420 with CNW — What the Future Holds for Hemp-So
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In the early 1970s, the federal government outlawed all cannabis cultivation, and failing to distinguish between hemp and its psychoactive cousin cannabis, declared it illegal to cultivate both cannabis and hemp. These policies held for decades, and while the illicit market continued supplying cannabis, hemp nearly faded into obscurity. In 2014, Congress passed a farm bill that allowed state agriculture departments and universities to grow hemp in pilot programs as long as their home states permitted it.
Four years later, the 2018 farm gill removed hemp from the list of controlled substances, allowing the cultivation, processing and sale of hemp and hemp derivatives. Just a few years later, America’s young hemp industry has blossomed, partly driven by the explosive demand for cannabinoids, CBD in particular.
Cannabinoids are chemical compounds produced by plants of the cannabis sativa species, which includes hemp and cannabis. Hemp has less than 0.3% THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, hence hemp products will not intoxicate you.
Said to be filled with potent medicinal properties, CBD has made hemp extremely valuable. The CBD pace has advanced rather quickly, and some have called the industry a Wild West where hype has far outpaced science. Consequently, the FDA has warned several companies against marketing CBD products as over the counter medicines and raised concerns about adding CBD to ingestible products such as foods, beverages, and dietary supplements. Still, nearly every states has passed some form of hemp legislation and allows the use of hemp and its derivatives in a variety of consumer products, including ingestible products and pet products.
Other minor cannabinoids, including cannabigerol (“CBG”), delta-8 THC and cannabinol (“CBN”), have been subject to increasing attention. However, these minor cannabinoids are relatively unknown and make up a very small segment of the hemp industry. They still have plenty of regulatory hurdles to clear, let alone gaining the high level of market visibility that CBD has achieved within the past five years. Since these minor cannabinoids have barely been subject to scientific research and clinical studies, policymakers still do not understand them or what they can do.
In fact, we do not know a lot about most of the approximately 100 cannabinoids hemp produces. But based on how cannabidiol fared, we can assume that these cannabinoids will also go through a similar process. Increasing popularity will attract more sellers to the market, plenty of them unscrupulous. We may even see companies advertising these cannabinoids as miracle cures for certain diseases, much like some companies have done with CBD. However, the FDA has been quick to shut down such claims and offer guidance on CBD, and we can assume the federal agency will do the same with the larger hemp-sourced cannabinoid sector.
Sellers are constantly coming up with new CBD products, forcing federal and regulators to constantly redefine what is legal and what isn’t. Some states may allow cannabinoid-infused transdermal patches and CBD flower while others may not. Meanwhile, the FDA will continue to provide guidance on cannabinoids and how they can and cannot be used in the absence of a federal comprehensive regulatory structure.
At the moment, cannabis companies that are interested in different cannabinoids, such as Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. (CSE: RWB) (OTCQX: RWBYF), are working within the existing regulatory framework to manufacture premium products aimed at addressing the needs of their customers.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. (CSE: RWB) (OTCQX: RWBYF) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/RWBYF
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