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This week, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem reversed her long-held opposition to hemp in the state—one of only three in the country without a legal program in place—and announced her hopes to pass legislation regulating it within the coming weeks. Meanwhile, both the federal and Washington state governments have introduced legislation that would allow cannabidiol (CBD) to be marketed as and placed in consumable products.
Here, we’ve rounded up the top headlines you need to know before this week is over.
- Federal: A U.S. House committee has introduced legislation that would allow hemp-derived CBD to be marketed as a dietary supplement. The bill gives the Food and Drug Administration the ability to include hemp CBD as a dietary supplement under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Read more
- California: Legendary artist Carlos Santana is partnering with Left Coast Ventures, a group of global investors “seeking to end cannabis prohibition and the social harms it causes,” to develop his own line of cannabis and CBD products inspired by spiritual consciousness and his Latin heritage. "Cannabis is a window or a door to different awareness of consciousness…. It helps you arrive at knowing, accepting and owning a quality of life that is being with joy," Santana says. Read more
- Maryland: Cannabics Pharmaceuticals Inc. has announced that preliminary findings of a pre-clinical study held at the company's lab facilities in Israel show the cannabinoid cannabigerol (CBG) has a greater anti-tumor effect on human stomach and bone cancer cell lines compared to CBGA. With further research, these findings could allow Cannabics Pharmaceuticals to offer a more extensive and personalized report for patients advising them on cannabinoid medicine therapy protocols. Read more
- Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture recently issued industrial hemp regulations, but supply from last year is still languishing in storage warehouses due to oversupply. State hemp experts are warning growers to take the glut into consideration this year. Read more
- South Dakota: In her annual State of the State Address on Jan. 14, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said she was willing to pass a bill that would legalize the cultivation and transportation of hemp in the state “in the interest of being proactive.” After being outspoken on her opposition to the crop, Noem says she would like to pass the bill and move on with other matters during this year’s legislative session, but she has criteria on what the bill needs to include. Read more
- Virginia: The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved a $250,000 grant to bring a hemp processing business to Halifax County, easing a processing crux in the local supply chain that the entire industry is facing across the country. Read more
- Washington: Washington Rep. Drew MacEwen has introduced legislation that would authorize CBD as a legal ingredient in food products in the state. The bill conflicts not only with the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s stance on CBD, but also with the FDA’s prohibition of CBD as a food ingredient. Read more
