2020 Election: Cannabis and Hemp/CBD Enjoy Bipartisan Support
This article originally appeared in the December edition of Presence Marketing’s Industry Newsletter
By Steven Hoffman
In a country divided, there was one thing in the 2020 elections that enjoyed bipartisan support, and that was cannabis.
In New Jersey, 67% of voters approved the legalization of recreational marijuana for people age 21 and over. The new recreational market is expected to generate $1.9 billion in sales in the state, resulting in $126 million in sales tax revenue, according the estimates from New Jersey’s Office of Legislative Services, reported Bloomberg News,.
In all, five more states in the U.S. approved ballot measures legalizing cannabis use for adults, including Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota. Prior to the 2020 election, 11 states and Washington, D.C., had legalized marijuana.
According to the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, “It would be premature to proclaim the Biden/Harris Administration as pro-cannabis. But while both Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris once took adverse positions, their campaign called for the de-criminalization of marijuana and expungement of convictions. This should translate to a Department of Justice that will place a much lower priority on policing levels of THC in hemp and hemp extracts.”
Jonathan Miller, General Counsel for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, told Let’s Talk Hemp, “We are increasingly optimistic about hemp’s political prospects. Nearly all of our biggest supporters, from both parties, won reelection, and the likely changes among the political leadership at FDA, USDA and DEA could help resolve some of the more difficult issues that farmers and the industry have been facing.”
According to the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, hemp industry champions in Congress scored some victories on Election Day 2020:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who led the fight for hemp’s legalization in the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills, won reelection by a more than 20 point margin in Kentucky. It is still not clear whether McConnell will remain Majority Leader, but even if Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate, hemp will be secure under the leadership of Chuck Schumer (D-NY) (and McConnell would remain a powerful force as Minority Leader.)
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), who has led efforts to pressure the USDA and FDA into support for the hemp and CBD industries, won reelection by a nearly 20 point margin as well.
Cannabis champion Senator Corey Gardner (R-CO) lost by a wide margin, but his victorious opponent, John Hickenlooper, oversaw one of the first successful state hemp programs in Colorado and should be an industry ally.
Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Morgan Griffith (R-VA), lead sponsors of HR 8179-- critical legislation that would open up a legal pathway for the sale of hemp-derived CBD as a dietary supplement – cruised in their reelection bids.
Reps. David Joyce (R-OH) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), authors of a strong letter to DEA, urging that agency to withdraw its troublesome interim final rule on hemp, won overwhelming re-election victories.
U.S. Hemp Roundtable also reported “One sour note: longtime hemp champion, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) lost a hard-fought battle for re-election in an overwhelmingly Republican district. The hemp industry owes Rep. Peterson a huge debt of gratitude for his important work on the 2018 Farm Bill, introducing legislation to protect hemp-derived CBD, and most recently, helping secure an extension for states to operate under the 2014 Farm Bill. We look forward to working with his replacement as Chair of the House Agriculture Committee,” the hemp advocacy organization said in a statement.
In related news, voters in Oregon approved the decriminalization of possession of small amounts of drugs, and a separate ballot initiative made the state the first to legalize therapeutic use of psychedelic mushrooms. In Washington, D.C., voters passed a measure to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms and other psychedelic plants and fungi, reported NBC News. (The City of Denver, CO, was the first to decriminalize hallucinogenic mushrooms in 2019). Speaking in Oregon, Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, told the Associated Press, “Today’s victory is a landmark declaration that the time has come to stop criminalizing people for drug use.”
Cannabis Industry Celebrates Major Election Victories; Voters Clap Back at War on Drugs
This article originally appeared on LetsTalkHemp.com
By Steven Hoffman
As the counting of votes continues to decide who won the presidential and some too-close-to-call congressional elections the day after Election Day in the U.S., cannabis industry advocates are celebrating a number of victories in key states where marijuana has been legalized, and where other drugs have been decriminalized.
