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Debates about hemp-derived cannabinoids are here, there, everywhere.
Now that the 2024 Farm Bill hemp debate has fully kicked off with the House Ag committee vote last week to ban intoxicating hemp-derived products, more reaction is coming in.
At the national level, the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America reacted to the House Ag Committee vote by offering full-throated support for hemp drinks.
“Now is the time for federal regulation – not prohibition,” WSWA President & CEO Francis Creighton said in a statement.
“Lawmakers need not look too far back in history to learn from the beverage alcohol marketplace and know, without a doubt, that prohibition isn’t the answer. Congress should be focused on protecting public safety and empowering states to regulate the sale of these products – just as federal regulations for alcohol have done for 90-plus years.”
At the state level, there’s also been some news on cannabinoid hemp this week.
In Texas this week, the Senate Committee on State Affairs hosted a hearing that included a debate on a ban of intoxicating hemp products. Texas Health Associate Commissioner Timothy Stevenson estimated that there are more than 7,000 hemp shops in the state. Regulators need to hire, he said.
“Right now to get to every place in Texas it would take us about five years,” Stevenson said. “If we get a complaint we put them higher on the list… otherwise, we go to every place randomly and try to get to every place as we can.”
In Illinois, legislation to regulate hemp-derived cannabinoids has sputtered at the 11th hour. Gov. J.B. Pritzker told reporters this week, according to Crain’s Chicago Business, that these products “should be regulated.”
“I believe that an unregulated product like this, which clearly has caused some health problems, ought to be regulated by the state,” Pritzker said.
“It’s clear that it is not for medicinal purposes. It’s not regulated the way that cannabis is, and yet it ends up on the market and . . . there’s no restriction on who gets it, how much they can get, etc. So, I really believe we need to step back and ask: What is in the best interest of the health of kids and adults across the state? And I think regulating it is proper.”
+ Meanwhile: the Cannabis Regulators Association, an independent group of regulators focused on cannabis and hemp, is hosting its annual meeting next week in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The meeting will include three primary tracks: emerging topics in regulatory science; consumer and product safety, research, and public health; and social and economic equity.
The meeting comes as two big federal topics loom: rescheduling and the 2024 Farm Bill, so many of CANNRA’s sessions next week will be focused on these topics.
Ahead of the meeting, CANNRA hosted a media availability yesterday. Cannabis Wire asked about members of Congress and how engaged they are on the topic of hemp, given that so much has changed since the 2018 Farm Bill legalized low-THC cannabis.
“In terms of characterizing the quantity of interactions, it’s not many. I wish it was more. I wish we were getting more inquiries, because I do think that we’re a great resource to help elected officials,” said Gillian Schauer, executive director of CANNRA.
“It’s a handful of conversations. It has not been nearly what we understand some of the trade associations are able to do in their lobbying capacity.”
A new group forms to push forward medical cannabis in the UK.
This week, a new group called the UK Cannabinoid Research and Development Group announced that it has formed to “produce the country’s first comprehensive strategy for cannabinoid research and development.”
At the helm are George Freeman, a Member of Parliament since 2010, and Trevor Jones, the former Director General of The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. And the group’s “industry partners” include Curaleaf International, among others.
The CRDG said it plans to present “its first strategy paper to the new government in July.”
RIV combines with Cansortium.
RIV, the cannabis investment arm for ScottsMiracle-Gro that owns Etain in New York, and Cansortium, which has a presence in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Texas, have announced that they plan to combine operations.
The new company, which will be named Cansortium, will have “8 cultivation and processing facilities and 42 retail dispensaries,” according to the announcement. The CEO of Cansortium, Robert Beasley, will remain CEO of the new company.