The Connecticut Senate last week passed a bill to increase regulations on the state hemp industry, including stricter limits on hemp-derived THC and CBD products, WTNH reports. The legislation reduces the allowable amounts in products from 1 milligram per serving to .5 milligrams per serving and from 5 milligrams per container to 3 milligrams per container, respectively. Mike Goodenough, a hemp farmer and member of the Cannabis Small Business Alliance, told WTNH the bill, if signed into law, will “absolutely kill” his business. “Our farmers are stuck with having to remediate the THC out of it ..read more

The value of hemp produced in the U.S. totaled $291 million in 2023, up 18% from 2022 totals, according to an April report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS).   In 2023, there were 27,680 acres of industrial hemp planted outdoors — or “in the open” — for all utilizations, down 2% from 2022, according to NASS statistics. The value of hemp production in the open totaled $258 million, up 22% from last year, while the area harvested for all purposes in the open totaled 21,079 acres in 2023, up 15% from the year prior.  Floral hem ..read more

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Tuesday signed a bill that limits the possession and sale of hemp products to adults 21-and-older. The legislation also creates a licensing program for hemp cultivation, hemp product manufacturing, and retail hemp sales.   The law sets cultivation licensing fees between $500 and $2,000 annually, and requires surety bonds between $20,000 and $1 million, according to the bill text. Retail license fees are set at $250 annually under the law, while wholesale license fees run between $500 and $10,000 annually, set by the commissioner of the Georgia Departmen ..read more

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) last week directed the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to take action to protect youth from “mislabeled and potentially harmful hemp-infused products,” according to an April 26 press release. “Mislabeled and misleading products do not belong in the marketplace — especially when they put our kids’ health and safety at risk. Today, the state is taking action to protect Californians, especially our kids, as we work to further close loopholes and increase enforcement to prevent children from acce ..read more

A majority of Massachusetts residents – 55% – say intoxicating hemp products should only be sold in state-licensed cannabis dispensaries, according to a MassINC Polling Group survey outlined by the Commonwealth Beacon. About a fifth of respondents said they didn’t know or didn’t want to answer with 28% saying the products should be allowed to be sold in other places.  The poll explained that “Hemp is a type of marijuana plant that contains a much smaller amount of THC than the marijuana sold in dispensaries. Products containing THC from hemp are not regulated in the same way as marijuana ..read more

From 2019 to 2023, Japan’s hemp cannabinoid market has expanded sixfold to ¥24 billion ($154 million), according to a Euromonitor International report outlined by the Japan Times. The growth is attributed to a growing demand for CBD products.  Euromonitor International estimates there are 588,000 current CBD consumers in Japan. The nation still criminalizes the use and possession of intoxicating cannabis products.  In December, Japan’s parliament passed legislation to revise the nation’s Cannabis Control Law for the first time to decriminalize the use of cannabis-derived medical ..read more

Hemp and vape companies in Kentucky last week filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a recently passed bill intended to curb youth vaping, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. The law permits retailers in the state to only sell vape products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or those with a “safe harbor certification.”  Filed by the Kentucky Vaping Retailers’ Association and the Kentucky Hemp Association, the lawsuit alleges that the law violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and sections of the K ..read more

Electric motorcycle manufacturer LiveWire is using hemp in the design of its S2 Mulholland. The motorcycle’s front and rear fenders are made using CAP Hemp bio-composite.  The company is using other sustainable materials in the production of the Mulholland, including HYLON OCEAN materials in the motorcycle’s radiator shrouds and wiring caddies. The HYLON OCEAN materials are created from discarded ocean fishing nets. The motorcycle seat is constructed from petroleum-free, recyclable silicone rather than leather or vinyl.   The company notes that it is the first time it has used sustai ..read more

The Cannabis Business Association of Illinois (CBAI) is calling for lawmakers to ban the sale of products containing hemp-derived delta-8 THC, according to a Capitol News Illinois report. Cannabis businesses argue that the unregulated delta-8 market is in direct competition with the state’s heavily regulated cannabis industry, putting the state-licensed stores in jeopardy. “It is deeply disheartening and, frankly, a betrayal by the state to allow these shops to pop up and call themselves dispensaries.” — Ron Miller, co-owner of Navada Labs and BLYSS Dispensary, in the report CBAI Executive D ..read more

A California man on Friday pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud in a hemp business fraud case that cost investors more than $18 million, the Los Angeles Times reports. Mark Roy Anderson, 69, was indicted last year in the scheme by a federal grand jury.  In the federal complaint, prosecutors said Anderson used the money collected from investors for Harvest Farm Group to buy a $1.3 million property in Ojai and another $2.3 million on personal expenses, including more than $650,000 for vintage and luxury automobiles, $13,000 for chartered private jet flights, and $142,000 for other hig ..read more