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Just one day before the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its final rule on hemp, Kentucky Senator Adrienne Southworth introduced legislation in the state to increase the allowable amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in hemp to 1%.

While the USDA’s final rule maintains its 0.3% THC limit, Southworth, who assumed office Jan. 1, is hoping that may still change at the federal level. And if it doesn’t, she’s hoping Kentucky can lead the charge in helping other states make the change at a local level.

As one of the first states to begin cultivating hemp under a pilot program, Kentucky has long been a leader in legalization initiatives, Southworth says, including attempting to legalize the crop since the early 2000s. 

“From the beginning, there was always a clash between federal and state,” Southworth tells Hemp Grower. “The 0.3% THC—we always thought that was the best we could do at the time [of hemp’s legalization.]”

Waiting on Change

New Jersey’s top law enforcement official has extended an order halting prosecutions for low-level marijuana offenses through the end of March, according to a memo from his office addressed to prosecutors across the state.

The move from Attorney General Gurbir Grewal comes as two bills — one to launch a legal marijuana industry in New Jersey and another to halt many arrests related to the drug — sit on Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk unsigned.

“As we continue to await anticipated final action on the pending cannabis legalization and marijuana decriminalization legislation, I am instructing all New Jersey municipal, county, and state prosecutors to seek an additional adjournment, until at least March 31, 2021, of any juvenile or adult case involving any of the following charges, alone or in combination with each other, where there are no other pending charges,” according to the letter, dated Jan. 22 and obtained by NJ Advance Media.

Grewal issued a directive in November for prosecutors to halt proceedings on marijuana possession and use offenses, having marijuana while driving or driving under the influence.

In cases where residents faced additional charges on top of low-level marijuana offenses, Grewal told prosecutors to “use their discretion” to either ask that the marijuana charges be dismissed or to postpone the entire case.

While medical marijuana is legal in Florida, it can still cause a public employee to lose their job. South Florida Democrats Senator Tina Polsky and Representative Nicholas Duran, are trying to change that.

Boca Raton Democratic Senator Tina Polsky says when the state-approved medical marijuana, lawmakers left what she says is a loophole.

“So you’re allowed to use medical marijuana if you have a proper license but if you get drug tested at work having nothing to do with your performance you can be fired for using a legal substance,” said Polsky.

Polsky has a bill that would prevent public employers from firing, demoting, or suspending someone who tests positive. Miami Representative Nicholas Duran says a person would have to produce their medical marijuana card as an explanation for the positive result.

“In the event someone takes a drug test and they test positive for marijuana they should be able to sort of explain and show that they are registered,” said Duran. “That they are using medical marijuana and that’s the reason why their drug test came back positive for it”

Although it supports the interstate transportation of legal hemp, a final hemp rule announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture does not include requirements for shipping documents that could help motor carriers avoid being stopped, inspected or subject to detention by law enforcement when crossing state boundaries.

“At this time, USDA recommends that transporters carry a copy of the producer’s license or authorization, as well as any other information the governing state or Indian tribe recommends or requires that will validate that the transporter is transporting legally grown hemp,” USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service said in a Jan. 19 Federal Register post. “USDA is not adding transportation paperwork requirements to this rule because it does not have jurisdiction over common carriers or other types of transporters.”

In lieu of any formal guidance, USDA encouraged producers of hemp and carriers providing hemp transportation services to provide copies of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency laboratory testing report to show the hemp is legal, a hemp grower license, invoice or bill of lading, and contact information of the load’s buyer and seller.

The interim rule, published in the Federal Register in October 2019, established a domestic hemp production program authorized by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, signed into law in December 2018.

The law and final rule make clear that motor carriers can legally transport hemp, a member of the cannabis plant family, but only if it is absent high levels of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the compound that gives pot its high. Cannabis with a THC level exceeding 0.3% is considered marijuana, which remains classified as a Schedule I controlled substance regulated by DEA.

