<![CDATA[Tak About Hemp - Blog Index]]>Tue, 11 Feb 2025 05:48:38 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[Artisanal Hemp; The Soothing Path of Craft-CBD]]>Wed, 01 May 2019 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.takabouthemp.com/blog-index/artisanal-hemp-farming-vermont-at-the-start-of-the-craft-cbd-movement“Why do farmers farm, given their economic adversities on top of the many frustrations and difficulties normal to farming? And always the answer is: "Love. They must do it for love." 
~ Wendell Berry

​Say Hello To The Cannabis Plant

PictureRobin Chadwell, Luce Farm
Hemp, it turns out grows very well in Vermont. Fifty years of hemp prohibition ended with the 2018 Farm Bill and CBD is on the rise. All good news. Seems like the right time to meet some of the farms, the businesses, and the cannabis compound superstar of Vermont’s craft-hemp movement.

Hemp, a common name for Cannabis sativa L. is a legal but regulated agricultural commodity and the source of 1000s of food, fiber, medicinal, and "industrial" products. CBD or cannabidiol is a non-intoxicating compound found in all varieties of the cannabis plant. CBD may be the latest hemp revelation, and it won't be the last.

Cannabis sativa goes by lots of unscientific names, with hemp and marijuana being the most common. Both have CBD but what legally sets them apart is the amount of euphoria-producing THC or tetrahydrocannabinol in each variety. By current legal definition, hemp can contain no more than 0.3 percent THC by dry weight (a trace amount). This is an arbitrary quantity of THC that legally distinguishes hemp from marijuana, which is cannabis that measures over 0.3 percent THC.

No matter the source, CBD itself will not make you high. Period. And yes, it is legal in all fifty states. According to the World Health Organization, cannabidiol presents no risk of toxicity or dependence. Other research on CBD points to its excellent safety profile.

With hemp’s new legal status, we can expect to see considerably more clinical and human trials delving into CBD’s effectiveness. So far, the dozens of peer-reviewed studies I’ve evaluated (see below) point to CBD’s benefits as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-anxiety, and antipsychotic compound. Cannabidiol alone, or acting synergistically with hundreds of other active compounds in hemp is shown to have potential medical benefits in the treatment of addiction, anxiety, arthritis, cancer, cognitive decline, depression, diabetes, epilepsy, nausea, pain, and PTSD.

​Just Google “CBD” and you'll get 190,000,000 hits. That’s a lot of CBD. According to one recent report, 22 million Americans, or an estimated 7% of the US population are using it. How could this be? Quite simply, they're finding relief.
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If all this sounds like new news, or too good to be true, consider that humans have been growing cannabis for 10,000 years. And in the U.S. for one-hundred years before 1940, cannabis tinctures from the likes of Parke-Davis (Pfizer) and Eli Lilly were routinely prescribed by physicians to help treat muscle spasms, chronic pain, and sleep disorders, as well as melancholia, migraines, and much more.

​Modern medicine might not see the interconnectedness of these ailments, but apparently, cannabis surely does.

Vermont CBD Artisans’ Tour de Hemp

PictureSunsoil Farming, Hardwick VT
The year before Alejandro Bergad moved to Hardwick to buy a farm, he’d gotten a good feel for growing hemp in Colorado. In 2016 he and his close friend, Jacob Goldstein started Green Mountain CBD, now called Sunsoil; Vermont's first commercial, vertically integrated CBD wellness company.

Their inspiration for starting Sunsoil rings a familiar note among Vermont’s hemptrepreneurs. "Jacob and I shared a clear vision of the utility of CBD and the benefits of using hemp oil," says Bergad.

​Now their Vermont grown, certified organic, full spectrum tinctures, capsules, and edible salve are gaining national attention. Twenty-eight full-time employees work at Sunsoil, and 60-100 more are needed during the 60-day harvest and drying season.

Hemp gives good reason to come to Vermont to work, live, play, and stay.

About the time Bergad was eyeing Vermont, Carl Christianson was returning to the Green Mountains to be part of the new hemp economy. Carl brought with him his family, a Ph.D. in natural products chemistry, and a passion for hemp.

This combined for a fitting launch, when he and his close friend Noah Quist established Northeast Processing (NEP); a premier botanical processing, testing, and hemp extracts company located in Brattleboro.

“Noah and I identified a gap in hemp processing services and lab testing in Vermont,” says Christianson. “We brought Northeast Processing's team together to help small farmers. They needed the infrastructure.”

NEP uses a cold ethanol process, and by adhering to precise and consistent standards for purchasing, testing, and processing hemp, Quist and Christianson are able to, in Carl’s words, “showcase the Vermont brand as an exemplar of quality.”

Those words echoed my recent conversation with Alejandro.
​“What’s most important to look for in a CBD product?” I had asked. There was no hesitation, "Transparency," he replied.
​
​Bergad maintains that organic production, GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices) and third-party lab documentation are the keys to CBD product safety, “This is what builds customer’s trust; that what it says on the label is what’s in the bottle.”
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Due-north 150 miles from Brattleboro, Rebecca DeGiuseppe and her husband John run Lily Hill CBD from their farm in Eden. John and Rebecca are full-time hemp growers and artisanal producers of organically grown, CBD-rich tinctures, capsules, topical salves, and manicured flowers. Rebecca carries a certificate in family herbalism, focuses on formulations and sales, and assists John with the farm. Their neighbor, Ryan Podd of Northern Roots Nursery, supplies the hemp starts and seeds. All of Lily Hill's products are third-party tested multiple times for accuracy and consistency.
​
Curious if there was a customer favorite, when I asked Rebecca, she replied that their tinctures sold the most.

“It seems people are able to find their correct dosage more readily,” she said.

Their salve is her go-to. She uses it for arthritis, and to keep her hands relaxed during a day of filling jars.

John pointed out, “I’ve been taking our CBD caps daily for two years… they really help me over the afternoon hump.”

This sounded strikingly familiar. As I was saying goodbye to Carl earlier, I asked about his experience using NEP’s extracts. "No question,” Carl told me, “having daily access to our CBD helps with stress relief."

A pattern of craftsmanship and “product benefit” among these entrepreneurs was emerging. I reached out for additional confirmation to MP Labs in Burlington. They buy or processes Vermont-grown hemp for others, and to supply the main ingredient to their own CBD line, Mansfield Provisions. Following a common theme, "transparency is key," all their products are also third-party tested.

