Join us on September 6th
6:00-6:30 PM: Drink, Appetizers & Meet and Greet
6:30-7:00 PM: Introduction
7:00-8:00 PM: Guest Speakers & Open Mic for attendees.
Questions, Comments, or Suggestions are welcomed
Guest Speakers:
Top TX Hemp Attorneys
Fellow Hemp Business Owners
Hemp Advocates
Location
Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse
200 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701
Date & Time
September 6, 2024, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Objective:
We intend to establish Chapters throughout Texas to organize and utilize our combined networks to promote legislation that benefits the hemp industry. We plan to recruit fellow business owners to participate in vital organizational roles that will encompass promoting Delta 8 legislation and defense against the imminent threat to ban intoxicating hemp in Jan 2025, Win the hearts and minds of Texans through positive marketing of our Industry, as well as charitable contributions such as feeding homeless and community service initiatives all while collaborating with leading advocacy groups in Texas. By working together, we’ll be empowered to demonstrate our strength to Texas legislators in terms of Tax dollars and registered voters, which will be our biggest weapon in the long term.
It’s time to prepare for the imminent threat to ban Delta 8 and THCa in January 2025.
We’re NOT asking for money, only your support! It’s time for Dallas & North Texas to help
In the vibrant city of Austin, Texas, where the boundaries of legal interpretations and personal freedoms often blur, Adam Reposa stands out as a figure of defiant clarity. Known for his unyielding and audacious presence in the courtroom, Reposa has navigated the legal system’s intricacies for two decades, becoming a symbol of resistance against perceived judicial injustices. His latest endeavor, however, ventures into the contentious arena of cannabis sales, drawing significant attention and law enforcement scrutiny to his operation, ATX Budtenders.
ATX Budtenders, boldly advertised through a website featuring a cannabis menu and contact information, operated out of a distinctive East Austin property marked by a pink ice cream truck. This setup, as provocative as it is transparent, prompted a dramatic law enforcement raid on the morning of January 22. The operation resulted in the seizure of cannabis, THC edibles, psilocybin mushrooms, firearms, and other items, though no arrests were made at the scene. Reposa, undeterred, claims the substances were CBD, a legal derivative of cannabis, challenging authorities to prove otherwise.
The raid, reportedly led by a coalition of the DEA, APD, and TCSO SWAT teams, has sparked debate over jurisdiction and the actual leadership of the operation. Reposa contests the notion of a DEA-led raid, pointing out the involvement of local sheriff’s officers, which, according to him, complicates the federal agency’s direct authority in the matter.
The backdrop to this latest episode is Reposa’s long-standing reputation as a provocateur, not just in legal circles but also in public discourse. His infamous viral marketing and confrontational stance towards the prosecutorial system have made him a divisive figure. Yet, Reposa’s current predicament with ATX Budtenders reveals more than just a legal battle; it underscores his broader critique of cannabis laws and the enforcement strategies that accompany them.
Reposa argues that the raid on his dispensary and the seizure of his products without subsequent charges exemplifies a deliberate attempt to disrupt the local cannabis market. By preventing entrepreneurs from establishing stable market positions ahead of potential legalization and licensing changes, authorities, he suggests, aim to maintain control over the industry’s evolution.
However, Reposa’s defiance goes beyond mere market concerns. He is openly challenging the rationality and justice of cannabis prohibition, questioning the government’s right to criminalize a substance increasingly recognized for its harmlessness. Through his legal strategies and public statements, Reposa seeks to provoke a broader discussion about liberty, rights, and the role of government in regulating personal choices.
While the future of Reposa’s legal confrontation remains uncertain, with Travis County District Court recusing itself from the case, the implications of his actions ripple through the community. Whether seen as a crusader for personal freedoms or a reckless agitator, Reposa’s saga with ATX Budtenders illustrates the ongoing tensions surrounding cannabis law and the quest for a more just and sensible approach to its regulation.
Chef Tavis Petersen Tours the U.S. Serving Infused Dinners at Luxury Air BnBs
Travis Petersen was a long-time professional in the oil and gas industry when his love of the culinary arts led him to sign up for a show called Masterchef Canada. He appeared in two episodes in 2016.
