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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.

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.

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).

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.

CLV Frontier Brands Pty Ltd says it will begin marketing cannabis-flavored beers and tonics in Europe and Canada this summer, Creso Pharma, a partner in the three-way partnership, has announced.

The new drinks contain terpenes, which carry the aroma and flavor of cannabis without any accompanying THC or cannabinoids.

Creso, UK-based Baltic Beer Company Ltd. and Canadian TSX Venture incorporated LGC Capital are equal one-third partners in CLV.

‘Significant’ sales envisioned

“We see CLV as an exciting business partnership that we believe can add significant sales revenues to Creso Pharma over the coming years,” Dr. Miri Halperin Wernli, Co-Founder and CEO at Creso Pharma, said in a release.

Terpenes, which are derived from cannabis and other plants, have a range of applications in food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Those contained in the products under development by CLV are extracted from various plant sources, all of which are food-grade, 100% natural and non-GMO, according to Creso. The terpenes are introduced to beer at the post-fermentation stage in much the same manner as hop extracts are added.

German confectionary maker Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG produced a limited edition “Schoko & Gras” (“Chocolate & Grass”) bar under its Ritter Sport brand timed for this past week’s World Cannabis Day, (“4/20 Day”).

Ritter produced the square chocolates in a “collectors’ edition” promotion, offering them for sale online and in its branded retail outlets in Berlin and Waldenbuch, where the company is headquartered.

“This is a great example of an enlightened major player who understands the potential for hemp in foods,” said Daniel Kruse, CEO at Hempro Int. GmbH & Co. KG, Dusseldorf, which provided the hulled and roasted organic hemp seeds for the “Schoko & Gras” bars.

Aside from promoting hemp seeds in the chocolates as a “superfood,” the effort intends to spark “unbiased discussion on hemp,” according to Elbkind, the Hamburg agency that executed a social media campaign in support of the promotion.

Ritter, which has an online tool through which consumers can submit ideas for new products, said it has received many submissions suggesting the incorporation of hemp seed into its treats.

HempToday has launched a Japanese-language web edition under the direction of entrepreneur Riki Hiroi, owner at Each Japan, a leading Japanese cannabis consultancy.

The Japanese edition is based mainly on translations of global reporting from hemptoday.net, with technology being managed by volunteers from the IT industry in Tokyo.

Support from stakeholders

A group of stakeholders have come together to support reporting and translation services for HempToday Japan to feed local market content back to the hemptoday.net mother site in English, Hiroi said. The stakeholders are the Cannabis Museum in Nasu, Tochigi (Japan’s top hemp producing prefecture), along with the Government Office and the Prefectural Assembly of Hokkaido – all of which are supporting Hokkaido Hemp Net, a newly developed entity that will promote the industry in Japan.

While hemp has a tradition in Japan going back centuries, the country has remained strictly aligned with outdated international norms that conflate hemp with marijuana. HempToday Japan aims to help knock down that barrier, Hiroi said.

A CBD treatment for epilepsy is closer to becoming the first cannabis medicine approved for the U.S. market. A panel of government health advisers gave a unanimous recommendation Thursday to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve Epidiolex, a CBD medicine for rare epilepsy conditions that don’t respond to other drugs. The panel voted […]

FDA advisory panel gives thumbs-up to CBD epilepsy treatment is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

It’s shaping up to be a watershed summer for the cannabis industry with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration poised to approve the first drug made from the plant.

The agency's impending decision on Epidiolex, an epilepsy treatment made of CBD extracted from cannabis flower, could upend decades of government insistence that the plant has no medicinal value.

Here’s how the FDA’s review of epilepsy drug could affect CBD companies is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Polish CBD maker HemPoland said its CannabiGold brand will go into distribution in Germany beginning May 1. The company worked with Pharma-Zentrale, a German pharma group, to get the product officially registered. CannabiGold will go on sale in May under an agreement with online retailer mein-cbd.de.

The companies announced the German launch during the recently held International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin.

CannabiGold products are produced via CO2 extraction from 100% natural raw materials in a fully managed seed-to-shelf production process. The company operates an on-site laboratory where it does constant analysis to ensure highest standards and quality.

HemPoland already has distribution in the UK through reseller Quintessential Tips, and in Holland through Smart & Zo.

The post Polish CBD maker entering German market May 1 appeared first on HempToday.

The new U.S. 2018 Farm Bill that would free states to guide hemp programs – allowing them to expand – is reportedly “fast tracked,” but proponents still can’t say if the measure will get consideration by the USA’s upper congressional body any time soon.

The office of Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, who recently introduced the bill, said this week it was unclear when – or even if – the Senate would vote on the measure.

While the Act bypassed the Senate’s committee process via a procedural move and is “on the Senate calendar,” it’s still not guaranteed to get a hearing, McConnell’s office noted.

Technically, the bill would allow hemp to be sold as an agricultural commodity, removing it from the federal drug list. U.S. states currently administer hemp cultivation under the thumb of federal authorities. The new Act would turn the programs fully over to the states.

Meanwhile U.S. President Donald Trump has said his administration will lift a crackdown on states that have legalized marijuana – enveloping hemp as well. Trump made that announcement following talks with hemp-state advocates, undercutting a January policy announcement by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that had eased federal enforcement of marijuana laws and giving federal prosecutors wide latitude to pursue criminal charges.

Hemp nutrition and the benefits of CBD are among a wide range of hemp-related topics on the schedule for this year’s Expocáñamo, which marks its fourth edition Friday-Sunday, May 11-13, 2018 in Seville. A special Industrial Hemp Forum set for Sunday has been expanded this year.

