This week, a chapter in the Indiana smokable hemp saga came to a close. Two years into challenging the state’s ban of smokable hemp production, plaintiffs in the case of C.Y. Wholesale, Inc. et al. v Holcomb et al voluntarily withdrew from the lawsuit. The plaintiffs plan to instead redirect their efforts on changing legislation in the state. Read more
Meanwhile, Hemp Grower Digital Editor Eric Sandy took a closer look at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) working to discover whether hemp’s chemical properties could fit into cosmeceuticals in the personal care market. ARS scientists have a patented process they think could work for processing hemp—now, they’re putting it to the test. Read more
In other news this week...
Associate Digital Editor Anthony Lange discussed moving into the CBD space, discrimination against Asian Americans and everything in between in this Q&A with California-based Papa & Barkley CEO Evelyn Wang. Read more
Massachusetts hemp producers and processors may finally be getting some relief, as the state's Cannabis Control Commission recently released guidance on selling hemp products to licensed cannabis retailers in the state. CBD products are still not eligible - however, new legislation moving through the state may soon change that. Read more
Hemp Grower Managing Editor Patrick Williams delved into the hot topic of delta-8 THC with North Carolina-based attorney Rod Kight, founder of the Kight Law Office. Kight calls delta-8 the “riskiest thing you can do” in cannabis right now. Read more
Authorities in Texas this month charged a prominent state lobbyist with conducting a scheme to defraud people eager to participate in the hemp industry out of tens of thousands of dollars. The lobbyist, Todd Smith, was charged with third-degree felony theft. Another Texas man involved with the alleged scheme, Keenan Williams, was charged on Feb. 12 with third-degree felony theft. Read more
Virginia-based River Organics shared how it’s received full USDA-Organic certification for its products, which requires organic status at three different points of production. Read more
