas sectors.

The post Polish institute grants U.S. firm exclusive rights for new seed appeared first on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

Poland’s government-owned Institute of Natural Fibers and Medicinal Plants (IWNiRZ) has granted an American company exclusive rights to license and distribute Henola, a newly developed hemp seed.

Henola joins several hemp varieties licensed through IWNiRZ to International Hemp Solutions (IHS), Denver, Colorado. IHS already has exclusive licensing and distribution agreements with the Polish institute across North America, Latin America and Australia depending on the variety, the company said.

What’s the yield?

IHS claimed in a press release that Henola can produce up to 3,600 pounds of grain per acre, “more than double that of traditional hemp varieties.”

That’s half of what the Institute said the seed would give up when it announced the Henola breakthrough in May 2017. At that time, IWNiRZ said the new variety had potential to produce four times more seed yield for edible oil than typical hemp plants.

The post Early signups have reps from 17 countries headed to Asian Hemp Summit appeared first on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

Delegates from 19 countries around the globe are already signed up for the first-ever Asian Hemp Summit to be held Feb. 1-2, 2019 at the Gokarna Forest Resort in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The Summit will unite stakeholders, politicians, development agencies, researchers, environmental groups, retailers, and private hemp enthusiasts to explore the ever-expanding potential of Asian nations in hemp production as well as the vast consumer markets on the continent.

Delegates who’ve registered early represent Australia, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, Canada, Germany, Haiti, India, Ireland, Japan, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, South Africa and the United States.

Speakers positions available

A roster of international hemp industry leaders will give presentations on a wide range of topics during the Summit — from cultivation to food, hemp construction, cosmetics, textiles, CBD and more.

Several major hurdles undermining hemp cultivators’ ability to run successful, profitable businesses are set to crumble once President Donald Trump signs the 2018 Farm Bill. Challenges such as finding processors or accessing banking services – problems attributable to the patchwork of state laws and regulations that have so far underpinned the industry – will be […]

Chart: 2018 Farm Bill addresses major pain points for hemp industry is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

The post Austria moves to tighten regulations governing CBD products appeared first on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

Austrian Minister For Social Affairs Beate Hartinger-Klein has announced the government’s intention to review the current status of CBD products in the country. While plans don’t include the banning of sale stricter regulations could be placed on a number of goods.

Smoking products will not be banned but are likely to be subject to laws to prevent youth usage. Like e-cigarettes, these products will be for over-18’s and come with warnings. The shipping and postage of smoking products will also be restricted. Plans to make smokeable CBD products available in specialist shops which were mooted by the industry have been rejected by the Austrian Minister for Finance.

Foods are affected

It’s also been confirmed that CBD foods and drinks will need approval from the EU due to the ‘novel food’ status of CBD. This means a number of products in Austria will have to immediately come off the shelves including a popular brownie stocked in the Aida confectionery chain. Likewise, CBD cosmetics will also be taken off shelves under the new regulations.

Austria, like many European countries has a booming CBD market. A variety of smokables, edibles, sprays, tinctures, cosmetics and other items have emerged in recent years. These products are found everywhere in supermarket chains like Lidl, pharmacies, confectionery shops and even a vending machine located on Mariahilfer Street in Vienna.

The post U.S. Farm Bill emerges from Congress with hemp provision intact appeared first on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

U.S. lawmakers have reached an agreement on the 2018 federal Farm Bill, leaving intact a provision that will let American farmers grow, process and sell hemp – removing restrictions that have held back the industry in the USA.

Lawmakers in both houses of the U.S. Congress are expected to vote in favor of the measure and send the full bill to President Donald Trump for signing this week.

Bi-partisan issue

The hemp provision got unusual bi-partisan support in the Congress mainly because of farm state legislators’ goal to bolster the fortunes of their farming constituencies.

It essentially categorizes hemp as an agricultural commodity and removes it from the Drug Enforcement Agency’s list of schedule 1 drugs. Passage is expected to significantly boost CBD sales and advance other hemp sub-sectors

The post Punishment of Czech hemp farmer over THC level angers activists appeared first on HempToday. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter.

A Czech hemp farmer has been given 2 years probation in lieu of being sentenced to 15 months for possessing hemp above the legal THC limit. The legal case, which wrapped up last month, dragged on for almost two and a half years and has left many in the Czech hemp community frustrated and angry at the outcome.

In 2016, Leopold Svatý, an industry veteran with two decades of experience, was attending the first-ever Konopex trade fair in Ostrava. Shortly after the event commenced local policemen arrived and told participants to hide any flowers they had on display. Svatý was found to be in possession of four kilograms of hemp which was immediately taken from him despite having the relevant certificates confirming its legality.

On-site testing questioned

On-site testing confirmed the presence of THC (as it would in any hemp flower) but not the amount found, which was later called into dispute by Svatý. The hemp was subsequently sent for testing in a laboratory which showed levels of 0.6%, which is 0.3% over the legal limit. Concerns over the methodology used in the laboratory to test the hemp have been raised with some fearing the correct standards weren’t followed.

Lawyers for Svatý claimed a number of his rights had been infringed during the course of proceedings. They filed a number of complaints against the police, including on the conduct of their searches at the fair and questioning the authorization of the seizure being confirmed by telephone. However, his complaints were rejected. Meanwhile, lawyers for the state countered that Svatý was using the hemp for narcotic purposes.