For partners Kyle Rapoza, and Drew Kaigle, having steady access to their own supply of CBD has been a real benefit of starting the two companies (Drew has been hampered by sports-related pain). Tim Ruarks, the third partner, solidly confirmed my realization that regular CBD use is soothing for entrepreneurs and their families.
​
Said Tim, “40 milligrams of our tincture every morning in my coffee not only helps me with the stress of running the business, it’s helping me to raise my one-year-old, and I’m sleeping better.”
PictureAerial view, Luce Farm, Stockbridge VT
The last stop on this Vermont Tour de Hemp was with organic farmers Rebecca and Joe Pimentel, who started Luce Farm Wellness in Stockbridge. The couple puts a great deal of care into their line of organically grown CBD-infused products, and it shows. All are third-party tested, from field to jar.

The Pimentels moved family and farm operations here from Massachusetts in 2013, eventually settling at the old Luce Farm. Their first crop was a true adventure.

“Our plants were very productive our first year,” Joe told me. “And no one was set up to process yet in Vermont, so I ran all over New England looking for an extraction lab. That experience showed us why it’s much better to have a plan in place before you start the crop. We’re better prepared now.”

He and Rebecca went “all-in” for 2017 as full-time artisanal hemp farmers and craft formulators to produce their infused-honey, elderberry syrup, extracts, and body rubs.
​
Online sales on their eye-catching website are brisk. ​“It’s exciting,” says Joe. It’s also intense, but that, he says is what the CBD is for, “We use it to ‘help run the business’. Every day.”

​~ Netaka, May 1, 2019

​
​Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. This is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
This article was written for the annual 2019 ACORN Local Food & Farm Guide

Vermont Artisanal Hemp Gallery

Where To Buy Vermont CBD Products

*The products mentioned in this story and others grown in Addison County are available throughout Vermont, at the Middlebury Co-op, Emerald Rose Grows, Green Mountain Gaia, or online at:
​
sunsoil.com
northeastprocessing.com
lilyhillcbd.com
northernrootsnursery.com
mansfieldprovisions.com (and MP Labs)
​lucefarmvt.com
vermontpurecbd.com
methodorganics.com

*Only a partial list. You'll find many other fine Vermont CBD products & shops; too numerous to count!

As always, thank you for posting your comments and questions below! 

Sources and Credits

< Previous Post
]]><![CDATA[Breaking: Draft Vermont Hemp Rule Released]]>Thu, 18 Apr 2019 23:25:54 GMThttps://www.takabouthemp.com/blog-index/breaking-draft-vermont-hemp-rule-released"No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."  ~ Winston Churchill

Rules of the Game

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The long-anticipated DRAFT 'Vermont Hemp Rule' was released today by Cary Giguere, Director, Public Health, at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture (VAAFM). 

The goal of the rulemaking process has been to clearly define the regulatory framework and product safety guidelines around which Vermont's federally compliant hemp program is to be built. I explored some of the process and the background for the Hemp Rule in a January post, here.
This note below, from Cary Giguere, accompanied today's announcement of the official version of the Draft Hemp Rule.  A public comment period will follow once the Draft Rule is filed with the Secretary of State: 
"Attached is a copy of the latest draft of the hemp rule. We have done our best to incorporate everyone’s comments and suggestions as well as designing a rule that will meet the criteria set forth in the 2018 farm bill, and promote the Vermont industry.... This draft has been filed internally and will be filed with the Secretary of State in the next 10 days. This will begin the official public comment period. We have not scheduled public meetings yet but will in the next few weeks."
- Cary Giguere, Director, Public Health, Agricultural Resource Management, Vermont Agency of Agriculture.

​I'm looking forward to carefully reviewing the draft hemp rule, then I'll follow up in the next few days with comments; some of my own and from other hemp stakeholders I hear from.

I also want to thank Cary, and the woman who did a lot of the heavy lifting, Stephanie Smith, Chief Policy Enforcement Officer at the Agency of Agriculture. They have both worked hard for months to put together the draft rule for all Vermont hemp stakeholders to carefully consider and respond to.  

I'll be back soon with analysis. If Vermont is home, and hemp is your life, spend time getting to know the proposed rules that will frame the future of Hemp Vermont. Then, PLEASE post your comments and questions below, or reach me at <netaka"at"takabouthemp.com>. What do you think?
]]><![CDATA[Don't Lose Access To CBD, Call Now.]]>Thu, 28 Feb 2019 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.takabouthemp.com/blog-index/dont-lose-access-to-cbd-call-now“One thing we have to realize from now on is that it doesn't matter if this is a dream or not. Survival depends on what we do, not what we think.” 
― Rebecca McKinsey, Anterria​

Action

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In a previous post I was ringing the bell; from Maine to New York City, CBD hemp oil and other CBD consumables are being embargoed, and these products are being sent back to their maker. That's not good for anyone.

Since then, similar actions were taken in Ohio and other jurisdictions. Now, North Carolina has issued warning letters to CBD manufactures in that state, again citing FDA's statement on the issue. At least NC sent a warning, but the blockade is coming folks.
​
​Let's be clear, these actions against hemp are being taken by state and local agencies, not the FDA. However, those states are taking the FDA's position; that CBD should not be used as a supplement because of a federal patent. It is not because CBD is found to be unsafe.

In Vermont, we're fortunate that all hemp oversight is with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture (VAAFM). Vermont's Administration and its Ag Agency have stated repeatedly there's "no way" the punitive actions we saw in Maine, and elsewhere will happen here. That's an encouraging and protective stance right now towards Vermont's CBD growers and processors.
​
However, at the end of the day, it is the FDA and not Vermont Ag that is poised to put the brakes on our budding hemp industry.
Our Congressional delegation's DC offices are not hearing enough from those concerned about the FDA's stance on CBD. That's where you come in, good people everywhere. And to the businesses signing petitions to Congress and the FDA; thank you for getting on that.

However this situation calls for more, before FDA decides to shut the door on hemp extracts of CBD. We have to speak up now; kindly, clearly, and in large numbers.
Picture"I have a message for Bernie"
Everyone who has a stake in this, just a few short minutes to email or call your representatives today, will make a huge difference.
​
Sen. Leahy and Sanders especially want to hear from us. And as Vermont's own presidential candidate, Bernie needs to take a stand for hemp.
 
​It's important to call direct to the DC office. Here are the phone numbers and email links to Vermont's representatives:

Talking Points

To make it really easy, here are the key point to draw from when you speak with the staffer that answers the phone. Or hey, just copy and paste this prepared text into an email! Or provide your own. However you do it, the key issue is this: ​
We must strongly urge our members of Congress to move the FDA to issue regulations that authorize the use of CBD in food, beverages, and dietary supplements.
  • We must urge the FDA to allow dual classification of CBD as both a drug (which the FDA approved for Epidiolex in 2018) and as a Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) dietary supplement. 
​​ ​​
  • ​CBD is not listed under any UN drug control treaties, and the World Health Organization has recommended that CBD remain unscheduled.
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Vermont’s hemp and CBD industry has grown rapidly in the last few years. Dozens of new and expanding companies, and hundreds of farms are involved.

