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Virginia governor proposes amendments to adult use bill.
As Cannabis Wire reported in February, when Virginia lawmakers sent an adult use cannabis legalization bill to Gov. Ralph Northam’s desk, it contained a 2024 start date for everything from legal possession and homegrow to legal sales. Advocates vowed to push for legal possession and homegrow to take effect immediately, ending the criminalization of cannabis consumers while allowing regulators the time needed to establish the framework for sales.
On Wednesday, Northam announced that he is proposing amended legislation, sending it back to lawmakers for approval, that would, among other changes, “allow households to grow up to four plants beginning on July 1, 2021” and legalize possession of one ounce of cannabis on that same date.
US Sen. Rand Paul introduces HEMP Act in Congress.
The HEMP Act of 2021 would change the definition of hemp to allow it to contain 1% THC, up from .3% THC.
As Cannabis Wire reported in February, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture voted in favor of supporting an amendment to the “federal definition of hemp to increase the total THC concentration to 1% or less.”
Vermont governor forms the Cannabis Control Board.
This week, Governor Phil Scott appointed James Pepper, Julie Hulburd, and Kyle Harris to the state’s new Cannabis Control Board.
Pepper is a deputy state’s attorney for the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, Hulburd is the human resources director at the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, and Harris is an agriculture development specialist at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets.
The Board will oversee the state’s new adult use sales program. While Vermont legalized cannabis for adult use a few years ago, it only legalized sales in 2020. The Board will also oversee the medical cannabis program, which is currently under the Vermont Department of Public Safety.
“The Board will play a critical role in ensuring public safety, equity and fairness while implementing this new market,” said Governor Scott in a statement. “James, Julie and Kyle bring diverse and relevant experience to the CCB and I’m confident they will hit the ground running when they get to work in the coming days.”
UK government begins inquiry into “cannabinoids in CBD products.”
The UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs announced on Friday that it is seeking “impartial and independent scientific advice on the acceptable levels of constituent cannabinoids in cannabidiol (CBD) products (in other words, other than CBD itself) marketed as consumer products.”
The Council put forth several questions, such as: “What are the conditions that precursors of cannabinoids such as Δ9-THCA-A might be transformed into controlled cannabinoids?”
The office will collect responses until April 21, 2021, and will consider whether to add regulations surrounding these CBD products.
Oregon State University will study feeding animals hemp.
US Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both of Oregon, have announced that Oregon State University received a $299,950 grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study how hemp biomass can be fed to cattle to “take full advantage of their nutritional and potential medicinal properties to improve animal health and the quality of animal products.”
Following the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, there was significant interest in using spent hemp for livestock feed, as Cannabis Wire has reported at the time. The awarding of federal funds suggests that interest has only grown in recent years.
“OSU’s world-renowned hemp research plus the crop’s ongoing growth possibilities add up to a potential big win for farmers and ranchers in our state and nationwide to feed their cattle with this biomass byproduct,” said Wyden, in the announcement. “This OSU research will help to continue building the case for federal approval of hemp biomass on cattle farms, making a natural connection between two signature Oregon products – livestock and hemp.”
