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Tag: Texas Hemp Show

Profiles in Hemp Farming

Written by Misty Contreras on . Posted in Cultivation.

Eddie Velez, Oak Cliff Cultivators

Oakcliffcultivators.com

 Texas Hemp Reporter: Where are you located?

Eddie Velez: Our hemp farm is centrally located in Brady, the heart of Texas.

THR: When did you begin farming?

Eddie: I’m not your typical farmer and I had no farming experience until recently.  In my previous life, I spent 15 years responding to disasters across the country,  with over 10 of those years with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Region 6, in Denton, TX. 

In early spring of 2020, my wife and I quit our careers, cashed out our retirement, and dove headfirst into the Texas hemp industry.

THR: Is hemp your primary crop?  And what do you produce (pulp, CBD, textiles)?

Eddie: Hemp is our primary and only crop.  We cultivate award-winning hemp flower.  In December of 2020, we won “Best hemp flower in Texas,” at the Taste of Texas Hemp Cup.  Additionally, we won 6 out of 9 categories at the cup, to include: “highest CBD, best indoor, most pungent, most ripe, and final presentation.”

We produce premium CBD and CBG hemp flower.

The Awards Eddie and Oak Cliff took home in the first Annual Taste of Texas Hemp Awards in Wimberley last December.

THR: Do you offer any specialty products you would like to talk about (organic body care, construction materials)?

Eddie: Cultivating Cannabigerol (CBG) has been a great success for us.  CBG is still new to many people and offers a great alternative to CBD.  Unlike CBD, CBG interacts more directly with your body by binding with your CB1 and CB2 receptors and typically has no THC, which opens the door to many clients wanting to use hemp products without the THC. 

Another specialty we have but not necessarily a product, we like to educate and inform our clients about each of our products’ terpene profile and potential beneficial use.

 THR: Can you describe your growing/processing operation?

Eddie: We are a family and veteran-owned Texas hemp company.  We operate a boutique hemp farm, focusing on cultivating exceptional hemp genetic products for your wellness & culinary needs.  Our farm consists of 6,000 sq ft of greenhouse growing space and a 2,000 sq ft indoor climate controlled dry house.  We did a lot of research and visited hemp farms across the country, and we noticed that drying was essential in producing premium hemp flower.  

THR: What are your hopes or expectations for the future of hemp farming?

Eddie: We involve our children in everything we do with the hemp farm – from planting seeds to the finished product.  We hope to instill the knowledge and experience with them, so they can continue to redefine cannabis in Texas.

THR: How have the challenges you encounter every day helped you become a better farmer?

Last year was our first grow and everything was a challenge, from building the greenhouses to go-to-market strategies, to delivering our products.  We’ve asked a lot of dumb questions over the past year which has helped navigate us through those farming challenges.  Building a network and fostering positive relationships has helped us tremendously.  


Eddie Velez, Oak Cliff Cultivators

Texas Medical Marijuana Doctors

Written by Stacey Lovett on . Posted in Health.

Lamont Ratcliff and his team are leading the pack in implementing the recent changes of the Texas Compassionate Use Program through a different segment of his practice at Houston area Wellness Pain & Associates clinics. The Texas Medical Marijuana Doctors was birthed 4 years ago out of a desire to become more educated and politicized in the cause and through alignment with the right organizations across the legislative sessions helped shift the conversation in the state and now taking action.

Ratcliff has served as the owner and director of Wellness Pain & Associates for 18 years providing outpatient chronic pain management to patients primarily in motor vehicle accidents and on the job injuries through various modalities. The company grew from 2 employees initially to 16 to include on site physicians, nurse practitioners, licensed physical and massage therapists, and registered nurses to help facilitate medical services in injury rehabilitation for acute injuries. As their ability to offer alternative treatment services grew, so did the practice under their Chief Medical Director Dr. Mark McBath, an oncologist with MD Anderson for over 25 years. Dr. McBath is among one of the first state approved medical marijuana physicians in Texas who can recommend medical marijuana to qualifying patients under the program. Lamont Ratcliff said of the new choice, “we have been very aggressive in  informing patients that they have the power to choose alternative methods to increase their quality of life” and they will be able to do so under his direction next month.