“I had fun with that,” he said.
Around that time, oil and gas hit a recession, and Petersen was laid off from his job. However, he received a severance package that allowed him to kick off a new career in cooking. He began doing chef popups, cooking lessons and meal prepping until October 2018, when his home country of Canada federally legalized cannabis for recreational use.
That’s when Petersen hosted his first cannabis-infused pop-up dinner. He converted his house into a restaurant and served 150 people in four days. Since then, Petersen has served more than 15,000 people their first cannabis-infused meal, with 900 of those guests being first-time cannabis users.
“A dinner party is a perfect introduction for people,” Petersen said. “If you were ever going to try cannabis, our dinner parties are the best way.”
Safety is paramount to Petersen, and guests are dosed individually based on their tolerance level.
“We don’t want to give people too much or not enough,” he said. “It’s about hitting that perfect medium and utilizing the terpenes to mold the experience they’re about to have. Everything is full spectrum, so we’re not using isolates.”
Launching Nomadic Nights in The US
In 2021, Petersen relocated to Arizona, where he launched his latest business endeavor — Nomadic Nights. He travels around the U.S. hosting infused popup dinners in 29 cities where recreational cannabis use is legal.
“I rent luxury Air BnBs and turn them into little popup restaurants,” he said. “It provides a dinner party experience for all the guests.”
Guests have been known to enjoy menu items like 72-hour short ribs with a miso glaze and infused kimchi, or a mini croissant dessert cereal with infused matcha milk.
“What’s really cool is we’ll have anywhere from 20 to 40 people at the dinners, and they’re all strangers sitting around the table,” Petersen said. “Looking at them, one might think, ‘Oh, those people have nothing in common.’ But at the end of the night, they’re exchanging numbers, they’re friends, and they’re planning to see each other again.”
Petersen said that although he didn’t originally set out to be a cannabis chef, watching these special connections unfold is what inspired him to take the idea full-time. He even published a cookbook titled “Introduction to Culinary Cannabis” that is available for purchase at www.thenomadcook.com/shop.
“I thought this was going to be a niche fad,” he said. “The average age of my guests is 39, and they are 60% female. I couldn’t have been any more wrong about what the clientele was going to be, and that this is an actual cuisine that is here to stay.”
A Dedication to Safety
In 2020, Petersen launched the first recognized Culinary Cannabis Certificate for Safety and Responsibility in Canada, which he said received a great deal of positive media attention.
According to Petersen, people too often Google, “How do I make weed brownies?” Then, they make recipes that do not provide the correct dosing information, which can lead to bad experiences.
Properly dosing cannabis-infused dishes is an art Petersen hopes to share with others. This year, he is turning his certification course into an online master class that will launch on April 20. Through it, he will teach the methods, equipment and fundamentals necessary to serve infused meals safely and responsibly.
“The ultimate goal of what I’m trying to achieve is that I want the next generation of chefs to be able to do this in a restaurant,” he said.
Last year, Nomadic Nights hosted 102 dinners in 11 months, and their calendar is filling up for 2024 as well. All dates and locations are announced on Petersen’s Instagram, @the_nomadcook.
Though coverage options have opened up to the hemp industry in recent years, hemp is still considered a high-risk industry with special insurance considerations that those in the hemp industry should be aware of. Whether you are a farmer, processor, manufacturer, or retailer, insurance is an important risk mitigation tool for you to have to in place. This article provides an overview of practical tips for securing the right insurance coverage for your business and includes other risk management issues to assess.
Work with a knowledgeable broker and shop around when securing insurance – and be sure to secure all required coverage lines needed to protect your business.
A broker with experience securing coverage for hemp and cannabis businesses can help you negotiate the right coverage. However, its important to do your own due diligence as well. Shop various coverage lines with multiple insurers. Not all insurance companies in this space are offering a good product, and some sell insurance coverage with so many exclusions you may be left high and dry should an accident occur. A skilled coverage attorney can also help by reviewing any policy terms you have been offered, breaking down your scope of coverage, and spotting any terms you may want to negotiate to have added for your specific business needs. Often, we see companies that believe they had secured correct coverage, only to find out during an adverse event that the coverage they needed had been whittled away by an exclusion to the policy.