Ireland’s Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, has announced provision for the delivery and funding of the country’s Medicinal Cannabis Access Programme.

Ireland’s then-Minister for Health Simon Harris signed legislation to kick off a formal medical cannabis program in Ireland in July last year and it was expected the program would be up and running (funded) by the end of 2020. But better late than never.

Ireland’s Budget in October 2020 saw an extra €4 billion added to the Health Budget, and thanks to this extra funding the Medicinal Cannabis Access Programme has been added to the HSE (Health Service Executive) Service Plan for 2021.

“The purpose of this Programme is to facilitate compassionate access to cannabis for medical reasons, where conventional treatment has failed,” said Minister Donnelly. “It follows the clear pathway laid out by the Health Products Regulatory Authority in their expert report ‘Cannabis for Medical Use – A Scientific Review’.”

Work on establishing the program began back in March 2017 after the report was tabled; prepared at the request of Ireland’s Minister for Health – so it’s been a  long road to get to this point.

The website you’re ordering from should look legitimate, like it was designed in this century, and should also have recommendations from publications and reviews from different customers.

Marijuana’s slow but steady movement towards federal legalization has been heavily documented, gaining support across the nation and with more and more medical and recreational programs gaining approval. But there remains a lot of mystery in the purchase process, with many turning to black market marijuana because it seems simpler and less intimidating than legal weed.

Legal marijuana still has some growing pains, but it has slowly become a simple and more intuitive process. Now, depending on the state where you live, you’re able to purchase marijuana online, at times having it delivered or scheduled for pick-up. Here’s how to buy weed on the web.

Do your research

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio via Unsplash

When ordering marijuana flower and marijuana products, it’s important to account for where you live, since you won’t have access to these services if you live in an illegal state.

Some lawmakers in Illinois are being critical of the governor’s attempt to distribute cannabis dispensary licenses, calling it inequitable.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s license distribution plan involves a scoring system and lottery that some believe shuts out minorities.

State Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, calls out the system, saying it put minorities at a disadvantage and needs to be rethought, as reported by NPR.

Legalizing marijuana is once again under consideration, a measure that has stalled for the last several years in Albany. But the difference this year could be generating revenue to help close a large gap in the state's budget.

Still, like in previous years, the measure has been under debate, the details of how it happens will matter for lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo — as well as the New Yorkers legalizing marijuana could affect.

"It's no longer a question of whether New York should legalize marijuana for adult use, but much more of a question of what that actually looks like in practice and making sure we legalize the right way," said Melissa Moore, the New York director of the Drug Policy Alliance. 

Legislators are debating whether or not to pass a bill that will increase the amount of marijuana that can be possessed, from 10 grams to 1 ounce.
This states that a person in possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana, will not face criminal charges, but a civil offense.

The debate about marijuana has been on-going for years, and with some delegates coming into office who state officials say, are more progressive and this bill could have a chance to pass.

However Maryland delegate, Wayne Hartman, representing District 38 says, one of the biggest concerns that comes with allowing someone to have a larger amount of marijuana is  impaired driving, and less productivity among people who use marijuana.

“It’s just a matter of public for me overall, public safety safety I think it’s a huge public safety factor and just societal issue and productivity and all those types of things,” says Del. Hartman. “All those issues, every little bit keeps adding up and at what point is enough enough, and I think we need to stand our ground on it.”

For now nothing is official but this bill go into effect as early as October 1st. If you are found in possession of more than the legal amount of marijuana, it is considered a civil offense and you can face a fine of up to $1,000.

More than $30 million in adult-use cannabis sales will help Illinois communities hardest hit by the war on drugs.

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority announced on Friday that 80 grants, totaling $31.5 million, are being awarded to organizations to help communities most affected by the war on drugs.

The 80 grants are part of the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew Program, which requires that 25% of all cannabis revenue helps communities. 

The awardees include nonprofit organizations, local units of government, tax-exempt faith-based organizations, businesses, and other community organizations.