The latest expansions of the T.CUP program that occurred in this year’s legislative session go into effect September 1st which adds qualifying medical conditions to those with PTSD and full qualification for all cancer patients, not just those with terminal diagnoses. This is now in addition to qualifications for those with epilepsy and seizure disorders, autism, Multiple Sclerosis or spasticity, neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, and ALS.

All 3 of his locations – Southwest, metro/downtown, and east side – are booked through October operating 4 day weeks full capacity with limited room available for emergency appointments. Their current patient demographic is about 60% cancer patients, 20% autism, and 20% PTSD with interest coming from far beyond the Houston metro area. As they understand the need for convenience to serve the unrepresented areas of the state, Lamont Ratcliff and his team have worked hard to create a very accessible and fluid process for appointments. Their centralized phone number – (713) 659-HEMP (4367) – is still the best way to obtain an immediate appointment but they also offer additional QR codes and kiosks around the city to not only pre-qualify patients and schedule appointments but educated the public as well. This unique option sets them apart from other physicians allowing a presence for the practice beyond their physical locations.

RYAN POPPE / TEXAS PUBLIC RADIO
Compassionate Cultivation, the second medical marijuana dispensary in Texas, is set to open in early

The group also aims to educate patients on qualifications as well, as many physicians are still very trepidatious with regards to helping qualify for alternative treatments. If the patient already has a diagnosis, TMMD requests supporting documentation from the treating physician. If a diagnosis does not exist, they are trained to ask questions based on the symptoms present and grant qualification where valid for patients needing a more comprehensive diagnosis.

The group also offers extensive continuation of care. The initial visit allows the recommendation with respect to the strain of cannabis best suited to their needs. 6-8 weeks following that is a follow up to review the medication, response to it and any changes if needed and once those are made the next appointment is scheduled in a year.

The T.CUP program is regulated by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Upon entry into the program, the patient receives an official qualifying letter stating that they have been evaluated and that their cannabis use is medically necessary as an alternative treatment. This protects them in any situations where the legality might be otherwise questioned. All of the information is kept in a DPS controlled registry and the patient portal is accessible anywhere needed in a licensed dispute in the state of Texas by law enforcement, or an employer.

The TXMMD team is spearheading this endeavor alongside Lamont Ratcliff in Houston but have plans to quickly expand into 2 offices in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area this October. Ratcliff stresses the need already for politicians to understand the volume of calls from small towns in outlying counties who really need access to this method of care as they are flying in for assistance already. As long as a patient is a Texas resident, no geographic restrictions exist and their metropolitan presence makes that a possibility but they still plan to push for better accessibility in the underrepresented markets for those patients in dire need of an alternative that will work.

“Our main goal is to increase the quality of life of these patients who have already dealt a tough blow in life whether it is cancer, autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, ALS, Parkinson’s etc. If we are able to do anything to assist in their quality of life, that is what we are here for.”

As legislation slowly meets education with cannabis reform in Texas, grassroots proponents for this alternative medicine continue to push the gap closer together and bridge the misrepresentation of the many facets hemp and cannabis can bring this great state.

Heather Fazio talk to Texas Hemp Reporter

Written by texashempreporter on . Posted in Texas Legal & Regulatory News.

Interview with Heather Fazio of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy by Sana v’Ritzvah

Heather served as Texas Political Director of the Marijuana Policy Project from 2014-2018. Now, she utilizes her passion for grassroots activism and coalition building as Director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, an advocacy-focused coalition.

TEXAS HEMP REPORTER: Heather what occurred in the Texas Legislature in May?