The majority of Vermont’s 400+ registered hemp farms and business are producing CBD, a compound for which the World Health Organization found no risk of toxicity or dependence. 
​​
  • Vermont's struggling dairies and other farmers are taking a strong interest in growing hemp for CBD. Vermont’s rural economy depends on these farms and businesses succeeding.
 
  • Unless the FDA classifies CBD as a dietary supplement (as it has for other herbs, etc), the businesses providing these hemp extracts, which 1000s of Vermonters use daily, will be at a high risk of shutting down.
​

Remember to take your CBD

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As seen on Etsy - click image

This FDA business can be stressful, for sure. Seems like we barely had time to celebrate the Farm Bill passage. ​​Just glad I have my Vermont made, high-quality hemp products to keep me healthy, relaxed, and energized. 
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​
Ok, here are those #s and email addresses again: ​
As always, your comments and questions are most welcome! Please chime in below. Made the calls, or took other action? Leave a comment.
]]><![CDATA[CBD, FDA and The Law. The Short Video You Need To See.]]>Tue, 26 Feb 2019 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.takabouthemp.com/blog-index/cbd-fda-and-the-law-the-short-video-you-need-to-see​"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad."
~ Aldous Huxley

Truth

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Klee Irwin, the founder of Irwin Naturals, has posted this valuable and concise explanation of where we stand right now with the status of hemp, CBD and the FDA. Klee deftly dissects the problem in his 14-minute video, and points the way forward for the hemp industry.

This short post ties in directly to my next one. Here, I want to let the video do the talking, it gives context and grounding to my fervor. 

​For those of us engaged with CBD as a farm or business especially, I can assure you, watching Irwin's talk is time well spent. Without further ado, or introduction...

But Before You Go...

I want to thank fellow blogger, attorney, and hemp and cannabis advocate from North Carolina, Rod Kight, over at Kight On Cannabis. Rod is insightful, much more prolific than I am, and always on message. Rod first drew my attention to Klee's video, and a number of other stories I follow and some I've passed along. Check him out.

As always, your comments and questions below are most welcome! 
]]><![CDATA[Maine Just Went Bonkers on CBD. Head's Up Everyone!]]>Thu, 07 Feb 2019 20:51:36 GMThttps://www.takabouthemp.com/blog-index/maine-just-went-bonkers-on-cbd-heads-up-everyone
“Action expresses priorities.”  ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Really?

PictureStaff photo by Ben McCanna, Portland Press Herald
[updated 2/9/2019] Maine has a big CBD problem. Last week, Maine’s Department of Health ordered all hemp derived CBD-infused edibles to be removed from store shelves.

​This week, their State House filled with dozens of hemp growers, processors and supporters to protest the crackdown on consumable CBD products. This is a painful and financially devastating situation for all those affected. Not to mention the uncertainty for 1000s of Mainers who rely on their daily dose of hemp oil.
 
As reported in the Portland Press Herald, Maine’s Department of Health has ordered that consumable products containing cannabidiol, or CBD, must be removed from stores, even though they are derived from legal hemp. CBD salves and smoking products are exempt, and only medical cannabis dispensaries can market CBD oils and tinctures.

At least one Vermont (CBD) processor has been told by their customer in Maine to take back their Vermont products as a result of the crackdown. This is getting serious, and very close to home.
What's bugging Maine's Health Department is a Dec. 2018 FDA Press Announcement, stating that CBD is not a federally approved food additive or health supplement. Really? A 2018 World Health Organization report sends an entirely different message, that "No public health problems have been associated with CBD use."

If this were about 'consumer safety', well folks, we're talking about the natural extracts of a plant that humankind has been using safely for 10,000 years. FDA is seriously late in figuring this one out. 

The same FDA press statement offers clues they might be trying to get their act together stating, "In view of the proliferation of products containing...cannabis-derived substances, the FDA will advance new steps to better define our public health obligations in this area". Okay, let's get on that! 

A Congressional call and response

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I reached out to Senator Leahy's office today. After speaking with Tom Berry, Sen. Leahy's Director of Ag policy in Vermont, I concluded there's a lot they, or we don't know right now about the FDA's next steps. Not for lack of trying.

​For the Vermonters reading this, Sen. Leahy, Sen. Sanders, and Congressman Welch's offices are all coordinating on this issue. In the last 24 hours they have reached out (again) to their points of contact at FDA.  They are speaking to state officials in Maine, sharing notes with other Senators' offices from Kentucky to Oregon. They're trying to get answers about how far FDA is going to push this.
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FDA, for their part, has been largely unresponsive to requests for information from Senate leaders.

What Mr. Berry most wanted to convey was, "We're definitely concerned ... and we're working to have more information before the weekend."

(update: "more information" came the following day. Erica Campbell, Bernie's head of Ag Policy in Vermont, explained that the Vermont delegation (Leahy, Sanders, Welch) are drafting a joint statement to the FDA to incite them to sort this out quickly.

Other states with robust hemp programs are also penning joint congressional statements to FDA this week (KY, CO, OR...). It's a good time to let our congressional offices hear from us that we want them to engage with FDA on this.

We also heard from Cary Giguere, Vermont Agency of Agriculture's head of the Hemp Registry, that a conference call is scheduled for the week of Feb. 11. The call is with Vermont's Agency of Ag, the Vermont Congressional delegation and an FDA deputy to try to get some clarity on FDA's next steps.
 
Several states (not Vermont) influenced by FDA's Dec. 2018 Press Announcement, are justifying draconian actions against CBD products and suppliers. Instead of breaking up the supply of hemp for people using it every day for relief, shouldn't those state agencies taking actions against CBD be questioning FDA's "...public health obligations in this area."?

Giguere spoke to VTDigger on Feb. 8th, saying there’s “no chance” the Vermont Agency of Ag., which regulates hemp and its products, will take similar action (as Maine Health Dept. has against CBD sales).
Our members of Congress have staff who are happy to take your call. Your local elected representatives would love to hear from you.... and state Agencies, let's be sure we're communicating with each other.
​
This is a developing and dynamic situation. Stay engaged.  Something Ms. Campbell said that stuck with me, "Call your Senator and Representative's office. Don't assume they already know, tell them you are concerned. It takes just a minute".
]]><![CDATA[Draft Hemp Rules Under The Lens of Vermont Hemp Business Leaders]]>Fri, 25 Jan 2019 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.takabouthemp.com/blog-index/draft-hemp-rules-under-the-lens-of-vermont-hemp-business-leaders​“If you want to be incrementally better: Be competitive. If you want to be exponentially better: Be cooperative.” --- anonymous

Regulate me

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Last week, representatives from a dozen Vermont businesses, UVM, and state government met around the table to talk hemp.

