As readers of this blog know, California is on its way to developing robust laws governing the sale (and all other aspects) of cannabis and cannabis products. So, it’s somewhat surprising that California’s laws concerning the sale of industrial hemp and hemp-derived cannabidiol (“hemp-CBD”), to the extent they even exist, are all over the map.
On September 30, the Agricultural Act of 2014, more commonly known as the “2014 Farm Bill” (the “Farm Bill” or the “Act”) expired before the enactment of its potential successor, the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 (the “2018 Farm Bill”)—it is also unlikely that the 2018 Farm Bill will be revisited before the November elections. The
Our firm’s main practice areas include cannabis, China, trade and immigration. As such, it may not surprise you to learn that we get a lot of questions about the developing international cannabis trade. This is in large part due to the fact that Canada is on the verge of legalizing marijuana nationwide. Importing or exporting
In recent posts, we’ve discussed cases where a neighbor to a cannabis grow sued the grower for nuisance, claiming that growing cannabis interfered with the neighbor’s use of their land. See here, here, here, here, and here. These lawsuits relied on the non-cannabis landowner’s claims that the federally illegal cannabis business caused harm because of odor, disruptive
The legal status of cannabidiol (CBD) has long been complicated. The Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill) allowed for the cultivation of “industrial hemp”, defined as the cannabis plant that contains less than .03% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on a dry weight basis, as long as that hemp was grown pursuant to a state’s guidelines. The
This past year, the country has witnessed widespread interest in the use of cannabis in its nutraceutical (when added to food or drinks) form. Cannabidiol (“CBD”), the non-psychoactive chemical compound found in the cannabis plant, has gained great popularity among alcohol beverage companies. The growing popularity of CBD-infused products combined with their mainstream nature has
Last week, California’s industrial hemp bill, SB 1409, received a unanimous passing vote from committee. We last wrote about SB 1409 in March, and the legislation has undergone some changes, warranting a new summary of what has been proposed. Currently, California law regulates the cultivation of industrial hemp, and specifies certain procedures and requirements on
In the past year, we have seen a remarkable uptick in individuals and businesses pursuing Oregon industrial hemp production, processing and sale. This accelerated interest has coincided with the CBD craze, and fortunately, Oregon has been working steadily to build out its hemp program over the past year or two. Today’s blog post answers some
Last week, the California Department of Public Health’s Food and Drug Branch (CDPH-FDB) issued a revised FAQ on cannabidiol (CBD) in food products that will likely block the sale of hemp-derived CBD products in California — which if you’ve been in the state lately, are pretty much already everywhere. CDPH-FDB has determined that CBD sourced
Indiana has uniquely positioned itself with some of the most robust regulations of hemp-derived CBD products. On March 21, 2018, Senate Bill 52 became law, allowing the distribution and retail sale of “low-THC hemp extract,” defined as a product “(1) derived from Cannabis sativa L. that meets the definition of industrial hemp; (2) that contains not