Be sure to do a full business analysis to understand all of the coverage lines you require to be protected in all disaster scenarios. Ensure all buildings, machinery, crop, and lots are covered, but don’t just focus on only the product, equipment, or store front–you will need all the traditional first-party and third-party insurance coverage that every other type of standard business should have. First-party coverage refers to insurance for harms that occur directly to your property or business, such as property and crop insurance, business interruption insurance, intellectual property infringement, data loss, cyber insurance, and crime insurance. Third-party coverage covers liabilities to a third-party you may become responsible for, the most common being commercial general liability insurance. Commercial general liability generally affords protection when people get injured on your property (think “slip and fall” scenarios). Other types of insurance you likely need include commercial automobile insurance, workers’ compensation or employer liability insurance, and product liability insurance.
Should an incident arise, make sure you know which policies are triggered. Sometimes you can find surprise coverage in a policy you would not normally think would be triggered by a certain incident, so it is good practice to give each policy a quick review each time you have a potential claim.
Be familiar with your lease agreement and any included insurance requirements.
You should read and study your lease agreement cover to cover just like you would do with your insurance policy (and hire counsel to help you through it if resources allow). It is important that the landlord for any space you intend to rent for your hemp business understands the full purpose for which you plan to rent the space, especially any hemp cultivation or manufacturing activities. Your lease agreement governs the terms between the landlord and your business, and many of those terms relate to how risk is allocated between the parties. For example, your lease agreement should identify who is responsible for certain repairs, day to day maintenance of the building, and who owns improvements. It is also common for lease agreements to set forth certain minimum insurance requirements. Failure to adhere to the required insurance terms can put your lease at risk and reduce coverage availability. Make sure the “scope of use” terms of your agreement are broad enough to encompass your business activities. Also, take note of the renewal and termination terms, and whether and how much notice is required. Counsel may be able to help negotiate lease terms in your favor such as pushing the start date of your lease to after the date your business becomes fully operational, solidifying purchase options or the right of first refusal, or reducing certain obligations required of you under the proposed lease.
It is a good idea to have counsel in negotiating the terms of a lease agreement. It is relatively common for key terms to be missed in agreements drafted among parties, which can leave parties without much direction or recourse should something go wrong. It is smart to include terms that commit your landlord to complying with all rules and regulations needed to stay compliant for your businesses’ licensing or premises’ activities. Your landlord is equally likely to want to negotiate terms for legal “outs” for things such as illegal activity, bad grow years, lack of payment, and/or environmental violations. Landlords often also require indemnity from tenants for any liability or civil forfeiture issues.
Watch out for broadly written exclusions, and see if key endorsements can be added to your coverage.
Insurance policies are written in a complicated and hard to decipher format, where coverage is granted by a relatively broad coverage form, and that same coverage is then slowly stripped away by numerous exclusions and policy endorsements listed in different places throughout the policy. This is why it is important to read closely or work with coverage counsel to determine the scope of coverage your policy truly affords. For example, a broadly drafted “health hazard” exclusion in a product liability policy could remove coverage for the types of third-party injuries you would be seeking coverage for if it voids coverage for “any type” of adverse health effect resulting from the any use of your hemp product. Another one to look out for is language that bars coverage for any delta-8 or other novel cannabinoid product – many carrier forms will define “hemp” based on total THC content, not distinguishing between delta-9 and other variants. Vape-related exclusions are also common.
On the flip side, coverage counsel may also be able to help identify key coverage endorsements you can negotiate to have added to your policy. For example, a retailer selling CBD and delta-8 products would be smart to negotiate an Advertising Injury Endorsement, which protects the business from parties that claim to have been injured by an advertising claim made by the business. Make sure to ask your broker if they consider any form of false advertising claim fraudulent. This is one of those tricky areas where hemp or cannabis businesses often believe they have secured coverage – only to later find out when served with a lawsuit that the insurer will deny coverage. It is also a good idea to have an Intellectual Property Endorsement, which protects against accidental intellectual property infringement, a strict liability claim that can be costly to defend without proper coverage. Depending on the extent of your e-commerce activities, data loss coverage may also be recommended.