From my point of view, it was an event of historic significance, twenty-three years in the making. 

We were invited to Montpelier to offer our initial feedback on a "preview" version of the (soon to be released) draft Rule that will guide the new Vermont hemp registry program. The rule, constructed over the last several months, establishes the registration and quality control platform for the state's hemp growers and processors.

​The goal of the rulemaking process, led by the Agency of Agriculture (VAAFM), has been to clearly define the regulatory framework and product safety guidelines around which our state's federally compliant hemp program is to be built.

Gary Giguere, our host and a VAAFM Section Chief, along with his colleague, Stephanie Smith, Chief Hemp Policy Enforcement Officer, opened the 3-hour meeting and helped set the stage for the group.
"... the face of Vermont agriculture is changing. And we believe that hemp is going to have a role in that (change)." ~ Cary Giguere, Vermont Agency of Agriculture
A common theme expressed by all those in attendance, is that to usher in this change and assure the long-term viability of hemp agriculture and manufacturing, the industry must maintain a strong commitment to product excellence, the environment, and consumer safety.
​
We also accept, and in fact welcome the Agency of Agriculture's role as the principal regulator of this new industry. Yes, you heard that right.
 
The official draft rule we’re anxious to see finalized is due to be submitted in a few weeks, starting the clock on a full public comment period. Vermont stakeholders will then have a month to review the draft and provide their input, or suggest changes before the rules or "state plan" are finalized.

Hemp growers and processors in each state with an active hemp program are engaged in a similar process. Once each state plan is finalized, they head to the USDA for review and approval. 

Many in the state see hemp as arguably Vermont's newest and most promising agricultural resource. Hemp grows well in the Green Mountain State. And being such a versatile crop, it has many applications across multiple sectors of the economy; from farming to food, and home construction to medicine. 

Recent innovations using hemp fiber and hurd also include the production of carbon nanosheet capacitors, bio-plastics and composites, 3D-printer filaments, and oil absorbent materials (to name just a few).

So with all this potential, it might seem odd that many hemp businesses are almost eager in their anticipation of new regulations. But that's exactly what's happening, especially due to the meteoric rise of Vermont's hemp-CBD products sector.
Picture© Luce Farm CBD, Vermont
The reason for this explosion? It's a perfect storm created by (a) Vermont's Act 143; which requires revamping the state's hemp registration program, (b) passage of the 2018 Farm Bill that overturned 50 years of hemp prohibition, and (c) the boom in the number of Vermont farms, businesses and customers embracing hemp-CBD (whose use is attributed to the relief of many persistent health problems.)

Building the Vermont Brand of Quality Hemp Products

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Test and Verify. The message is loud and clear from Vermont CBD and hemp food producers, farmers, and the end consumer; we only win in the hemp marketplace when our products and practices are held to the highest standard. That standard must include the appropriate methods, tests, verification and labeling for - 
  1. THC compliance,
  2. product purity, and
  3. verified potency.

It all starts in the soil, where Vermont farms have the opportunity to promote and capitalize on their certified Organic bona fides.  Organic practices build healthy soils and ecosystems, protect water quality and worker safety, and ensure that nothing artificial goes into or ends up in the finished product.

It is this author's opinion (not necessarily the consensus of Vermont hemp producers) that USDA Organic certification is Step 1 in the 3rd-party verification process that's needed to ensure and promote the Vermont brand of quality hemp products. I'm not asserting this as a requirement, but it would strengthen the value proposition. For sure.
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Clear consensus by the group on the pre-draft rule was expressed in several key areas during the hemp stakeholders' meeting. Here are a few of the most compelling features of the upcoming draft rule that the group weighed in on: 
  1. Farmers and growers producing hemp, whether for CBD or grain must follow practices and testing protocols to ensure raw material leaving their fields is within the federal limit for THC (currently that's </= 0.3 percent Delta-9 THC by dry weight).
  2. ​Additional testing and verification is necessary to safeguard the crop from mold, heavy metals, or other contaminants.
  3. Clear chain of custody documentation, including lot and batch code tracking is essential. Where along the chain of custody from field to finished product this occurs is a topic of discussion. But there is universal agreement that these steps, and responsibilities need to be clearly defined within the plan
Much will be said and written in the coming weeks about the rulemaking process for establishing Vermont's federally compliant hemp registry program.

I wanted to get a jump on it, by highlighting key areas of interest among Vermont hemp CBD and food businesses. We expect the draft rule will be released before the end of February. I hope this article will inspire others to take an active role in the public comment period, once the draft hemp rule is in circulation. Stay tuned.

As always, your comments and questions are most welcome! Please chime in below.

Credits

Aerial photo of CBD field, ©Luce Farm, Stockbridge, Vermont. Click here to check Luce Farm's online CBD apothecary.
]]><![CDATA[Ready to experience stunning hemp-CBD plants at home? Let’s Grow It!]]>Thu, 24 Jan 2019 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.takabouthemp.com/blog-index/ready-to-experience-stunning-hemp-cbd-plants-at-home-lets-grow-it
“Let us declare Nature to be legitimate. The notion of illegal plants is obnoxious and ridiculous in the first place.”   ~ Terence McKenna

Mama Tried

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​Hey Vermont. Spring is just around the corner, and it's time to make plans for growing hemp at home. CBD anyone? I'm offering a workshop in Middlebury to help you get started.

When this journey began I was a younger man, a good stretch before hemp and CBD had made the scene. 
​
​I’ve been an organic gardener for as long as I can remember; food, flowers, herbs, fruit trees, you name it. As a kid in Oregon in the 1970’s - before eradication teams and drones, a little grass in the garden was pretty common. My mom had two plants that grew behind the pole beans. No big whoop. ​
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Then ​a friend visiting from Maui ('75,'76?) taught some of us how to grow unpollinated female flowers -  from great big sticky plants. What a concept! Talk about a culture shift. Well, I showed mom and she said it was a big improvement over the previous summer.

I didn't imagine that one day I’d use the same techniques to grow all varieties of cannabis legally, and offer a workshop on the cultivation of this gorgeous and enigmatic plant. 
 
The idea of hosting a workshop to share cultivation techniques seized me in August last year and wouldn't let go. I had an epiphany; as our budding hemp plants shimmered in the late summer sun and the heady aroma filled the air, the plants spoke to me. I know, I know what you're thinking... but they really did.
 
What struck me is there's so much to enjoy about the whole process from seed to harvest; the plants are that beautiful, and the rewards are many ~ I wanted more of my friends and neighbors to be able to experience this for themselves. 

Now as adults, we are finally free to choose. What I mean is, the methods to grow hemp CBD flowers are the same you'd use to grow high-grade THC cannabis plants. If that's your thing.