HEATHER:Texas is inching along with marijuana legislation. I wish I could say more, it’s like a tennis game. 37 states have fully regulated medical marijuana, including all Texas border states, with Alabama profiting at 92 million per year. The Compassionate Use Act was passed in 2015, amended and expanded in 2019. HB1535 (Rep. Klick) flushed the house 134-12 and sent to the Governor. The bill calls for the expansion of access for all not just terminally-ill cancer patients, PTSD treatments and patients with chronic pain.Sadly the Senate dropped the ball cutting the provision for chronic pain re-feeding back into the opioid epidemic, “pills for pain” costing thousands of lives, quality of life, tragedies, wasted resources and severe addictions.    One inspiring thing was our veteran lobby standing up for non-veterans strongly behind the PTSD inclusion vocally supporting accident survivors,mothers whose child perished in childbirth, victims of crimes all who can
suffer the syndrome.

Another us the establishment of the Internal Review Board for Medical Marijuana. Now in-state research and science can promulgate the myriad reasons for expanding legality of cannabis.    It’s silly really how we banter between .5% 1% 5% THC content when it really should be doctors trained in the field concerning dosages.    It was leaked that hearings concerning the cannabis bills were hijacked by the Lt. Governor’s Office which was meeting secretly without public access. These are the draconian measures our officials are taking to stall progress.    Other bills still in the twilight are SB181 (Rep. Johnson) which would take Texas off the list that suspends drivers licenses for “drug convictions” hoping to alleviate the already 50,000 arrested annually for marijuana-related charges. HB1694 could save lives ensuring medical issues are not exploited to arrest people for possession. And HB567 (Rep. Frank) to protect TCUP patients (minors) from being extracted from their homes for failing a THC test.


THR: How did you personally get involved in medical marijuana?

Witnessing one hundred years of suppression of uses and benefits of hemp and with the issue emerging so strongly. I was involved with Texans for ResponsibleGovernment and a member of the Libertarian Party. I saw it as unconscionable. I was involved with grassroots organizing, community building coalition making. After joining Texas NORML I was chosen as Advisor for the Marijuana Activist Manual. The next logical step was Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy.


THR: There now exists a 27 member coalition that coalesces around the issue.


Yes. Our situation is we live in a polarized political environment. We began to seek allies that could bond to institute policies that mattered. As we discussed I come from a libertarian perspective; a bipartisan grouping, democrats and republicans, ACLU.. it really is a privacy rights issue, a due process issue, civil rights. There are millions affected by dis-regulation, it is liberty versus jailing. Tens of thousands of Texans in jail for marijuana and 92% of burglaries go unsolved.
 

THR: What about Delta-8?
HEATHER:There is an attorney for two companies, one that produces and one that sells Delta-8 products. The DSHS has established that THC from hemp, in any traceable form from .0001% to the supposedly legal 3% is all in the same bucket. The attorney called this a quagmire. By lumping all THC we lose the particulars, our law makers prove they know nothing of the science, nothing about the plant they are dealing with. Our advocates strive to shine light on the variables to avoid misunderstanding.


THR: Can you give us a personal testimony?
HEATHER: A nurse from Wichita Falls, she was diagnosed with cancer. After moving to Colorado she tried cannabis for a second time. She wasn’t sure till one day she left her couch without buckling over, entered her kitchen without pain and began cooking again. For those in pain 24-7 this is life-changing.

Photo Jesse Williams for the Texas Hemp Reporter.


TEXAS HEMP REPORTER:What’s does the future hold in Texas for Cannabis?


HEATHER:The Texas Legislature meets on the odd every two years. So we are looking to 2023. We plan to inject into the campaign cycle, ask a lot of questions of our law makers, create discussions with law enforcement.NORML has collected a marijuana-friendly voters guide. And we seek to start conversations with our civic groups, community centers, PTA (lol) why not? 60% of Texans believe small amounts of marijuana should be legal for any purpose.

THR:Are you optimistic?


HEATHER:Very. This is tug of war, we stand on the backs of several generations of activists that have blazed this trail. We represent a professional effort to secure individual rights. Nothing but our best efforts will bring our movement forward. 

Episode 29: H-Empirical CBD & 87th Lesgislature Updates

Written by Jesse Williams on . Posted in Podcast.