Several Springfield agencies are on the list to receive an award.

From spicy “happy” salads to soups sprinkled with cannabis shoots and deep-fried marijuana leaves — a Thai hospital restaurant has rolled out a weed-inspired menu which has curious customers flocking to sample its euphoria-inducing offerings.

Since becoming the first Southeast Asian country to legalize medical marijuana in 2018, Thailand has ploughed ahead on the extraction, distillation and marketing of cannabis oil — eager to capitalize on the multibillion-dollar industry.

The plant itself was finally removed from the kingdom’s narcotics list last month, which means licensed providers — like hospitals — can now use its leaves, stems and roots in food.

This marks a return to Thailand’s culinary past, said doctor Pakakrong Kwankhao, who heads the Centre of Evidence-based Thai Traditional and Herbal Medicine in Chao Phya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital.

“Putting cannabis leaves in the food is our culture,” she told Agence France-Presse Friday.

There is now a much clearer roadmap towards conducting legal cannabis-related activities in Mexico.

In our last post, we alerted you on the publication of the new Regulations on Sanitary Control for the Production, Research and Medical Use of Cannabis and Its Pharmacological Derivatives (the “Medical Regulations”). In this post, we provide an overview of what the Medical Regulations will address and what it potentially means to your business.

As expected, the Medical Regulations deal with the control, promotion and sanitary supervision of raw materials, pharmacological derivatives and medicines. Regulated activities include:

Activities connected with all of the above will be authorized through licenses or permits, and the Regulations provide the requirements to obtain them. Among the activities that will be authorized officially for the first time are:

The regulations clarify that COFEPRIS (Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks) will not be the only agency to deal with. Although COFEPRIS will remain the chief agency involved in cannabis-related applications, other agencies are also charged with interpreting and applying these Medical Regulations, along with issuing permits and licenses. All of this means added time and costs that companies have to factor into their business plans for Mexico.

In a downer for California’s legal marijuana industry, regulators say some highway billboards advertising such products must come down.

The state Bureau of Cannabis Control on Thursday ordered billboard companies to stop selling space for cannabis marketing and take down existing ads on roads that cross state borders. Previously, such ads were only banned within a 15-mile radius of the California border.

The new decision covers about three dozen state and interstate routes, including the heavily traveled US 101 in Los Angeles.

The advertisements can remain on highways that lie entirely within California borders.

The decision heeds a ruling by a judge in San Luis Obispo County that found interstate highway cannabis ads are illegal under Proposition 64. The voter-approved 2016 ballot measure legalized marijuana for adult recreational use and included restrictions on advertisements.

New Zealand police are putting an end to the annual practice of searching for cannabis grows using helicopters and planes, reportsStuff. 

The operation has reportedly been taking place for more than 20 years and costs upwards of $700,000 annually.

“With the increased harm in many communities arising from other drugs, particularly methamphetamine, a one-size-fits-all annual aerial national cannabis operation no longer represents the most appropriate deployment of police resources,” a police spokesperson told Stuff.

Police Minister Poto Williams was reportedly unaware of the change until she was reached by Stuffearlier this week.

“While this is an operational matter, I have asked for a full briefing as to the rationale behind this decision,” Williams said. 

There’s been a lot of talk about how, and whether, cannabis can be used in place of antibiotics. Centuries of natural medicine traditions tell us ‘yes’ already, but now the Western medicine world is finally catching up. New research highlights how cannabis antibiotics are a likely and reasonable answer to the issue of disease-resistant bacteria.

If you haven’t tried delta-8 THC yet, then you’re using cannabis the old-fashioned way. Delta-8 provides a new way to use cannabis with less anxiety, and less psychoactive effects. This makes it the optimal form of THC for many people. Check it out to see for yourself. We’ve got all the best Delta-8 THC deals for you to get acquainted with this new form of cannabis medicine.