Is it really legal to grow hemp, or even marijuana in Vermont?

The answer is an emphatic, Yes! ​And there are a few things you need to know in either case.

Since legal cultivation of hemp and adult use of cannabis/marijuana in Vermont is still so new, I've addressed many of the questions you may have about legal and other issues here and here (scroll around to find the sections you're looking for.)

​Many of you reading this already know the joy and fulfillment - and the savings (!) - of what I’m talking about. I also suspect there are many other adults in my home state, for whom this would be a whole new encounter. Well, you're in good company.

I understand some of you may have reservations about growing because this is still so new. I get that. It’s my hope that by offering this workshop to gardeners in a supportive and social setting, it will overcome any lingering doubts. 
Not to mention, the deep satisfaction you'll experience, and the money you'll save by growing your CBD at home.

If you’re familiar with the therapeutic benefits of the cannabis plant, and there are many, and you love to garden, you should definitely consider growing this year.

Grow It! now

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Starting on February 12, in Middlebury, I’m offering the first in a series of Grow It! Workshops. Other dates so far are Feb 19 and March 5th.

​The workshop is a fun and informative way to learn to grow outdoor CBD-hemp or adult use cannabis at home.

Is the workshop for you? 

I've organized the workshop as a 3-hour intensive evening class, and as long as you’re 21 years or up, it’s open to everyone, but space is limited. No prior cannabis cultivation experience is necessary.

​However, since the purpose of the class is to teach how to grow stunning cannabis plants, and not “how to garden”, the Grow It! Workshop is geared for the experienced gardener.
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If you're not sure how to get started, who to ask, or what you need to grow awe-inspiring, high potency plants, this workshop is for you. ​At the end of the class you'll have the skills and confidence you need to start growing outdoors this spring, for a bountiful and fragrant fall harvest.
​
By the way, come late summer as your plants are getting bigger and prettier, and the flowers are well formed and fragrant, I’ll hold a follow-up workshop on pollinating for next year's seeds, and making tinctures and other extracts at home. The fun never stops! 

There are many great ways for creating therapeutic products in your kitchen. Extracts will take you “beyond smoking”, and will introduce you to safe and consistent means of ingestion and dosage using readily available ingredients.
I hope this article helps by providing some background of my experience, and what you can expect from the Grow It! Workshop. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out and I'll get right back to you. Use the link(s) below.

In closing, can you help me spread the word, by sharing this post with your friends and followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or email? 

Thanks so much, and I hope to see you in class!
]]><![CDATA[6 Ways the New Farm Bill Benefits Hemp Producers. And 1 Downer.]]>Fri, 04 Jan 2019 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.takabouthemp.com/blog-index/6-ways-the-new-farm-bill-benefits-hemp-producers-and-1-downer
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”   ~ Lao Tzu

Dawn

Picture© Lily Hill CBD, Vermont
The buzz you hear around the 2018 Farm Bill, that's the sound of the hemp industry coming alive.

It is an exciting and historic development that the 2018 Farm Bill removes hemp (i.e., Cannabis sativa containing 0.3% THC dry weight or less) from the federal list of controlled substances. This forever redefines hemp as an agricultural commodity.

State Agencies of Agriculture are staffing up; they will play the part of local rule-maker, regulator and enforcer.

​The rise of innovation, production, and sales of hemp and hemp products is upon us. As America's newest ag-based economy gears up, we celebrate hemp's reformed legal status. Unfortunately, we can't yet cheer its complete emancipation. 
We've come a long (long) way, and not to take anything from the epic drive that got us here, hemp is still going to be a highly regulated crop in the wake of the 2018 Farm Bill. 

Game Changer

For years, hemp insiders have been playing the long game to legalize hemp. And then in mid 2018 came a surge; when US Sen. Mitch McConnell inserted language from “his” 2018 Hemp Farming Act into the Farm Bill. This was the path forward to reach the elusive goal of hemp legalization. And it was anything but clear-cut.
 
The US House and Senate played back and forth Farm Ball all year long. Well into the 4th quarter (of 2018), it began to look like Congress would run out the clock on the $867 billion legislation.
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By November, suspense was building around this 807 page behemoth that included - as a footnote - hemp’s future as an ag commodity.

​Following a year of incessant gridlock in DC, and the threat of yet another government shutdown, you just had to ask yourself, “How’s It Going To End?”
​And then, wow, Merry Christmas! We got a Farm Bill and a partial government shutdown. Hemp industry players and elected officials celebrated (the Farm Bill, that is), while Congress pointed fingers at each other over the shutdown. And everyone headed home for the holidays.
 
Truth is, when hemp was finally dropped from the Most Wanted list of dangerous drugs, it wasn't so much a surprise for the hemp industry as it was a cause for great relief and jubilee. Hallelujah!

[author's note: Not sure how a non-psychoactive plant made it on the Most Wanted list in the first place? Click here to find out.]
What does the Farm Bill actually do for hemp agriculture, research and product development in the U.S.? A lot, it turns out.
I've identified seven key provisions in the new law that will have an immediate and lasting impact on the growth of the US Hemp industry. Unfortunately, one of them leaves a lot of people out.

There are several other administrative rules not covered below. If you're up for it, you can dive into the deep-end here. 

Are we ready? Let’s take a closer look.

First the Good News

#1 – ALL parts of the cannabis hemp plant are now legal
Picture© Healthyonhemp.com
​​The 2018 Farm Bill establishes a clearly defined and broad definition of hemp that covers all parts of the Cannabis plant, whether growing or not. This includes the viable seeds, "extracts", "derivatives", "cannabinoids", etc., as long as THC levels do not exceed 0.3% by dry weight.
 
Since cannabinoids are included in the definition of hemp, it is 100% clear that hemp-derived CBD is not a controlled substance. However, CBD products and producers are still subject to FDA regulations, and the 2018 Farm Bill doesn’t change that. (More on CBD and the FDA coming up).
#2 – Funding hemp businesses just got a whole lot easier.
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​With hemp removed from the Controlled Substances Act, the change in hemp’s status will mean that federally regulated institutions such as banks, merchant services, e-commerce sites and even advertising platforms (i.e., Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) - are now free to engage commercially with hemp product companies. The money is on the table.
 
In addition, the Farm Bill paves the way for the USDA to award federal grants for hemp research and the development of hemp products. We can expect to see land grant universities and other educational institutions that access federal funds taking more interest in supporting hemp R&D.
#3 – The USDA is now the sole federal agency to oversee hemp cultivation. State organized programs just ahead.
​Good-bye Drug Enforcement Agency, you never belonged here in the first place.