Jesse, Russell & Coleman talk about the existing bills with the 87th Legislature that remain on the chopping block; while they also interview H-empirical CBD CEO John Long and head Medical Director Dr. Wendy Askew.

John Long is CEO for H-Empirical, Inc. He is also the CEO for Agronomics of
Texas and investor for Totally Happy Cows, LLC (An CBD Agriculture company
for cattle and horses). He’s has been a nurse for 28 years specializing in ER,
ICU, Rheumatology, Gastroenterology, Neurology and Dermatology. 

Dr. Wendy Askew is a board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist in private practice in San
Antonio, Texas. She is also board certified in Functional and Regenerative Medicine. Dr.
Askew is the Chief Medical Officer for H-Empirical, Agronomics of Texas and Totally Happy
Cows LLC.

Episode 25: Current Events Texas Events With Jesse and Coleman

Written by Jesse Williams on . Posted in Podcast.

Jesse Williams of Texas Cannabis Collective and Coleman Hemphill of TXHIA and Ionization Labs talk about recent events in Texas to Include HB3948, HB99, HB3722, the federal Safe Banking Act passing congress and much more. Russell Dowden is out this week as he recovers from getting a new grill.

Should California Vineyards Be Looking into Hemp?

Written by Daniel Jones on . Posted in Agriculture.

BY DANIEL JONES

California’s wine industry is quite the behemoth, a staple in the American economy. 

If it were its own country, the state would be the fourth largest wine producer in the world. California makes 81 percent of all U.S. wine, and three out of every five bottles sold in the country comes from the Golden State.

Just look at last year’s numbers for more proof: In 2019, 241.5 million nine-liter cases of California wine were sold within the U.S., amassing an estimated $43.6 billion in sales. Also in 2019, American wine exports totalled $1.63 billion, with 95 percent coming from California wineries. 

California wine sales in the U.S. grew 6 percent in 2019, despite the state legalizing adult-use cannabis in January 2018, which some feared would eat into the state’s wine market.

But 2020 may tell a vastly different story for the industry, says Robert P. Koch, president and CEO of the San Francisco-based Wine Institute. “This year will be more challenging, especially for small- and medium-sized wineries, because of the closure of tasting rooms and restaurants,” he says in a wineinstitute.org article. 

These changes have emerged because of COVID-19, of course, and while it is too early in the year to predict a drop in the California’s total revenue from wine, we can surely expect a noticeable dip based on the recession alone: People with a slash in their disposable incomes are less likely to buy a $50 bottle of Cabernet Franc from the Napa Valley, perhaps opting instead for $8 bottle from Argentina. 

So considering this inevitable dip, should California vineyards, each with hundreds of acres perfect for agriculture (bountiful sun and cool air from the Pacific Ocean), consider pivoting to a crop with perhaps an even more promising future? Such as hemp?

After all, according to the Brightfield Group, the market for hemp-derived CBD is expected to reach $23.7 billion by 2023, thanks in part to the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill. And this doesn’t even include the market for hemp alone, which can be grown for construction, textiles, clothing, food, paper, bioplastics, insulation and biofuel.

And so the hemp market doesn’t rely on a selective niche of consumers that use its product for recreational purposes only (such as wine drinkers and cannabis users). Just about everyone could benefit from hemp in one way or another.

Also, unlike wine grapes which take several months to grow and several months to ferment before they ever become drinkable wine, hemp plants can mature in just a few months.

But, say, a commercial vineyard in a place like the Sonoma Valley wants to reserve a few acres of its property for growing hemp. Does the growing of either crop affect the other’s final product? 

A Wine Spectator article titled “Can Cannabis and Wine Coexist?” tells how the drift of fungicides (used by many California winemakers to prevent mildew) have been known to render a cannabis harvest unsaleable when the crop is tested for regulation. And one can speculate the same would apply to hemp plants, especially if they’re used for CBD products.

The opposite occurs, too. “On the flip side, cannabis can release organic compounds called terpenes,” the article’s author Aaron Romano writers, “one of which is eucalyptol, known for tainting the flavor of grapes.” It should be known that hemp plants also have terpenes. 