In New Jersey, the Garden State, 67% of voters approved the legalization of recreational marijuana for people age 21 and over. The state commission that regulates the legal medical marijuana market in New Jersey also will oversee the new recreational market, which, according to Bloomberg News, is expected to generate $1.9 billion in sales in the state, resulting in $126 million in sales tax revenue, according to estimates from New Jersey’s Office of Legislative Services.
In all, five more states approved ballot measures legalizing cannabis use for adults, including Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota. Prior to yesterday’s election, 11 states and Washington, D.C., had legalized marijuana.
In an additional blow to the U.S.’ war on drugs, voters in Oregon yesterday made it the first state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. “Today’s victory is a landmark declaration that the time has come to stop criminalizing people for drug use,” Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which backed the measure, told the Associated Press (AP).
Oregon voters also approved a ballot initiative making the state the first to legalize therapeutic use of psychedelic mushrooms. In addition, a ballot initiative in the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) to decriminalize the use of psychedelic mushrooms and other psychedelic plants and fungi appeared to have a commanding lead in yesterday’s election, reported the Washington Post.
Voter Attitudes About Drugs Are Changing
In Arizona, voters in 2016 had narrowly defeated a marijuana legalization proposal. However, attitudes have changed as the state legalized non-medical use of marijuana for adults age 21 and over. In addition, the Arizona initiative allows individuals convicted of certain marijuana crimes to seek expungement of their records, reported AP.
Despite Governor Kristi Noem’s position against hemp and marijuana, South Dakota residents yesterday voted to legalize recreational marijuana for adults age 21 and older. Voters in South Dakota passed the ballot measure by a 53-47 margin, reported Argus Leader.
In the state of Mississippi, voters approved legalizing medical marijuana, and recreational marijuana was approved by voters in Montana. The Montana measure allows for marijuana possession, use and growing among adults age 21 and older, and it also puts the state’s Department of Revenue in charge of establishing and overseeing a commercial system for growing and selling cannabis, with a 20% tax on sales, according to Vox.
According to Fast Company, the historic wins in the 2020 election for cannabis and against the U.S.’ seemingly endless war on drugs should have a positive impact on cannabis stock prices following the election. Politico reported that with the addition of five more states, one in three Americans now lives in a state where recreational marijuana is legal.
Hemp Scores Victories on Election Day
According to the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, hemp industry champions in Congress scored some victories on Election Day 2020:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who led the fight for hemp’s legalization in the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills, won reelection by a more than 20 point margin in Kentucky. As of this morning, it is not clear whether McConnell will remain Majority Leader, but even if Democrats seize control of the U.S. Senate, hemp will be secure under the leadership of Chuck Schumer (D-NY) (and McConnell will remain a powerful force as Minority Leader.)
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), who has led efforts to pressure the USDA and FDA into support for the hemp and CBD industries, won reelection by a nearly 20 point margin as well.
Cannabis champion Senator Corey Gardner (R-CO) lost by a wide margin, but his victorious opponent, John Hickenlooper, oversaw one of the first successful state hemp programs in Colorado and should be an industry ally.
Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Morgan Griffith (R-VA), lead sponsors of HR 8179— critical legislation that would open up a legal pathway for the sale of hemp-derived CBD as a dietary supplement – cruised in their reelection bids.
Reps. David Joyce (R-OH) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), authors of a strong letter to DEA, urging that agency to withdraw its troublesome interim final rule on hemp, won overwhelming re-relection victories.
U.S. Hemp Roundtable also reported “One sour note: longtime hemp champion, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) lost a hard-fought battle for re-election in an overwhelmingly Republican district. The hemp industry owes Rep. Peterson a huge debt of gratitude for his important work on the 2018 Farm Bill, introducing legislation to protect hemp-derived CBD, and most recently, helping secure an extension for states to operate under the 2014 Farm Bill. We look forward to working with his replacement as Chair of the House Agriculture Committee,” the hemp advocacy organization said in a statement.