The States and Tribal governments now have the responsibility of regulating hemp production and the sale of hemp products within their boundaries (in conjunction with USDA oversight).
  1. States may not alter the definition of hemp,
  2. States will have the right to impose more stringent requirements if they choose,
  3. States are not permitted to enact policies that are less restrictive.
Fellow Vermonters:
Click HERE for 2019 Hemp Registration
Click HERE for "What the 2018 Farm Bill means for VT Hemp Growers"
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Within a year, all States who propose to foster the research, cultivation and marketing of hemp are required to submit their plan for regulating their programs to the USDA.
 
Alternatively, States may choose to adopt USDA’s criteria “to monitor and regulate” hemp production within that State, rather than draft their own plan. 

​Thus, a producer in a State that doesn’t have a hemp plan could legally grow hemp by obtaining a USDA hemp license (unless the State has prohibited hemp cultivation).
 
A State plan, and/or the USDA hemp program plan, must include:

  1. A way to keep track of land where hemp is produced within the state;
  2. Methods the state will use to test how much THC is in hemp plants;
  3. A way to dispose of plants or products that have a higher THC concentration than is legally allowed;
  4. A procedure for inspecting hemp producers;
  5. A plan for enforcing the law;
  6. A system for dissemination of a hemp producer’s information to the USDA; and
  7. Assurances that the state has the resources to carry out the plan.
#4 – Hemp is now eligible for federal Crop Insurance. 
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​This is huge. The 2018 Farm Bill adds hemp to the definition of “agricultural commodities” that can be insured, including after the crop has been harvested.  Hemp crops grown for research are also insurable, under a provision that waives marketability requirements for the insured crop. These provisions give the farmer a familiar 'vehicle' to reduce various risks of taking on a new crop, which removes a significant barrier to entry.
#5 – Hemp and agricultural hemp products can be transported freely in the US.
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​All restrictions to interstate commerce of hemp or hemp products have been removed. The 2018 Farm Bill prohibits any state from interfering with the legal trade or transportation of cannabis hemp in the U.S. This is true whether a particular state has an active hemp pilot program or not.
 
For instance, Ohio doesn’t allow for the production of hemp in their state (I'm not picking on Ohio, but it's true). So in the case of hemp seeds, flowers, stalk, or products being transported through the state ... Ohio State Troopers stand down.
#6 - THC occurring in hemp is excluded from the definition of a controlled substance. 
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​Section 12619 (p. 529) of the Farm Bill not only removes hemp from the definition of “marihuana” (sic), it also excludes THC in hemp from the definition of a controlled substance. Interesting.
 
Interpreting this section brings up a variety of questions and potential complications. For instance, if you are a CBD processor who is creating an isolate from a high-CBD variety of hemp, aren't you also building a supply of naturally occurring, concentrated THC as a ‘by-product”?

This rule sounds complicated for the CBD processor, who would now possess isolated THC that is by definition, not a controlled substance.

However, last time I checked, THC from any other source is a controlled substance. This provision should lead to some curious developments. Stay tuned.

Bummer, Man

#7 – Persons with prior felony convictions need not apply
​Individuals with prior felony convictions involving a controlled substance must wait 10-years following the date of their felony conviction, before being permitted to participate in hemp production. 
 
Make no mistake, this is a punitive act on a lot of good people who are going to be left out until it’s remedied. These men and women who have already done the time, have every right to participate in the growth of a legal industry involving an agricultural commodity.

I predict this provision will soon be challenged, or taken up and amended in future legislation. Let’s hope so.
 
There is one exemption; that is, anyone with a prior drug felony who was participating in legal hemp production before the 2018 Farm Bill took effect, is off the hook from the 10-year restriction and will be “grandfathered” into the new program(s).
 
But if the "exempted individual" registered in their state's hemp program practices "willful negligence” - they are thrown out of the hemp producers club for good.

Why is it the law is still treating hemp as a gateway drug, and hemp growers as potential dope dealers? Sounds like the DC law enforcement lobby is paranoid. What are they smoking down there?

References & Credits

  1. Lily Hill CBD: www.lilyhillcbd.com/
  2. Farm Bill Full text: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-115hr2enr/pdf/BILLS-115hr2enr.pdf
  3. Full text of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Farm Bill) with Joint Explanatory Statement(s) of the 'Conference Committee': https://www.votehemp.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/FarmBill-CRPT-115hrpt1072.pdf
  4. Hemp Farming act – McConnell POLITICO https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/08/04/mcconnell-comer-legalize-hemp-marijuana-kentucky-219156
  5. Washington Post article: Farm Bill: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/12/11/congresss-billion-farm-bill-is-out-heres-whats-it/?utm_term=.42538d1a35d8
  6. Brookings article: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/12/14/the-farm-bill-hemp-and-cbd-explainer/
  7. Uses of Hemp Infographic: https://healthyonhemp.com/what-is-hemp-used-for/​​
  8. Image hemp bales By Hg marigny - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14636012
    ​
]]><![CDATA[Hemp Spoken Here]]>Fri, 28 Dec 2018 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.takabouthemp.com/blog-index/hemp-spoken-here
“Today, not starting is far, far worse than being wrong."  ~Seth Godin

Hello friends, hello world. [inaugural post and manifesto]

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For a while now, hemp has been on my mind. It's also in our garden, and all around the house. Seems like it's everywhere you look!

You see it on shelves. It's growing on farms. It's in my food, my body, my bloodstream. It's in our jeans. For some, it's contagious. It's really here, and it's not going away.
  
Hemp has such charisma, such a vibrant history. People all around the world speak of hemp with great affection: Cannabis, Konopli, Kender, Chanvre, Cañamo, Canapa, Hampa, Nasha, Ta-Ma, Hanf, Asa, Ma. 

​Hemp spoken here is a way of saying, "we speak the same language".  This language is energizing our culture right now, and that's something I'm excited to explore with you.

​My name is Netaka, or Tak (hint; sounds like "tock"). I’ve been close friends with hemp for a number of years; as an early adopter, merchant and entrepreneur, storyteller, hemp grower, and still a true believer.
​I’m launching Tak About Hemp to delve into the American Hemp Experience. We're not a "news site", more like a platform where we explore what's shaping hemp culture;  the events, people, and products, as well as hemp policies, production & processing techniques. We engage in heady commentary, and discuss what's working ~ or what's not, so that hemp in the U.S. can reach its full potential. ​
Picture 2015 Crop, Waitsfield, Vermont
Vermont has been my home for some time. Hemp is woven into Vermont's history, it's now clearly part of our future.

Because there's a lot of hemp activity in my home state, I make sure to dedicate resources and share stories on this site with a distinctly Vermont focus. 

My hope is others will find this information useful as well (even if spoken in a Vermont dialect!), and that you'll be able to adapt it to meet your needs.
The end of hemp prohibition is only the beginning.