Understand the requirements of your insurance policies in the event you do need to make a claim.
All insurance policies will have specific terms within the policy you need to comply with in the event that you need to submit a claim. When an incident occurs that you think could be covered, don’t wait – most policies require you to provide prompt notice of a claim, and any significant delay could reduce or void coverage. Other terms explicitly require cooperation with the insurer’s investigation of the incident, and they will likely set forth numerous other policy conditions that must be satisfied for insurance to cover the incident. Compliance is also huge when it comes to ensuring you get the coverage you paid for – anywhere your business is out of compliance with federal, state, or local laws or regulations puts you at risk of losing coverage should an insurable event related to your business or product arise. You should also be mindful of what actions explicitly void coverage under your policy. Insurers will often dispute coverage and reserve their right to decline coverage when there is even a small chance that an exclusion may be found to apply to your claim. When communicating with your insurer, be sure to put everything in writing. Be sure to respond fully and promptly to all insurer requests. Also, be aware of privilege issues. Assume any communications with your broker will not be privileged in a later dispute over the claim should one arise, and do not forward any legal communications with your coverage counsel to another third party. In the event your insurer responds to your claim with a denial letter, skilled coverage counsel can review the basis for the denial and often find a legal basis for why coverage should be afforded. Where necessary, coverage counsel can escalate the denial to filing a demand or suit against your insurer.
While risk management is often the last thing a company wants to think about when getting started, it is essential to the long-term success of your business and one of the most important forward-facing steps you should cover from inception. It only takes one claim or lawsuit to put your business at severe financial risk. As the age old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Making sure you have a comprehensive insurance and risk management plan in place can help keep you protected.
Rae Guyse is an associate attorney with Ritter Spencer PLLC. Rae handles matters for companies in all sectors of the hemp, cannabis, and alternative medicine industries, including manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in matters related to compliance, licensing, insurance, trademarking and litigation. Prior to joining Ritter Spencer, Rae spent over two years as an insurance recovery attorney, helping companies maximize their insurance payout in claims against their insurers. As a skilled coverage attorney, Rae can assist you in reviewing your insurance policy before you sign the dotted line to ensure proper coverage. You can reach Rae at 214-295-5070, or email [email protected] to schedule a consultation with her.
In the recent years, there has been observed an upsurge in the demand for CBD products. This increase in demand is primarily because of increase in awareness about the CBD benefits. CBD, the acronym for cannabidiol is highly beneficial for relieving stress, anxiety, pain, soreness, etc. CBD is a product of hemp and can be termed as the sister of marijuana.
However, the content of THC in CBD is very less. THC is the substance that gives you the feeling of ‘high’. In CBD, its content is restricted to .3%. this makes CBD very safe for consumption. If you intend to explore CBD, you must consider buying from JUST CBD. It is USA based online store, which is the market leader of CBD.
JUST CBD offers a wide range of CBD products ranging from gomitas de CBD to CBD vapes, tinctures, oils and creams. If you are looking for a safe source of CBD, you must ensure that the company is transparent in its approach. JUST CBD gets its products tested in third-party laboratories, which make them reliable and safe for use.
CBD Gummies Vs Hemp Gummies
CBD gummies are sweet gummies that contain CBD in them. These gummies offer the tase of gummies and the health benefits of CBD. The two types of CBD gummies are full-spectrum gummies and broad-spectrum gummies. The full spectrum gummies contain traces of THC however, the broad-spectrum CBD contains no trace of THC.
The broad-spectrum CBD has all the beneficial phytochemicals and the full spectrum CBD gummies contain phytochemicals as well as terpenes and cannabinoids. Hemp gummies on the other hand have no content of CBD. Instead, they contain fatty acids and those vitamins that the hemp seed oil features.
Effects of CBD Vs Hemp Gummies
The major benefits of CBD gummies include:
1- Mood upliftment – CBD is significantly impactful when it comes to dealing with anxiety and stress.
2- Increased focus – CBD is reported to increase the focus of individuals. This is the reason for high demand for CBD in people who are required to focus for long duration.
3- Relief from pain – CBD comes with anti-inflammatory properties. This allows the consumers to get relief from pain and soreness.