Read More
Hemp and Election 2020 – U.S. Hemp Roundtable
The Big Winner on Election Night? Drugs – Fast Company
1 in 3 Americans Now Lives in a State Where Recreational Marijuana is Legal – Politico
Marijuana Legalized in 5 More States this Election Day – Associated Press
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Virginia Legalizes CBD as an Ingredient in Food & Beverage Products
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam; Photo Credit: Wikipedia
By Steven Hoffman
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam on April 16 signed into law landmark legislation legalizing the use of cannabinoid extracts, such as CBD, derived from industrial hemp as an ingredient in food and beverage products.
The measure states that “industrial hemp extract…is a food and is subject to applicable laws and regulations,” which will be administered by the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The bill further states that “’industrial hemp extract’ means an extract (i) of a Cannabis sativa plant that has a concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol that is no greater than that allowed for hemp by federal law and (ii) that is intended for human consumption.”
Senate Bill 918, sponsored by state Senator David Marsden (D-Fairfax), will help guide the industrial hemp industry in Virginia by “regulating facility conditions and requirements for the production of hemp-derived products intended for human consumption,” reported NBC News. The bill… “gives validity to the CBD industry,” Charlotte Wright, a Virginia hemp farmer and owner of CBD company Hemp Queenz, told NBC News.
The bill authorizes the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services to adopt regulations establishing contaminant tolerances, labeling requirements, and batch testing requirements. In addition, it provides that moneys collected under the chapter shall be deposited in the Virginia Industrial Hemp Fund, created by the bill. The bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry to report by Nov. 1, 2020, a plan for the long-term sustainability of funding for the state’s industrial hemp program.
The new law presumably will apply only to products meant to be produced and consumed within Virginia. The use of hemp-derived cannabidiol extract (CBD) in foods and beverage products and dietary supplements is still technically prohibited in interstate commerce, because the FDA has so far refused to recognize CBD as a safe food ingredient.
“While we commend the State of Virginia for taking the initiative to regulate products, we are concerned that a patchwork of state laws could confuse consumers and fail to provide all of the necessary federal safeguards, including setting a safe level of daily consumption for CBD. Unfortunately, this is another example of the states filling a vacuum created by the federal government’s inaction. We have promised to work with policymakers in Virginia and across the country to make real progress on regulating the growing CBD marketplace,” said Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Natural Products Association.
In a letter to Governor Northam dated April 21, 2020, Fabricant wrote, “Congratulations on being the first state to declare cannabidiol (CBD) as a food under the law of the Commonwealth. With the signing of Senate Bill 918 into law, we wanted to inquire about the Administration and Board’s plans for implementation of the law, especially in light of the position of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Despite the agency’s actions and message, the market for CBD products in the US is surging and consumers are confused, Fabricant continued. “With these factors in mind, is the goal of the Commonwealth to challenge the current position of the FDA with regard to CBD or, is it to work with them on developing a Federal Standard with regards to CBD safety and quality standards?” he asked.
Study Warns Climate Change Could Cost U.S. 10.5% of GDP by 2100
Photo: Pexels
Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, September 2019
By Steven Hoffman
While there may have been some hope that certain countries could escape the brunt of global warming, a new study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that “virtually all” nations will be negatively impacted by climate change by 2100. “Using a panel data set of 174 countries over the years 1960 to 2014, we find that per-capital real output growth is adversely affected by persistent changes in the temperature above or below its historical norm,” the study states. The study also suggests that, on average, richer colder countries would lose as much income to climate change as poorer, hotter nations. “Our counterfactual analysis suggests that a persistent increase in average global temperature by 0.04°C per year, in the absence of mitigation policies, reduces world real GDP per capita by 7.22% by 2100,” said the study’s authors. The impact on the U.S. — which accounted for much of the research’s focus to compare economic activity in hot or wet areas — would be even greater, a loss of 10.5% of its GDP by 2100, according to the study. In related news, the United Nations (UN) in August issued an intergovernmental panel report on climate change claiming that 23% of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to agricultural activities. In the report, the UN concluded that humans cannot mitigate the effects of climate change without making drastic changes to the ways we grow food and use land. Organizations such as the Rodale Institute are promoting regenerative agriculture as a solution to sequester carbon and reduce the effects of climate change through agriculture.