Now that this crop is a legal agricultural commodity, the growth of new networks and markets for hemp production will intensify. So will natural fiber, food and medicine innovations. I really don’t think that’s hyperbole. I’ve seen what hemp can do; it’s that good.

​The time is now to set our sights on 1,000,000 acres of US hemp by 2022 for food, fiber, energy, and medicine. The million acres I'm visualizing are grown without genetic engineering. They're cultivated with other rotation crops in healthy soils, with minimal inputs, and opportunities for all size stakeholders. Let's do the very best we can.
​"Start with a 'Yes', and see where that takes you" ~ Tina Fey
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Image courtesy of Vote Hemp

Make Change Happen

As I write, I'm also on the lookout for other practitioners who want to share their stories here ~ in their own words. I think the more we communicate about what we're learning, and how and where it applies, the sooner the changes we want (and need) to see happen, will come. 

I’m thrilled that we’re connecting. 
Tell me, what about the American hemp experience is important to you? What are your questions and concerns? What isn’t getting covered like it should? Where do we want to go, and then how do we go further?
It’s not too difficult to feel really positive about the future of hemp right now. Are your sleeves rolled up? Let’s get to it.
]]><![CDATA[A Short Version of the Long History of the Cannabis Plant]]>Wed, 26 Dec 2018 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.takabouthemp.com/blog-index/hemp-prohibition-is-finally-over-yes-this-is-a-really-big-deal
"History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes."  ~ Anonymous

Once upon a time..

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Early people and their animals followed the moving and migrating herds northeast through Africa. They settled into the hills and valleys of the fertile north in what is now central Asia. The people began farming for food and sustenance, they learned new ways of life.  They had time together in one place to create culture (from the Latin colere; to tend, cultivate). 

Generations passed, and in a low smokey tent on the steppes a tribal woman spun Cannabis fibers; twisting them into cordage, weaving them into coverings for her feet, making rope to hold animals.

Hemp was grown with the very earliest cultivated crops. The 10,000-year-old remnants she left behind establish the oldest known physical link to tending and working with Cannabis.

In the very spots where culture bloomed, there were cattle and crops. And there was cannabis. True story. Pretty sure there's a connection there.                       
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Just think of it, humans had their hands on hemp before the invention of the wheel,
Hemp products were trending throughout Mesopotamia...

And the last glaciers in North America were polishing the ridgelines of Vermont, and leaving us Cape Cod, Nantucket and the Maine coast. 

​
​Oh, and the Vikings used hemp.
​
​As did Betsy Ross, most of the "founding fathers", Abraham Lincoln, and Henry Ford. 

Your Great Great Grandmother Used Cannabis

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Since the Jamestown Settlement in the early 1600’s, hemp crops and a wide variety of hemp seed and fiber products had been staples of American society, agriculture, and commerce. 

​By the mid 19th century, use of cannabis as a medicine was on the rise. 

​Then beginning around 1907 and for the next thirty years, US laws were enacted to restrict the availability and use of all 'narcotics', including cannabis (which isn't one!).

​By the 1930’s, cannabis/hemp was still quite fashionable and functional, utilized for everything from fine table linens, to canvas, ropes and sailcloth.
 
Its popularity also extended to the prescription extracts made by the likes of Eli Lilly and Parke Davis. By this time, pharmacies became the only ones allowed to sell cannabis extracts, tinctures, or "other narcotic preparations”, and they required a doctor's prescription.
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In the US, for nearly 100 years ​cannabis tinctures were routinely used to help treat - 
  • muscle spasms,
  • stomach cramps,
  • chronic pain,
  • sleep disorders,
  • as well as melancholia, migraines and other maladies.

​The popular medicines were always prescribed and labeled simply using the name of the plant from which the extract was derived, Cannabis. 

Reefer Madness, Racism and The Captains of Industry

PictureMexican immigration. ©American Social History Project
In a word, what drove Congress to a frenzy in the 1930’s when Reefer Madness swept through the land, was the spread of a new slang term for hemp and cannabis; marihuana (sic).

The exact origin of the word is still hazy, but it arrived in America as the Mexican Revolution was boiling over. 

​During the 1920's, tens of thousands of Mexican immigrants per year crossed our border to escape violence and poverty in their country, and seek new opportunity in the United States.

​By the mid 1930s, anti-immigration sentiment was in full swing. This new term “marihuana” (eventually giving way to its modern spelling, marijuana), gave the punch to prohibition, and became the word du jour of the mainstream press for any story relating to cannabis.
 
Adopting this unusual and scary sounding word, the prohibitionists created an effective smoke screen (or bomb), and the demonization of Cannabis sativa was complete. All that was needed now was a new prohibition law.
PictureAnslinger's 1937 report, and later a propaganda film
​The notorious drug warrior, Harry J. Anslinger was history’s choice to lead the nations' drug eradication effort by introducing the Marihuana Tax Act in 1937.
 
Commissioner Anslinger, a master of politics and opposition marketing, provided the fuel that was needed to drive the Marihuana Tax Act home. 

During the House hearing on the Act and the national marijuana prohibition, Anslinger testified vehemently.  He pinned the “marijuana menace" on people of color, “deviants, and foreigners”. And the elected white men just nodded their heads.
PictureHarry J. Anslinger, ©Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
They hastily pushed the Marihuana Tax Act through the sparsely attended committee hearings. The press finished Anslinger’s public relations efforts for him without complaint.

​
Enabled by a complicit Congress - It was social intolerance, racial aggression and the war on drugs that led the culture to turn against cannabis.
It's often been assumed that the DuPonts, Mellons, the Hearsts, and other industrialists feared hemp as a competitor, and created the law(s) or colluded with Congress to drive hemp out of business.

The Captains of Industry certainly did their part in supporting the national prohibition campaign, but the record doesn't support a well-coordinated conspiracy by the fiber and petrochemical tycoons.

In large part, the economics of hemp production in the 20th century, as well as its inherent properties as a natural fiber, made it a weak competitor against the new petro-based fibers and fuels.

Nonetheless, we can be sure the passage of the Marihuana Tax Act met with the industrialists’ approval, secured their dominion, and helped perpetuate the status quo. 

Hemp Industry's Last Stand. The American Medical Association Fights Back! 

The US hemp industry players (mostly seed producers) were blindsided when the Marihuana Tax Act was introduced. Their representatives, rightfully alarmed, sped to Washington to testify against the bill, or request exemptions (they succeeded only in keeping sterilized hemp bird seed from the definition of marijuana).
​
Ironically, the largest organized opposition to the Tax Act was not from the hemp producers of the day, it was presented by the American Medical Association (AMA).
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The American Medical Association lobbied against the Marihuana Tax Act on behalf of their business members:
  • Those responsible for cultivating and manufacturing cannabis for medical purposes,
  • The physicians prescribing cannabis,
  • And the retail pharmacists selling those prescriptions to the patients.