Corey Beck, CEO of Francis Ford Coppola Winery and former president of the Sonoma County Vintners, was quoted in the article, saying, “If cannabis can co-exist with the right regulations, and not be intrusive to our neighbors, then it should be available to a farmer who needs to put food on the table for their family.” He added that the wine industry is changing because of consumers drinking less and, therefore, wineries growing few grapes.

“I’m not suggesting the trend is here to stay, but if you are a grapegrower and can’t find a buyer in the short term, your choice in agricultural crops which provide a return such as grapes are limited.”

Podcast Episode #5

Written by texashempreporter on . Posted in Podcast.

Colman discusses the Hemp Industry nationally and some of the goals that the organization works on each week to work with Washington by fueling the growth of the Hemp Industry. Also how this year was essentially a ramp year for Texas Hemp producers and what we can anticipate for the Lone Star states first full year grow season in 2021. Also many legal challenges regarding the DEA and smokable hemp ban are also discussed. Overall, an informative episode of the Texas Hemp show with our states director.

Episode 5 : Texas Hemp Industries Assoc. Colman Hemphill

This episode our guest is President at Texas Hemp Industries Association, Colman Hemphill. Colman is also CEO at Texagon Distribution · an Alternative & Holistic Health Service.

Podcast #4

Written by Jesse Williams on . Posted in Podcast.

This week for the first half we speak with CEO Lee Vernon of First Responder Fuel CBD about their mission (listen for a discount code), their product lab testing practices and even their client’s drug testing results. Then during the second half we discuss hemp banking issues with the CEO and founder of VeriLeaf, Justin Fischer. Recorded 10/7/2020 @ Takeoff Terminal Studios. Copyright 2020 Texas Hemp Show.

You can now subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcast/iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher for easy listening on the go! More services coming soon!

Podcast # 3

Written by texashempreporter on . Posted in Podcast.

This week we spoke with Noe, Joe, and Frank of TPS Labs and discussed growing tips and do’s and dont’s with regards to growing hemp flower here in the Lone Star state. Soils and seeds are crucial to grow operations in this short trial run of 2020’s grow season. We also spoke with our co-hosts Jesse’s publisher “Austin” of the Texas Cannabis Collective and the great job their website does on reporting hemp and cannabis news here in Texas.

Texas Hemp Show- Podcast # 2

Written by texashempreporter on . Posted in Podcast.

Smokable Hemp Ban in Texas, Temporary Injunction Granted – Win for Texas Manufacturers, Processors & Retailers and this weeks show we featured two of the States attorneys that are leading the charge to keep smokable Hemp here in Texas for retailers, growers,processors and of course consumers. Chelsie Spencer is a cannabis and hemp attorney. She is a founding member of Ritter Spencer PLLC. Chelsie practices in the areas of medical marijuana and hemp and represents clients across those industries for their business law and compliance needs.

Lisa Pittman – Lisa is Co-chair of the Cannabis Business Law practice. A leader and authority in the cannabis industry, which includes state legal marijuana and federally legal hemp, Lisa was recently appointed to be a Nonresident Fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy as a member of the Drug Policy Program. Lisa also was appointed to the Texas Department of Agriculture Industrial Hemp Advisory Council, a role that provides her insight and influence on the regulations for the Texas hemp program, with the goal of propelling Texas to be the preeminent producer of hemp in the United States.

On September 17, 2020, Travis County Judge Lora Livingston ruled on a request for temporary injunction in a lawsuit filed by manufacturers and retailers of smokable hemp products in Texas.  The injunction sought to prevent the State from enforcing its new regulations banning the manufacture, processing, distribution, and retail sale of hemp for smoking.  The temporary injunction was partially granted, in that smokable hemp product businesses may carry on without facing penalties or fines under the status quo as it existed prior to the August 2nd effective date of the new rule – at least until the final trial on the merits set for February 1, 2021.
Grinded weed shaped as Texas and a joint.(series)