Washington D.C.—U.S. Hemp Roundtable Vice President and CEO of Kentucky-based Ecofibre, Eric Wang, and Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles, testified at a Congressional hearing regarding "An Examination of the USDA’s Hemp Production Program." The purpose of the hearing was to explore opportunities to improve the current rules on hemp...
Carlsbad, CA—The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) held its Annual Symposium for the Dietary Supplement Industry in Carlsbad, CA earlier in November. A highlight of the event: In a session titled “Perspectives from FDA,” Lowell Schiller, JD, Principal Associate Commissioner for Policy - Office of Policy at the Food and...
Washington, DC--Licensed hemp acreage quadrupled in 2019, according to the 2019 U.S. Hemp License Report by Vote Hemp, a grassroots hemp advocacy organization. The report also documents state-by-state progress of hemp legislation passed in 2019, identifies states with active hemp farming programs and estimates the amount of hemp that will...
Phoenix, AZ--Hemp Industries Association (HIA) has a message for Facebook: Hemp is legal and shouldn't be censored. HIA announced in a press release that, in association with Hoban Law Group, Bluebird Botanicals, and Bish Enterprises, it is launching a campaign aimed at addressing Facebook’s current advertising policy of prohibiting the...
Washington, D.C.--Responding to requests from U.S. producers and hemp seed exporters, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which regulates importation of all seeds for planting to ensure safe agricultural trade, has provided an alternative path for the safe importation of hemp seeds in the U.S. The Agency announced that Hemp...
Anaheim, CA—CBD, cannabidiol, hemp, phytocannabinoids, endocannabinoids, full-spectrum extract, CBD isolate—as WholeFoods previously reported, the debate over which forms to put into products, how to label it, what to say about it (and what not to say) at the retail level grows larger and louder as hemp-based products gain popularity, which...
Washington, D.C.--Members of the Organic Trade Association’s Farmers Advisory Council are heading to Washington to meet with members of Congress on February 5-6. Twenty-two farmers from 11 states will participate, including dairy farmers, grain and specialty crop growers, and egg and livestock producers. The goal: To familiarize the freshman lawmakers with organic...
Washington, D.C.—The signing of the Farm Bill by President Trump drew reactions from the industry which were, overall, positive. Yet moments after the bill was signed into law, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., released a statement regarding cannabis, pointing out that cannabidiol (CBD) is still illegal in food or dietary supplements.
Washington, D.C.—President Trump has signed the farm bill, which had bipartisan support in Congress, into law. The bill expands crop insurance coverage to new crops, including barley and hops, and legalizes industrial hemp. Reactions from within the natural products industry were positive. "The era of hemp prohibition is over,” Jonathan...
Washington, D.C.—The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) issued a statement in response to the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. Steve Mister, president and CEO of CRN, said that, “CRN is both pleased and disappointed with this week’s passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which includes some provisions supported by...