The Chief Counsel to the AMA testified before the House committee hearing on the national marijuana prohibition saying, "The American Medical Association knows of no evidence that marijuana is a dangerous drug."
 
Regardless, the hearings ended swiftly on May 4, 1937. The Marihuana Tax Act was passed in August, and signed into law by President Roosevelt. It went into effect on October 1, 1937.
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The Act alone did not make medical cannabis or hemp products illegal. But the events of eighty-one years ago set up hemp to become a national casualty of the 1st World War on Drugs.

All growers and handlers of medical cannabis and hemp products were now subject to large fees, new licensing requirements, extensive paperwork, and fines or possible imprisonment if not paid.
PictureHemp harvest in Wisconsin, circa 1942
Prior to the Tax Act, hemp producers were already challenged with tight operating margins.

Thus, it was the added economic and administrative weight of the Tax Act -  and the availability of new, cheap synthetic fibers - that squeezed the oxygen out of hemp production in this country. 

Except for a brief period during World War II, when the Department of Agriculture recruited American farmers to "Grow Hemp for Victory!" - the federal government has upheld the prohibition on hemp.
​ 
Then in 1970, passage of the Controlled Substances Act took whatever hemp or cannabis had left, and put them in a coma. ​
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Tak's References and credits-12.26.18

  1. https://www.britannica.com/place/Mesopotamia-historical-region-Asia
  2. http://origins.osu.edu/article/illegalization-marijuana-brief-history
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5312634/
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_medical_cannabis#Ancient_Egypt
  5. https://beyondthc.com/senate-debates-marijuana-prohibition-july-12-1937/
  6. https://definitions.uslegal.com/m/marijuana-tax-act%20/
  7. https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-marijuana-tax-act-of-1937.html
  8. https://herb.ashp.cuny.edu/exhibits/show/mexican-immigration
  9. https://blogs.loc.gov/kluge/2015/03/the-history-of-mexican-immigration-to-the-u-s-in-the-early-20th-century
  10. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4138437
  11. https://www.redhousebooks.com/galleries/assassin.htm
  12. ​http://druglibrary.net/olsen/DPF/whitebread06.html
  13. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/07/14/201981025/the-mysterious-history-of-marijuana
  14. ​http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/12/14/weed-all-about-ittheoriginsofthewordamarijuanaaintheus.html
  15. https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/boor-on-drugs
  16. Alison Mack; Janet Joy (7 December 2000). Marijuana As Medicine?: The Science Beyond the Controversy. National Academies Press. pp. 15–. ISBN 978-0-309-06531-3.
  17. https://pixabay.com
  18. ​https://www.vecteezy.com
]]><![CDATA[Hug Your Local Hempster]]>Mon, 24 Dec 2018 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.takabouthemp.com/blog-index/hug-your-local-hempster
"Dear God, thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy." 
​~ Maya Angelou

Hands together now.

Picture©donkeyhotey
As they say at the beginning of all the big events, "Before we get started, there are some people we'd like to thank."

There are so many people that contributed to end hemp prohibition, so that we can start the transitional move to regulation.

I particularly admire these individuals and groups with their longevity, their passion, and the drip.drip.drip of persistent effort toward the goal of legalized hemp. 

So here is my very short shout-out list. Which is silly of course, because we could easily fill volumes with each person's unique contribution to the cause.
The ones who've carried the torch certainly include the members of the Hemp Industries Association and their current president, Joy Beckerman, the US Hemp Roundtable, and the National Hemp Association. 

In my observation, no single group deserves as much credit for last week's Farm Bill victory for hemp than the folks at Vote Hemp and their President; hemp pioneer and long-serving advocate, Eric Steenstra.

Thank you all.

It took years to build support for hemp legalization in Congress. U.S. Senators Wyden and Merkley, both from Oregon, were early co-sponsors of the Hemp Farming Act of 2018, which eventually became the framework for declassifying hemp as a controlled substance. 

Merkley and Wyden have both been consistently outspoken on hemp legalization in the Senate. Governor Jared Polis of Colorado (and former U.S. Congressman) built the foundation for hemp in the House. Patrick Leahy, our senior Senator from Vermont, has also held firm in his support since co-sponsoring the 2018 hemp amendment in the Farm Bill.

Will you join me now, by putting our hands together for each of the many women and men who’ve lobbied hard (for years before Moscow Mitch McConnell caught on and took credit) and persevered through this long fight to end hemp prohibition. They all deserve a standing ovation. ​And a hug.
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PictureHappy Author
As the blogosphere, the online news channels and hemp businesses around the country have been filing their stories on this historic occasion... ​​​

​Imagine my delight that the end of hemp prohibition coincides with the launch of this blog, Tak About Hemp.

​Just glad to Be. Here. Now.
]]><![CDATA[Hemp Hooray! The End of Prohibition. Finally.]]>Sat, 22 Dec 2018 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.takabouthemp.com/blog-index/hemp-hooray-the-end-of-prohibition-finally-part-1
"It's better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is always right". ~ Mark Twain

​Celebration. 

PicturePennsylvania Hemp
On Thursday December 20, 2018, with a stroke of the presidential pen, hemp prohibition is over.    
 
In last Thursday’s signing ceremony of the Farm Bill, hemp or Cannabis sativa with less than 0.3% THC, was officially removed from the nation’s list of controlled substances.
 
The Drug Enforcement Agency was compelled to surrender. Oversight of the US hemp industry now moves to the USDA and the individual states. The hemp provisions of the Act are effective immediately.
​
  • Today the hemp industry celebrates.   
  • Tomorrow we get to growing the American hemp experience within a fully legalized, although regulated framework.

​For a full reading of the changes affecting hemp in the “Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018”, click here
 
The end of hemp prohibition is arguably the most far-reaching opportunity in decades to affect family farms and rural communities. Not to mention the innovators and purveyors of food, fiber and medicinal products nationwide.

​Hemp's bright future awaits. Hang on! It's going to be a wild ride...

​Time To Right The Wrong

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Most of us in "the industry" know the long tale of hardship that humble hemp has endured since the mid-20th century.

However, if hemp is a new area of interest for you, maybe you're wondering; Why on earth was hemp a Schedule 1 drug in the first place? Since no one. Ever. Got high on hemp.​

Well for one thing, hemp wasn't criminalized overnight (we'll come back to that). It's taken 30 years of advocacy and education to overturn the eighty-one year old "mistake" that put a non-psychoactive plant on the nation's Most Wanted list of dangerous drugs

But first! Grab a chair, lean in close for just a few minutes while I share a tale...

...A tale that begins in antiquity. A tale infused with dark intrigue, heroes, villains, hope and redemption! ​​

​​CLICK HERE to continue
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