Hemp-derived THC beverages comprise one of the fastest-growing beverage categories in the United States right now. With Circle K and Target recently announcing market entry the industry is quickly reaching mainstream status and creating interest for more brands to enter the space. At the same time states across the country are quickly enacting legislation to regulate these products in vastly different ways, creating a unique set of challenges for early-stage companies.
Hemp Production on the Upswing – Is Intoxicating Hemp the Main Driver?
Hemp Production and Prices Increase
Earlier this year, hemp was included in the USDA’s Census of Agriculture. When hemp was first legalized in 2018, there was a boom in production under the fervor of new opportunities, spearheaded by the demand for CBD products. This resulted in over production and over supply. The CBD market was over-saturated within a growing season and hemp biomass prices plummeted, along with hemp production. More recently, however, hemp production has leveled out and is even increasing as reported by the USDA on April 17, 2024. As an example, prices for hemp outdoor-grown flower are up 35% and hemp clone and transplant prices are up 61%.
What’s in Your “THC Beverages”?
In November of last year, we wrote about how Total Wine & More jumped into the cannabis drinks arena in Minnesota. Since then (and probably before that), there’s been an influx of “THC Beverages” hitting the marketplace, and I don’t mean the state-licensed cannabis marketplace either. At this point, you can buy these drinks online or in person at a number of retail outlets and locations that don’t have any kind of state cannabis licensing at all (here’s one in Alabama, for example). How, you may be asking, is this legally possible and why are these libations picking up great speed with consumers?
Marijuana Venture: Are Cannabis Patent Filings Nearing a Freefall?
Husch Blackwell’s Matt Kamps and Andrea Shoffstall were recently published by Marijuana Ventures in an article where they review U.S. cannabis-centric patents and patent applications trends during the pandemic, which were granted and published at record numbers in 2021. However, early returns in 2022 suggest the numbers may take a dip for the first time
Steve Levine to speak at CannPack 2021
Cannabis Co-Leader Steve Levine is slated to provide an update on compliance for marijuana and hemp packaging at the Cannabis Packaging Conference in Anaheim, CA on August 11, 2021.
This presentation will provide a detailed update surrounding the challenges with import compliance for packaging related to marijuana and hemp and how to ensure compliance with
Over $1 Billion Raised by the Cannabis Industry
According to a prominent cannabis advisory firm, the cannabis industry raised over a $1 Billion in investment dollars in 2016. These investments included public companies on the TSXV (cultivation and extract company), NYSE (REIT) and NASDAQ (pharmaceutical company).
What does this mean?
Majority of large investments are going into real estate and pharmaceutical company – as
DEA Takes Steps to Increase the Number of Marijuana Cultivators to Manufacture Marijuana To Supply Researchers in the U.S.
On August 12, 2016, the DEA published a policy in the federal register (81 Fed. Reg. 53846) designed to increase the number of entities registered under the CSA to grow marijuana to supply legitimate researchers in the United States. The DEA has concluded that the best way to satisfy the current researcher demand for
Ninth Circuit ruling upholds Congress de-funding of DOJ enforcement actions against state-legal medical marijuana businesses
A favorable ruling from the Ninth Circuit in United States v. McIntosh is a reassuring win for the medical marijuana industry. This federal case concluded that § 542 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act prohibits DOJ from spending money on actions that prevent medical marijuana states giving practical effect to their state laws that authorize
Colorado General Assembly Makes it Easier for Out-of-State Investors to Provide Capital for Marijuana Businesses
On June 10, 2016, Governor Hickenlooper signed bill 16-040 which removes the Colorado two year residency requirement to obtain a marijuana business owner license, ultimately easing the burden for prospective out-of-state investors to become owners. The Colorado General Assembly’s intent in creating this bill was to provide marijuana businesses with the economic capabilities to grow
2016 Federal Budget Approved – State MMJ Programs and Industrial Hemp Provided Protection
President Obama approved the 2016 federal budget and it contained a prohibition that none of the funds made available to the Department of Justice may be used, with respect to any of the States that have state-legal medical marijuana programs, to prevent any of them from implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution,