BREAKING: FARM BILL NEGOTIATIONS STALLED, AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE LEADERS HOPE TO REACH AGREEMENT AFTER MIDTERM ELECTIONS
The House and Senate Farm Bill conference committee leaders have been negotiating for a month but have yet to reach agreement on the final language. Today the leading negotiators openly acknowledged that they’re looking to pass a conference report after the midterm elections in November.
The leaders issued a joint statement about their commitment to finish the process. “Each of us is still at the negotiating table, and we remain committed to working together on a farm bill,” the four lawmakers said in the statement. “Our conversations are productive, and progress toward an agreement is taking shape. We are going to get this right.” Behind the unified statement, however, tensions were simmering over who is to blame for the lack of compromise.
Farm Bill negotiations can be unpredictable but we do still expect the Hemp Farming Act language to be included in the final bill and are still hopeful that the bill will be signed into law before the end of this year. There is pressure to get a Farm Bill done and members will hear from constituents who are not happy about the failure to make a deal. We will keep you updated as we get new information.
VOTE HEMP SIGNS STAKEHOLDER LETTER TO FARM BILL CONFEREES
Vote Hemp signed a coalition letter to Farm Bill conferees along with AHPA, HIA, NHA and Bluebird Botanicals urging them to support the Hemp Farming Act but also requesting that they remove a last minute amendment which would ban drug felons from working with the crop. We feel strongly that this provision is unfair and counter productive. It ties the hand of states where no such restrictions exist.
The Senate passed a strong bipartisan version of the Farm Bill which included Senator McConnell’s Hemp Farming Act language. It is critical that the Conference Committee members hear from you too so that hemp will be included in the final Farm Bill that goes to the presidents desk. Vote Hemp has also been leading an effort to remove a harmful last minute provision that was added banning anyone convicted of a drug felony from growing or processing hemp. We lead a coalition letter that was sent to Farm Bill conferees and others in Congress urging inclusion of the hemp language but requesting removal of the felony ban.
If you haven’t written the committee members yet, please take action now!
PROJECT CBD RELEASES EDUCATIONAL PRIMER ON CANNABINOID-DRUG INTERACTIONS
Project CBD, a California-based educational non-profit, has published an in-depth Primer on Cannabinoid-Drug Interactions for health professionals, patients, and public policy-makers. The 33-page report, summarized below, is available for free download at the Project CBD website.
Drug interactions are a significant consideration in modern medicine. More than half of U.S. adults regularly take prescription meds and at least 75 percent of Americans take at least one over-the-counter drug. Many people, including most seniors (the fastest growing demographic of cannabis users), take multiple drugs, and these compounds can interact and affect the metabolism of each other.
Read more.
NASDA CALLS FOR UNIFORM STANDARDS FOR TESTING OF HEMP
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) approved an action item urging development of uniform standards for hemp testing and sampling at its annual meeting. NASDA members are calling for a working group of states to identify these standards for which state departments of agriculture will administer industrial hemp programs.
Read more.
ANNUAL RETAIL SALES FOR HEMP-DERIVED CBD PRODUCTS ESTIMATED TO EXCEED $646 MILLION BY 2022 – HEMP BUSINESS JOURNAL
According to “The CBD Report,”
Hemp Business Journal estimates total retail sales of hemp-derived CBD products in the United States will exceed $646 million by 2022. A projected $184.3 million of those consumer sales take place in the natural product and specialty market channel, with many of the leading brands in that channel exhibiting at Natural Products Expo East. Since the passage of the ‘Legitimacy of Industrial Hemp Research’ in the Farm Bill in January of 2014, hemp-derived CBD product sales in the U.S. have experienced nearly 440% sales increase, with current data demonstrating $264 million in sales in 2018 , and $57.5 million of those sales occurring within retail stores in the natural product and specialty market channels.
Read more.
US ATTORNEY SUES WEST VIRGINIA HEMP FARM OVER SEEDS ORIGIN
A U.S. attorney is suing a West Virginia hemp farm and others, saying they violating the federal Controlled Substances Act. U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart has sued Matthew Mallory of CAMO Hemp WV, and Gary Kale of Grassy Run Farms. Grassy Run Farms owns the land.
The lawsuit charges the farmers with manufacturing, cultivation, possession, and intent to distribute marijuana and not hemp, the newspaper said. Hemp and marijuana come from the cannabis sativa plant, but by state law hemp must be comprised of less than 1 percent THC, the psychoactive compound that gives marijuana users a high.
Read more (WV Public Radio).
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ISSUES MISGUIDED STATEMENT
In late July California’s Department of Public Health (“CDPH”) issued a misguided FAQ stating that hemp derived CBD and extracts are prohibited food additives in the state, echoing the FDA’s position. Vote Hemp believes the FAQ is fundamentally flawed and in conflict with state law.
Vote Hemp and other stakeholders are working in earnest now to engage CDPH on its flawed policy. Vote Hemp and other stakeholders sent a
letter to CDPH strongly opposing the FAQ. Vote Hemp is requesting urgent meetings with CDPH and the Governor’s office to educate them on why the FAQ is fundamentally flawed and in conflict with the state’s definition of industrial hemp. Vote Hemp is weighing all options for further action should these efforts fail to achieve the complete retraction of this FAQ.
Read more.
GOV. RAUNER SIGNS HEMP BILL MAKING ILLINOIS THE 40TH HEMP STATE
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill legalizing industrial hemp, adding Illinois to a growing list of states that allow the growth of cannabis for non-drug purposes.
“Legalizing the farming of industrial hemp just makes good sense,” Rauner said in a statement. “Roughly 38 states — including our neighbors in Wisconsin, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri and Tennessee — have allowed or are considering allowing cultivation of this crop for commercial, research or pilot programs. Our farmers should have this option as well.”
Read more (Chicago Sun Times).
VOTE HEMP LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE
We have launched a brand
new web site with a major content updates as well as functionality improvements. The site is also much more mobile friendly. Please explore and let us know what you think.