I adore the film (and, as always, I stress the word “film”) Trading Places. It has it all: Eddie Murphy hitting his prime, a wonderfully smug Dan Akroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis doing her thing, and it’s all wrapped up in a caper-turned morality tale about the orange juice futures market. There are so many
Hemp
Texas Senate Committee Mulls Future of THC-Infused Beverages
Last week, the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs held a hearing to discuss how the Lonestar State might soon regulate THC-infused beverages. Led by committee chair Sen. Bryan Hughes, the hearing heard from members of Texas agencies and representatives of companies in the hemp industry, all discussing the need for reasonable regulations, as well…
Wait? My CBD Business May Be Racketeering? A Potential Existential Crisis We Have Been Warning About
Even the most responsible hemp operator should understand that it operates in a world full of risk. But I doubt many of them believe they might be accused of racketeering. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about whether to sanction a commercial trucker’s attempt to bring a racketeering claim against CBD companies, whose…
Federal Appeals Court Says Certain THC-O Products Are Legal Contrary to DEA Interpretation
The 1984 film The Terminator featured a deadly robot assassin who looked like a regular guy (if by “regular guy” you mean a young, jacked Arnold Schwarzenegger). The horror of it all was that the victims could not tell if the robot was a human or a fake – organic or synthetic.
The Terminator…
Federal Appeals Court Upholds “Zero-Tolerance” Cannabis Policy Under North Carolina Law
When you work in the cannabis business, you get used to answering questions that don’t always make sense. One question we get most often is whether an employee can use a legal product that nonetheless may cause the employee to fail a drug test conducted by her employer.
We have a bit more clarity since…
Why Can’t Weed Be Friends? How Marijuana and Hemp Businesses Can Both Win, and Win America
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing.
We at Budding Trends have devoted thousands of words (and nearly as many pop culture references) to the escalating tension between the marijuana and hemp industries. It seems that to many in the cannabis industry this is a zero-sum game. But it’s far…
Senate Proposal Would Closely Regulate, Not Ban Most Hemp Products
During this time of great tension and competition between the marijuana and hemp industries, it is refreshing to see efforts at compromise. The initial draft of the Cannabinoid Safety and Regulation Act, proposed last week by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, would represent a momentous compromise in creating a regulatory framework for hemp-derived cannabinoids. And it…
South Carolina Clears Path for Hemp Beverages
It’s hard to be surprised when you’ve been writing and talking about government decisions about the cannabis industry over the past decade. But I’ll admit that my eyebrows raised when I read a recent letter from the solicitor general of South Carolina stating that, as a general rule, hemp beverages containing less than .3% delta-9…
Missouri Cannabis Regulators Show Me a Well-Considered Clarification of Earlier Rule Essentially Banning Hemp Products
I can only assume that being a cannabis regulator is a challenging and usually thankless job. The laws are relatively new and constantly evolving. Operators are always pushing the science faster than regulators can promulgate thoughtful new rules. And of course, there is no shortage of bad actors in the cannabis business.
That said, Budding…
Mississippi Attorney General Deems Hemp Beverages Impermissible in Controversial Opinion, Highlighting Ongoing Tension Between the Marijuana and Hemp Industries
I guess if you do this job long enough, you’ll see just about everything. This time, it’s the attorney general of Mississippi wading into the legality of beverages containing hemp. And it’s a doozy.
The late, very great artist (and I stress the word artist) Merle Haggard used to sing “I Think I’ll Just Stay…