December 20th, 2018 – Finally, 81 years after the United States Government began a prohibition on the lowly hemp plant, the 2018 Farm Bill, signed today by Donald Trump, removes hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. Woody Harrelson should be proud.
While the main intent of the $867 billion Farm Bill’s is to fund crop subsidies and other agricultural activities undertaken by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the legalization of industrial hemp, a source of the popular ingredient cannabidiol, or CBD is stealing centre stage. (Cannabidiol is the non-psychoactive cannabinoid predominant in hemp that is taking the health and wellness market by storm, for its purported health benefits. )
In 1996, Woody Harrelson planted hemp seeds in Kentucky, got charged and spent 4 years in court to teach others that hemp is not marijuana. Thanks Woody! Now that hemp is “cool” again, everyone is piling on, calling it a “game changer”, “trendy” and “a boon” sensing the “huge economic opportunity”. From the Rolling Stone Magazine, to Bloomberg to Forbes, media outlets are falling over themselves, gushing over hemp’s potential to transform the nation.
Hopefully once the dust settles, these same outlets will look beyond Cannabidiol and gush about the other 26,000 plus products that hemp provides, and it’s crucial role as a carbon sink to contribute to offsetting rising CO2 levels.
Because guys, we don’t have another 81 years to wait.