Let’s go back in time first

There are tons of natural medicine traditions that have existed on the planet through the history of man. Two of the more well-known, which are still in existence today, are Ayurvedic medicine out of India, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) out of China. In Ayurveda, medical cannabis was used since 1000 b.c., with one of the reasons being as an antibiotic. This included topical use for skin infections, as well as for ailments like tuberculosis. Imagine that, information was figured out 1000 years before Jesus was supposed to have walked the earth, and researchers of today are only now catching up? Perhaps we should look at history more often.

When it comes to Traditional Chinese Medicine and cannabis, there’s a striking lack of information published, and not because it doesn’t exist. While most sites cite the lack of translation to Western languages for the void in information, this explanation sounds suspect. This is a popular topic, it goes against logic to assume that no one has bothered to translate for the English speaking world.

My guess is that as the pre-eminent natural medicine tradition, it bodes better for Western medicine practitioners to keep this information out as it tends to threaten the pharmaceutical industry (highlighted by this very article and the use of a natural medicine to combat bacterial infections). It is understood that cannabis has been written on within the medical tradition for at least 1800 years, and that all parts of the plant were used. Some publications say that hemp has been cultivated in China for as many as 4000 years. Again, there seems to be a block in getting this information to the Western world. You can draw your own conclusions as to why.

Sales of 1-gram cannabis flower packages tumbled in multiple North American marijuana markets last year, likely related to consumers who shopped less often because of the COVID-19 pandemic but made larger purchases when visiting a dispensary.

The shift away from 1-gram packages offers implications for both retailers and producers trying to keep up with shifting consumer preferences sparked by the pandemic. Despite the shift, the single-gram flower format – the smallest, cheapest size of marijuana bud available on the market – remains relatively popular in terms of unit sales. That suggests consumers haven’t given up on the package size altogether.

Nevertheless, the downward slide in 2020 readily is apparent in point-of-sale data from Seattle-based cannabis data-analytics firm Headset.

“I think that one of the big reasons that we see grams trending down is as a result of COVID,” said Liz Connors, Headset’s director of analytics.

Connors said the 2020 trend toward fewer sales of small cannabis packages mirrored broader trends in consumer packaged goods during the pandemic.

The City of Oakland, California, continues to pave the way towards social and economic equity in the cannabis business. The city has launched a new million-dollar workforce development grant program. The program is designed to recruit, train, and employ citizens who have disproportionately and unjustly suffered from the War on Drugs. This includes people who have lived in overpoliced neighborhoods in Oakland for at least two years and have endured a cannabis conviction in Oakland. 

Oakland continues to smoke every other city in America in terms of social equity programs. Last fall, Oakland launched the first government-funded shared kitchen production workspace for social equity Cannabis entrepreneurs. The new Cannabis Equity Property Purchase Program earmarks $2 million of funding for cannabis business equity applicants to purchase a property leveraged by multiple equity applicants.

This support is critical, especially in the Bay Area, where real estate prices are notoriously high. Removing this huge financial barrier to entry helps entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds enter the industry and build community equity and generational wealth.

Gregory Minor, Oakland's Assistant to the City Administrator, says the programs "were the products of listening to cannabis operators and equity advocates, and they are based on the 2017 race and equity analysis of the cannabis industry in Oakland that established an equitable approach to regulating cannabis in Oakland."

Righting the wrongs of history

Funding for these programs comes from a statewide California program that earmarked $20 million to support cannabis equity programs. Black and Brown people, who were the most targeted by the War on Drugs, made up 64 percent of the 1,000 plus felony-level marijuana arrests in California in 2019. The quest for equitable inclusion in the legal cannabis economy is still very much an uphill battle for most of America's cannabis industry. In New Jersey, lawmakers are currently hitting a familiar stumbling block, figuring out pragmatic ways to include and empower social equity entrepreneurs and employees. Disagreements about how to implement social equity programs are responsible for delaying the opening of what will become one of the nation's largest adult-use cannabis markets.