Welcome to your quarterly rundown of the latest legal, policy, and market happenings in the cannabis and hemp industry.
The Intoxicating Hemp Derivatives Market:
By Robert Hoban
All of the hemp plant’s uses and contrivances must be respected for the hemp family of uses to exist. This year’s NoCo brought me down memory lane, as I recalled the various industry consumer product trends over the past nine NoCo Hemp Expos, like CBD, hemp flower, hemp cigarettes, CBG, THCa, etc. Today’s market trend is Delta-8 THC and related compounds, such as Delta-10 THC, Delta-11 THC, HHC, and the like. Numerous states are actively promulgating regulations to ensure that these compounds are produced and sold in a manner that is safe and consumer friendly.
These products fall into a category that I generally describe as Intoxicating Hemp Derivatives (”IHDs”). Make no mistake about it, IHDs are very much here to stay. So much so that economists and market analysts are beginning to categorize “cannabinoids” as a third distinct sector of the broad and sweeping cannabis industry.
Read the full article here.
Q2 2023 in the Cannabis Industry Group:
Cannabis Law Podcast – The 2023 Cannabis Dealmaking Landscape
Last month, Co-Chair of the Cannabis Industry Group Sander Zagzebski sat down with the Managing Director of Sharp Capital Advisors, Colin Campbell to discuss the current state of marijuana sector mergers and acquisitions and the cannabis dealmaking landscape in 2023.
Drug Policies Up In Smoke: What Legalization Means for Delaware Businesses
By: Robert T. Hoban and Molly DiBianca
On April 23, Delaware became the 22nd state in the country to legalize marijuana for recreational use. With the passage of the new law, Delaware employers face new challenges and questions. This article is intended to offer some answers.
The Intersection Between Marijuana and the 2nd Amendment: What Gun Owners Need to Know
By: Craig Small
Marijuana use has become increasingly common in the United States, with many states legalizing its use for medical or recreational purposes. However, U.S. federal law still classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug, which means it is illegal under federal law. This creates a confusing legal landscape that can impact the rights of citizens, particularly when it comes to the US Constitutional Second Amendment right to bear arms. This article explores how U.S. marijuana laws affect citizens’ rights to bear arms and what this means for those who use marijuana.
FDA and CBD: No Pain Relief Anytime Soon for Industry
By: Michael A. Walsh
The FDA held a “stakeholders” call on May 25th to present information on how it reached its present stance concerning CBD and to answer a few questions. FDA’s presentation included its assessment of survey data concluding that the predominant uses of CBD are ingestion resulting in multiple adverse health effects. Based on its findings, FDA concluded that the safety profile for CBD ingestion does not fit into the definition of a food additive, but requires a health safety/”harm reduction” analysis, and tossed this politically charged hot potato to Congress.
The Cutting Edge in Cannabis Law:
Comer: FDA Must Provide Americans Guidance on CBD Products
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) is investigating the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) failure to regulate cannabidiols (CBD) products as dietary supplements. In a letter to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs at the FDA, Dr. Robert M. Califf, Chairman Comer raises concern that the agency’s failure to regulate CBD products could allow dangerous products to come to market and is requesting documents and information to enable oversight of the FDA’s failure to provide Americans with regulatory guidance.
FDA Passes the Buck (Back) to Congress for Legislative Solution on CBD Regulation
While the state of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) regulation of Cannabidiol (CBD) remains gray, the agency now sees a path forward through federal legislation.
SAFE Banking Bill is Back—Back Again—Again, Again, Again
The bipartisan federal legislation aimed at providing safe harbor to financial institutions servicing the cannabis industry was reintroduced in Congress.
Shifts For Cannabis Businesses in the Sunshine State
More than six years after legalization, regulators are scoring applications in the state’s first formal licensing process for the current medical cannabis program.