Now, the benefits of Hemp gummies are:
1- Better digestion – hemp gummies are impactful when it comes to improving your digestive health. They reduce gut inflammation and thus increase your gut efficacy. Those who suffer from chronic gut disorders are recommended to consume hemp gummies.
2- Reduction in inflammation – as discussed earlier, hemp gummies have anti-inflammatory properties. Hemp oil has omega-3 fatty acids. These compounds reduce inflammation in the body.
3- Pain relief – hemp gummies are also known to abate bodily pain and discomfort.
Conclusion
Do not be confused between hemp and CBD gummies, you must first introspect your need. The choice of gummy must be driven by your expectation from the gummy product. If you want to reduce anxiety and pain, always consume CBD gummies.
Dan Herer grew up watching his father’s activism but it wasn’t until his father’s death that he decided to enter the business. He is the founder of the Jack Herer Foundation and Herer Group, where he is conducting research, developing products and producing cannabis. Herer Group is a corporate umbrella overseeing vertically integrated companies in the California cannabis market. The Group manages Herer Distribution, Herer Manufacturing, and Herer Labs & Research. All divisions are based in Santa Cruz, California.
Tune in to this weeks show for a historical overview of the Legacy of “Jack Herer” as the Emperor’s Son follows his Father’s calling by advocating for Hemp and change in the US Drug policies and education the planet about the many gifts and wonders of natures greatest plant.
Jack Herer, sometimes called the “Emperor of Hemp”, was an American cannabis rights activist and the author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, a book—in 2020 in its fourteenth edition
The conversation on Delta 8 has been a continuous hot topic in the state of Texas with many already invested in the hemp-derived product pushing for regulation over prohibition in the vested interest of their companies, the industry and the responsible consumer. Darrell Suriff of Naturally Hemps discussed with Texas Hemp Reporter how Delta-8 and the looming possibility of it’s legal status looks from a company standpoint.
Naturally Hemps is an alternative solutions company under the umbrella of Naturally Distro which operates over 30 retail stores across Texas, Louisiana, and Tennessee to include the Austin Vape and Smoke franchise. The company manufactures a large variety of natural CBD, kratom, e juice vape and legal hemp related products out of their 30k square foot main manufacturing facility in Pflugerville. While they offer a variety of product on their name, Delta-8 specifically makes up about 20% of their gross business over the last 12 months moving into the largest growth category in the industry.
As this time period has also seen a tremendous amount of legislative process on the same topic, Suriff says it has been difficult to gauge business around potential legislation. The fluctuation of legality is costly not only as it comprises 20% of his revenue, but in considering the cost of entry into it as a manufacturer is quite extensive regarding liability, machinery, and wages for his 180 employees which all makes a huge impact on their bottom line.
While Delta 8 is fully legal in Tennessee, constant restructuring and vague state law keep him from selling it into his Louisiana stores. There are no clear cut guidelines currently for Delta 8 in our neighboring state and Texas leads between the two on education and communication between state officials and hemp businesses. While Delta 8 is currently still fits into a legal category following the lack of advancement or changes in the hemp bill last legislative session, it’s status still stands on shaky ground.
States that have fully legalized cannabis are historically the ones who try and ban it most as they get taxation on THC but not off of Delta 8. Right now Texas has enacted the Compassionate Use Program effective September 1, 2021 which allows patients access, through their physician, to prescription low-THC cannabis in the treatment of medical conditions like cancer, autism, PTSD, and seizure disorders. The single operating medical marijuana license holder in the state have been the leaders in the ban on Delta 8 which lead many to question if they will simply see taxation on a state level or full market control. A drastic shift in the industry and lawmaking would not only cause large companies like Naturally Hemps to take a massive hit, but consumers as well as Suriff states, “We believe people have a right to self medicate, treat, or relax [with all variations of hemp derivatives] just as they would in a glass or 2 of wine or beer.” And with that statement backs it with the push for regulation beyond minors into consenting responsible adults.
