hemp

The House on Wednesday approved the ban, after previously considering proposals to preserve the industry by tightening regulations.

SB3 would ban the sale of consumable THC products, but cannabis reform advocates worry it would have far-reaching – and expensive – consequences.

Lawmakers are struggling to balance demands for medicinal cannabis products with a wildly growing market that is outpacing meaningful regulation.

Some Texas lawmakers are contemplating a statewide ban on Delta 8 and 9. These hemp-derived products can produce a marijuana-like high and are currently legally available to purchase in Texas. So are they life-saving medications or a serious threat to public health? On Wednesday, dozens testified for or against a ban before a Texas Senate committee.

Fewer farmers are planting hemp across the Midwest and Great Plains. The decline is most acute in hemp grown for its oils, like CBD, but experts say there’s greater opportunity in industrial hemp.

Senate Bill 1422 creates a group to study industrial hemp, and the measure sailed through Oklahoma’s Senate Agriculture Committee on Monday.

Fewer Kansas farmers are signing up to grow hemp each year, likely because of the diminishing demand for CBD oil. But hemp advocates say there are markets for hemp fiber and grains that could still be a boon for Kansas.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last month that it will not apply dietary supplement regulations to the hemp product CBD. The announcement has been frustrating for hemp farmers who have been waiting years for regulation.

Researchers at Kansas State University said hemp could be a natural way to decrease stress-related respiratory infections and other ailments when cattle are being transported or weaned off their mothers.

For the first time, the USDA reported nation-wide numbers on hemp production. Industry experts hope it will bring new investments into processing centers to support Midwestern farmers.