Tough Week For Hemp
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Time to read: About 5 minutes. Contains 979 words.
Good morning!
I hope everyone’s September is off to a good start! I’ve found myself examining my social media habits and setting intentions for broader exposure. Not my own visibility (although I should), but getting my eyes on more of the online cannabis community. My usual Instagram browsing for interesting cannabis drops and industry gossip just isn’t bringing in what it used to. I know the industry is always fluctuating—and how, in many states, it’s mellowed, even dipped, since mid-COVID-19 highs—but just to be sure, I’m giving TikTok another shot. It may be more strict over there, but as my recent conversation with Yew Yew founder Jenny Wichman highlighted, there is a “garden”-friendly community there, and I intend to find it.
So far, the most…memorable…thing in my feed is a woman putting RSO in her belly button (alleged menstrual relief!). I figure another week of intentional TikToking on dog walks will quickly shape a more informed algo. Until then, there’s plenty of other cannabis news to catch up on.
Not least of which is the surreal cannabis acceptance present on both sides of the Presidential race right now. Tim Walz is governor of a state home to one of the most interesting legal cannabis markets in the country. Donald Trump described medical cannabis as “amazing” during an interview last week. I don’t think cannabis policy is the most pressing political matter this election, but I do acknowledge this marks a new era for this plant in the US.
Here’s what else is on my mind this week in weed.
One-Hitters: Cannabis News at a Glance
The Drug Enforcement Agency’s hearing on rescheduling cannabis set for December. So, the rescheduling convo is officially not going to continue until after the election. Interested parties that may be “adversely affected or aggrieved” by the policy change were invited to submit a notice of intent to participate in the public hearing. It’s unclear if post-election changeups would impact whatever verdict they reach in December.
A federal court ruled that THC-O acetate falls under the 2018 Farm Bill. Although the potency of this THC derivative can vary greatly, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has decided it can live in the same bucket as its parent compounds (D8 or D9). Technically, this violates the DEA’s definition because since it can only be derived from those compounds and not from the plant itself, it’s a “synthetic cannabinoid.” But other courts have disregarded the DEA’s interpretation of the Farm Bill, and really nothing matters that isn’t a fresh set of regulations from the next Farm Bill. Ultimately, this just means more of the same free-wheeling, alt-THC landscape we’ve been living.
That said, Governor Newsom’s emergency hemp regulations in California may have serious fallout. Positioned to “protect youth,” the proposed regulations require that industrial hemp products intended for human consumption have “no detectable THC or other intoxicating cannabinoids per serving, create a minimum age to purchase hemp products of 21, and limit the number of servings of hemp products to five per package. Upon approval by the Office of Administrative Law, retailers will be expected to start removing anything that doesn’t meet these rules from their shelves. The state’s Department of Cannabis Control is thrilled, knowing this would get more people into dispensaries for their cannabinoid needs. The hemp industry is not, equating this to a total ban on hemp consumables in the state.
Virginia cracks down on hemp businesses with over $10 million in fines. Following new restrictions on hemp-derived edible products manufactured or sold in Virginia that took effect in July 2023, state enforcement has issued $12.4 million in penalties against hundreds of businesses selling product that violated potency and child-safe packaging requirements.
In New York, legal hemp shops are getting swept up in the crackdown on illegal dispensaries. When it comes down to it, product-wise, we’re splitting equally intoxicating and unregulated hairs here. But if the stores are abiding by state law, stocking products that meet state guidelines—contain less than 0.3% THC by dry weight (that includes delta-9 THC and THCA in New York), don’t exceed a CBD-to-THC ratio of 15-to-1, and a certificate of analysis—it’s not legal to shut them down.
Nearly $8 million in cannabis tax revenue has gone towards homeless services in Denver, CO. Another $7.5 million went to affordable housing efforts and $3.3 million to education. This kind of report should be broadly circulated annually in all legalized states!
Weed-y bouquets at New York Fashion Week. Gotham dispensary contributed MFNY pre-rolls to Grace Ling’s runway show, filling the designer’s signature Butt Bag and incorporating them into green florals carried by models.
New cannabis-centric publication, Hiii Magazine, launched in California. Not to be confused with Hii Magazine, Hiii’s inaugural issue shows a lifestyle-y mix of features, product roundups, and recommendations for SoCal experiences. Editor-in-Chief Rob Hill has decades of experience in indie mags and was a part of launching the B2B cannabis biz publication, mg.
A new study connects lower rates of obesity with cannabis use. In a study sample of 735,921 participants surveyed from 2016 to 2022, the data showed that cannabis use among “obese individuals” is 35% lower than among “non-obese individuals.” I know “obese” is a highly subjective term based on limited mathematical equations, but I think it’s safe to consider this another drop in the cannabis-can-fit-into-and-even-contribute-to-healthy-lifestyles bucket.
RAW drops ultra-thin “Ethereal” rolling papers. My first favorite rolling papers were Elements rice papers, due to my perception that they were thinner and tasted less like paper. I wonder how these Ethereals—“approximately 40% thinner than other ultra-thin papers on the market”—would stack up.
I spotted an artful sushi pipe from Elevate Jane. I’m unexpectedly taken by the orange swirls of the shrimp!
Let the debate pre-game begin 💨,
Lauren Yoshiko
if and when there’s another debate — I wanna pre-game with you.