Shock. Grief. Dismay. Desperation. Just a few of the emotions I have encountered during countless phone calls and meetings with stakeholders in the hemp industry since the federal government enacted a law that would essentially ban all of the consumable hemp industry.
I have heard for years that Congress needed to “close the loophole” created
The Traveling Wilburys – perhaps the musical supergroup most aligned with the mood and spirit of the Budding Trends blog – tell us that it’s all right to live the life you please. The state of Alabama, however, has determined that the End of the Line for unregulated consumable hemp is January 1, 2026.
As
Late Thursday, an administrative law judge (ALJ) in Montgomery issued a Recommended Order naming GP6 Wellness, LLC, RJK Holdings, LLC, CCS of Alabama, LLC, and Yellowhammer Medical Dispensaries, LLC as “the four most suitable applicants for a Dispensary License from the Commission.”
Capitol Medical, LLC was also deemed suitable, and in fact had been named
You’re awake. This is real. Yes, the federal government just passed a law that, if it goes into effect in its current form in a year, will essentially destroy the non-industrial hemp industry as it exists today. So now what?
I suspect it will take some longer than others to process the shock. While anti-hemp
“It’s not about ‘having’ time. It’s about making time. If it matters, you will make time.” – Unknown
Stakeholders in the marijuana space have been anxiously awaiting news about rescheduling marijuana since the Biden administration announced its intention to consider rescheduling in August 2023. And while we are less than a year into
Touting Medicare’s coverage of cannabidiol (CBD) for seniors as “the most important senior health initiative of the century,” President Trump provided a huge boost for the hemp industry as Congress debates the language of the next Farm Bill.
While CBD is simply one of the cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, it is an important part
This past summer, a collection of hemp companies in Charm City Hemp, LLC asked a Maryland federal court for a preliminary injunction halting aspects of Maryland’s cannabis licensing scheme (the term cannabis encompassing both recreational marijuana and hemp). Specifically, plaintiffs alleged that Maryland is wrongly requiring hemp producers to acquire a “recreational cannabis license.” That
It’s not always bad news when cannabis operators interact with the federal government. After all, the federal government largely allows marijuana companies to operate in an overwhelming majority of states without federal interference even though marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance under federal law.
But there does seem to be a common theme
For the past eight months, cannabis operators and consumers in Texas — and nationwide — have closely watched the state’s hemp debate. As the second most populous state, Texas’ approach to consumable hemp is seen as a bellwether: How it regulates testing, labeling, and youth access could shape not only neighboring states’ policies but
On August 11, 2025, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officially transmitted a request to the Department of Health and Human Services to loosen the federal restriction on psilocybin, seeking to move one of the better-known psychedelics from Schedule I to Schedule II under the Controlled Substances Act. The petition was submitted by a familiar