Darrell Suriff himself knows the firsthand benefits it can bring with chronic pain and the success of his business was built on his own personal success story. A little over a decade ago, Suriff suffered a broken back which led to permanent rods placed in his spine and persistent pain. His corporate insurance plan at the time offered many opioids at his disposal which led to a year-long addiction before he discovered the benefits of Kratom, CBD, and, later, Delta-8. He was able to then craft a daily regimen with these products which allowed him to function without pain and without the use of opioids or any other addictive drugs. From there he built his new endeavor of vape retails stores from an initial $26,000 investment into a $70,000,000 empire based on the products that saved his life – all organically with incremental growth.
With full understanding of the scope of all Delta-8 offers, and standing by what his own business and life is built on, Darrell Suriff hold his position alongside many other Texan hemp product manufacturers and retailers who call to maintain a regulated market on the product for the livelihood of Texans all around.
Penalty Reduction Bill HB 2593 an Update on Joe Moody’s
by Jesse Williams
Rep. Joe Moody (D) of El Paso authored HB 2593. The bill specifically deals with marijuana concentrates of up to 2 oz of tetrahydrocannabinols (THC). Moody had previously authored what has become HB 441 (another penalty reduction bill for marijuana flower) authored by Rep. Zwiener in the 87th legislative session.
HB 2593 would remove tetrahydrocannabinol and related substances from Penalty Group 2 and place them in a new category, Penalty Group 2-B, under the Texas Controlled Substances Act.
Penalties for possession of substances from the new Penalty Group 2-B would have been the same as those in Penalty Group 2-A, which range from a class B misdemeanor if the substance is two ounces or less, to life in prison or a term of five to 99 years and a fine up to $50,000 if the amount of substance possessed is more than 2,000 pounds.
Right now, any amount of concentrate found in your possession is a state felony. The last time penalty reduction was passed by the Texas legislature was 1973.
The bill passed out of the House committee with only two nay votes and passed in the House with a final supermajority vote of 108-33.
The bill proceeded to the Senate where it passed out of committee with only 2 nay votes as well. From there the bill was approved out of the Texas Senate with a delta-8 amendment attached by Senator Perry. The amendment would bring the regulation of delta-8 to what Perry called the federal limit imposed on THC by the 2018 Farm Bill. The second reading of the bill was passed with a 25-6 vote, and after the third reading for the final passage with amendment added, a vote of 24-7 was taken to pass the bill with supermajority support.
Grinded weed shaped as Texas and a joint.(series)
Senator Hinojosa asked if the amendment would bring any lab confusion such as the previous hemp bill, to which Perry responded no. Perry was also asked if the author (Moody) was okay with this amendment, to which the answer was yes.
When the bill went back to the House to see if the author conferred with the amendments or wanted a conference committee, Rep. Moody made a point of order on the bill. Moody requested a conference committee on the grounds that the delta-8 amendment was not germane (not relevant to purpose) to the bill it was added to. The House agreed that the amendment was not germane and the bill went to the conference committee. The same conclusion was reached in the conference committee.
The House then voted on the conference committee version without the delta-8 amendment language and passed the bill again. The bill was then sent to the Senate to be heard by the members on the floor. When sponsor Sen. Nathan Johnson (D) requested for the bill to get a vote on the floor, Lt Gov Dan Patrick denied the request, likely from frustration that the delta-8 amendment language was not present.
When this request on the floor was denied, the bill was effectively dead because the deadline was coming up within hours to have the bill passed by the Senate floor once more and sent to the governor.
Concentrates of THC now remain a state felony in the state of Texas until the legislature convenes again in 2023 to possibly bring up another bill.
The hemp industry in the United States, after years of lobbying, is back in business. While not all states have yet made it legal, the federal government has, with much help from former Congressman Rand Paul in Texas and his son Ron, a Senator in Kentucky.
The time that I spent writing “Hemp for Victory: History and Qualities of the World’s Most Useful Plant” was not in vain, but there is still much to be done.
Cultivation of Cannabis sativa in the US is mainly for THC and CBD oils. The former acronym needs no introduction, while the latter is still rather new to some people. In New York, the latter was a grey area for the law, and when it was illegal to sell, one could see vendors openly proclaiming the wonders of CBD oils. The scene reminded me of snake oil salesmen. Some used very little CBD in their product, but put high prices on what was often olive oil with a few drops of CBD.