Spanish stakeholders will turn their attention to the role of women in the cannabis sector on the opening day. Attorney and cannabis industry consultant Raquel Galiano will address that topic during a Friday session.

Also on Friday, Patricia Amiguet of Red Estatal de Mujeres Antiprohibicionistas (REMA) (the State Network of Women Anti-Prohibitionists) will moderate a panel featuring leading cannabis activist Fernanda de la Figuera; Libertad Peñalosa of Comisión de Estudio para la Regulación del Cannabis en Andalucía (CERCA) (The Study Commission for the Regulation of Cannabis in Andalusia); and Elisabeth Céspedes of the Sevillian company Mariadelajuana. Discussion will trace the women’s experiences in the industry and how the sector has evolved in terms of integration and equality.

Looking for fair regulations

Opening Saturday’s program, Bernardo Soriano, of the Responsible Regulation platform will moderate a session among authorities from different Spanish political parties and explore costs linked to the prohibition of cannabis as well as strategies being undertaken by civil society to create fair regulations for both consumers and society as a whole.

Other speakers set for Saturday, May 12 include:

Victory Hemp Foods, a Kentucky, USA hemp food maker is expanding into the American northeast through the purchase of a former canola and sunflower processing plant in the state of Vermont.

The added facilities will expand production to 8,000 gallons of hemp seed oil each month, Chad Rosen, Victory Hemp’s founder, recently told SevenSaysVt.com. Byproduct after extraction yields 50,000 pounds of hemp protein powder that Victory uses in other products. The company has distribution in major retail chains such as Kroger and Whole Foods Markets in Kentucky. Rosen said Victory hopes to set up distribution of its products in Vermont this year.

Victory, based in Campbellsburg, Kentucky, bought the processing factory from the Full Sun Company, which went out of business last year. The company has hired Chris Bailey, founder and former CEO at Vermont Smoke & Cure, a producer of a line of meat products, to serve as the company’s COO.

Rosen said Victory looks to contract with Vermont hemp farmers, and has plans to buy raw materials from producers in New York and Maine.

The post Kentucky food maker expands in U.S. northeast appeared first on HempToday.

Two Florida doctors are seeking a total $4.4 million from a Colorado-based firm they say defrauded them in a CBD scam, the Denver Post reported.

Dr. Josse Anthony Mazo and his wife, Dr. Maritza Riascos have sued John Michael Merritt Jr., owner of Full Spectrum Nutrition, in Denver’s U.S. District Court. They’re seeking return of their original investment of $1.1 million plus three times that amount in damages, according to their attorney, Craig Brand, who filed the lawsuit.

The claimants accuse Merritt as owner of Full Spectrum, presumably based in Colorado Springs, of using their money to support a Costa Rican wildlife refuge

“It’s all done as a sham,” Brand told the Post, calling Merritt a “classic con artist” who preys on unwitting victims looking to make it rich in the cannabis business. Mazo and Riascos claim in their lawsuit that Merritt, who also has homes in Florida, Costa Rica and Louisiana, based his pitch on a deal he’d obtained to source CBD products at steep discounts from Folium Biosciences, a Colorado Springs-based hemp-products wholesaler.

The post Doctors seek $4.4 million in suit over CBD investment appeared first on HempToday.

With sales of hemp food and cosmetics expanding all over the world, legacy hemp firms are facing up to the challenges in the fast-paced sectors and experiencing rapid growth. Leading global hemp veterans will share their analysis of the current state of the markets during HempToday’s Hemp Food, Health & Beauty Summit May 25-26, 2018 in Poland.

Daniel Kruse, Hempro Int. GmbH & Co., Germany, and Hana Gabrielova, CEO at Hempoint, Czech Republic, will share insights into current market trends and reflect on their journey through the industry over the past two decades during the event set for HempToday Center.

Innovative applicants get 15-minute slots

Attendance is limited to 25 delegates, with applications now being accepted. Submissions reflecting innovative hemp initiatives or products can earn participants a 15-minute presentation and feedback from the leading practitioners in attendance.

With demand for hemp seeds in Europe currently double what growers on the continent can supply, the value chain continues to be inefficient, requiring imports from Canada and China to meet the needs of the food, health & beauty sectors on the continent. That gap signals enticing investment opportunities in an industry that has already developed a basic regional infrastructure and is rich with entrepreneurs developing the plant into a wide range of innovative products.

Up close with leading international players

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate today would open up industrial hemp farming and make federal funding available for research of the plant’s uses and give farmers the chance to get insure their crops.

The Hemp Farming Act of 2018 would remove hemp from Schedule 1 of the U.S. Controlled Substance Act and let states create their own regulatory regimes under guidance of the federal Department of Agriculture. Hemp is currently under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which treats it as the equivalent of marijuana — and therefore illegal.

More than 30 states have hemp programs

The Senate bill is a successor to one Congress authorized in 2014. Since then, more than 30 states have created pilot hemp programs: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, who introduced the Senate Bill, said two weeks ago he will be talking about hemp issues with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a longtime cannabis law reform opponent.

The post New bill would fully legalize hemp in USA appeared first on HempToday.

The most disruptive product to hit the newly legal hemp industry might be one that will never be sold directly to consumers. GW Pharmaceuticals, a London-based biotech company, is awaiting a final decision from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to produce the first cannabis-derived treatment to win approval as legal medicine. The decision on […]

Impending ruling on epilepsy drug has CBD industry on alert is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs