No part of the global economy has escaped the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than 2.5 million lives around the world and sickened countless more. But few industries were in the kind of infancy the hemp industry was in when the World Health Organization declared the virus a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.… Continue reading Hemp in the Time of COVID-19: Executives reflect on pandemic’s anniversary
Category: Infused Products & Extraction
Sleep and stress worries create opportunities for CBD and marijuana brands
(Editor’s note: This story is part of a recurring series of commentaries from professionals connected to the hemp industry. Jackie Berg is co-founder of CBD Marketing Hub, a digital-to-door agency focused on CBD and cannabis marketing.) Sleep is valued commodity and something many Americans are increasingly bereft of. Many health experts see sleep issues as… Continue reading Sleep and stress worries create opportunities for CBD and marijuana brands
MJBizCon announces return to Las Vegas Oct. 20-22
MJBizCon will return as a live, in-person event in Las Vegas this October, barring any unforeseen developments related to the coronavirus pandemic, Marijuana Business Daily announced Monday. The 10th annual cannabis trade show, the largest in the industry, is scheduled to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center and will include an online component… Continue reading MJBizCon announces return to Las Vegas Oct. 20-22
Opinion: Hope is not a strategy, so stop tolling
(Editor’s note: This story is part of a recurring series of commentaries from professionals connected to the hemp industry. Julie Lerner is CEO of PanXchange, a commodity trading platform and benchmark price provider.) Basing the multibillion-dollar, pie-in-the-sky forecasts for the U.S. addressable market for CBD on retail shelf prices disturbs me. It’s as illogical as… Continue reading Opinion: Hope is not a strategy, so stop tolling
CBD brand hires former FDA executive to oversee regulatory initiatives
North Carolina CBD maker cbdMD has hired Sibyl Swift, a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration official as a consultant to lead the company’s regulatory efforts and prepare products for certifications. Swift served in various roles at the FDA from 2014 to 2020, most notably as the associate director for research and strategy in the… Continue reading CBD brand hires former FDA executive to oversee regulatory initiatives
Bipartisan legislation directs Congress to regulate hemp-CBD as a dietary supplement
A bipartisan bill that was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday could push legal CBD through Congress, providing consumer access and protection while clearing the supply chain bottleneck. The Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act of 2021 is sponsored by Representatives Kurt Schrader, a Democrat from Oregon, and Morgan… Continue reading Bipartisan legislation directs Congress to regulate hemp-CBD as a dietary supplement
EU market regulator updates cosmetics guidelines to add CBD as legal ingredient
A key market regulator for trade in the European Union has updated its guidelines to add plant-derived CBD as a legal ingredient in cosmetics. The change comes after the European Industrial Hemp Association pointed out that the European Court of Justice recently ruled that CBD should not be classified as a drug and can be… Continue reading EU market regulator updates cosmetics guidelines to add CBD as legal ingredient
Thailand legalizes hemp production for all uses
Thailand’s public health minister has approved regulations legalizing hemp production beginning Friday. The new rules allows hemp cultivation for commercial, medicinal, and research purposes, the Bangkok Post reported. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul approved the rules Thursday. The regulations will allow both exports and imports and the plant can be cultivated for extracts, beverages, cosmetics,… Continue reading Thailand legalizes hemp production for all uses
Brexit creates CBD regulatory mess for UK market
If the CBD market is any indication of how other sectors will be affected by the United Kingdom’s divorce from the European Union, buckle your seatbelts. Supply-chain slowdowns and lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic have already made doing business in the UK a challenge. Now, with the confusion surrounding the final Brexit trade deal,… Continue reading Brexit creates CBD regulatory mess for UK market
Venture capital firm Canopy Rivers sells 49% stake in Italian processor to RAMM Pharma
RAMM Pharma, a cannabis-based pharmaceutical company with products in several Latin American countries, has bought a 49% stake in the Sicilian CBD processing company Canapar. Based in Toronto, RAMM purchased the shares from the cannabis venture-capital firm Canopy Rivers. Under the agreement, RAMM paid $7 million cash to Canopy Rivers to buy a little more… Continue reading Venture capital firm Canopy Rivers sells 49% stake in Italian processor to RAMM Pharma
California bill to legalize hemp extracts in food, drinks, includes ban on smokable flower
California lawmakers will be faced again with the long-debated question of whether to allow hemp extracts in food and beverages in the state when the legislative session opens Monday, but this time the proposal comes with a twist: The measure would also ban smokable hemp flower – an increasingly popular and unregulated segment of the industry.… Continue reading California bill to legalize hemp extracts in food, drinks, includes ban on smokable flower
Denmark medical cannabis sales post a positive quarter thanks to Epidiolex
A longer version of this story appears at Marijuana Business Daily International. Sales of medical marijuana in Denmark posted healthy gains in the third quarter of 2020, coinciding with the launch of GW Pharmaceuticals’ CBD drug Epidiolex. Overall sales of all medial cannabis products grew from about 13 million Danish Krones ($2 million) in the… Continue reading Denmark medical cannabis sales post a positive quarter thanks to Epidiolex
Landing a Buyer: Executives who have closed M&A deals reveal what makes them commit
This story appears in the January issue of Marijuana Business Magazine. Acquisitions remain a key strategy for companies looking to enter or expand their reach within the cannabis industry, but sellers must be ready to seize such opportunities. Owners who would like to exit the hemp space or join larger conglomerates should be ready to: Decide whether to engage a broker. Ensure their financial information is ready for close… Continue reading Landing a Buyer: Executives who have closed M&A deals reveal what makes them commit
Alabama hemp company launches new fiber processing plant
BastCore, an Alabama-based hemp fiber company, has turned a former steam plant outside the capital of Montgomery into a processing facility, one of the first in the United States to offer a key link in the supply chain between Alabama’s farmers and hemp-derived product makers. Final electrical work was underway inside the processing facility last… Continue reading Alabama hemp company launches new fiber processing plant
Charlotte’s Web says another labeling lawsuit should wait for FDA
Charlotte’s Web Holdings says that labeling lawsuits against CBD makers must wait while federal regulators consider how to regulate the hemp extract. The company made the argument last week in a federal court in California, where it is asking a judge to follow the direction of other federal judges and dismiss CBD labeling suits as… Continue reading Charlotte’s Web says another labeling lawsuit should wait for FDA