No one knew if it cured viruses or caused hallucinations. No one knew whether to make an arrest or make a sale. But dealers knew CBD was a good sound byte that resulted in profits.
While much money has been made from, and much legislation has been enacted regarding THC and CBD, I feel no need to enter at large upon that field but rather to give some insights about the more industrial products.
Rope, textiles, paper, are among the many items that use hemp as their raw material. The outer part of the stem, the hurd, is removed by processes known as retting, while the inner part, which constitutes about 25-30% of the stalk, known as bast, is what is primarily used. Both are mainly composed of cellulose.
For the bast to be processed into rope, textiles and paper, there must be infrastructure in place. Presently, this is not the case to any great degree. Factories have long since closed. Paper, which is the simplest to produce, is made mostly in Asia, with only a few small mills in existence in the US.
In some small mills, hemp is used for specialty papers which command a premium. In the UK, I had made 3 tons of this, and I was mobbed by hempsters asking me to sell. Most was used for the aforementioned book. Since, I have found very little that I could buy.
At times, campaigners have tried to get factories to use hemp, but they lacked the experience and patience to succeed. Revamping infrastructure may take government assistance, which I encourage, as jobs would be created from the hemp industry.
While we await change, there are ways that a farmer can sell their product, one of which includes selling stalks for simple uses such as pyrolysis and insulation.
A much more lucrative market is that of the seed for oil, or, better yet, the sale of the oil pressed on the farm by the grower. In the UK I saw small local distributers as well as national brands, such as Mother Hemp, Nutiva and Viridian, and an international brand, Good Oil.
The last brand attracted my ire, as I learned that a chemical defoliant was used to wilt the leaves so as to separate the seeds. Good Oil was on the shelves at Whole Foods in 2011, but after I wrote about the chemical defoliant, it ceased to be stacked.
In dry climates, leaves shrivel more easily. In humid climates, they stay on longer and there is more possibility of mold damage, for which reason farmers use large screens, drying them in spread out layers.
Hemp seeds (technically ‘achenes’) contain 30-35% oil, which commands a high price. I wrote about it on my site (hempforvictory.blogspot.com) in 2006:
“Hemp oil is considered to be one of nature’s healthiest oils. It is known to contain therapeutic compounds, and for this reason is used both in medicine and in cosmetics. It has a high antioxidant quality and contains linoleic acids. These acids, along with eicosanoids, tocopherols, tocotrienols, Omega 3,6,&9 EFAs and all eight essential amino acids, make hemp oil a top item in health food shops.”
The majority of buyers of hemp oil are urban dwellers; in New York City, it sells well at Whole Foods and other natural food stores.
There is another contingent of buyers of hemp oil: artists. Since hemp oil was used in for centuries as a drying oil, along with linseed, poppy and walnut oils, there is a demand, though limited. I use it, and have over the years made experiments to see how clearly it dries, comparing it to linseed, walnut and poppy oils.
From these I note variation, with the clearest being that of the Ukranian brand Golden Kings.
As hemp lends itself to genetic variation – a fact noted by no less than the great geneticist Ivan Vavilov – this is was to be expected.
cannabis oil cbd
Clarity is determined by the amount of glycerides of linoleic and linolenic acids, of which linseed oil, which is known to yellow, contains the most. In hemp oil, the content thereof varies according to the variety.
As a clear drying hemp oil would add value, and it is well known that levels of linoleic acid vary with varieties, rainfall and temperature, thus it is possible to improve and refine it specifically for artists’ oil. A 2005 article in the Journal of Industrial Hemp, [Vol. 10, #2, 2005, Bertrand Matthaus et al.], in which over 50 varieties are studied, gives specific analysis of linoleic acid content.
Much as I see a benefit in this niche product, it is obvious that edible oil has a much larger market, and is part of a simpler strategy of growing hemp for a cash crop of oil, with the hemp seed cake sold to cattle or fish farmers, while stalks are sold to whichever market is in place to use them.
The hemp industry is an emerging, or rather, re-emerging one, which needs people with experience, rather than just political zeal, to guide it.
With such persons at the helm, taking on board the present limitations and working to increase public awareness along with manufacturing infrastructure, hemp farming will be one of the most profitable sectors in American agriculture.
