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Hemp laws and regulations in Europe remain uncertain and variable. Much as in the USA, various jurisdictions apply different standards to the cultivation and use of industrial hemp.

The European Union recognizes industrial hemp as the plant Cannabis Sativa L with a THC content of 0.2% or less and there is strong support to increase that limit to 0.3%. While the increase is small, 0.3% is defaulting to the world standard even as some active groups and some countries, notably in Switzerland, a non-EU member, are permitting much higher THC content for Industrial hemp.

Small change isn’t small

Arguably the small change isn’t small at all; it would allow European hemp cultivators and processors to compete with the USA and Canada more easily and there are a variety of products and foods that are more easily obtained with the higher THC content.

Importantly, the THC levels don’t matter much for industrial uses of hemp such as textiles, building materials or plastics, so why be so restrictive especially in the face of a developing world standard that is different?

Finally, the limitation on strains and varieties at 0.2% devalues genetics and increases the use of pesticides. It is also claimed that the influence of climate change makes it more difficult to grow at 0.2% THC in hotter conditions. Since no one is getting high at 0.3% THC, what is the reason to limit European farmers?

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in long periods of isolation, social distancing mandates and disruption to lifestyles across the globe.

According to a new United Nations (U.N.) report, this has caused an increase in the worldwide demand for cannabis, with notable sale surges on the dark web. The U.N. also noted that cannabis remains the main drug that causes people to enter the criminal justice system.

The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recently released its World Drug Report for 2020 and found that about 269 million people used drugs worldwide in 2018, a 30 per cent increase from 2009.

But because COVID-19 has closed multiple borders and disrupted drug supply chains, the pandemic may lead to drug shortages on the streets. The concern is that this could cause dangerous implications, including impure drugs and price hikes.

“Vulnerable and marginalized groups, youth, women and the poor pay the price for the world drug problem,” noted UNODC executive director Ghada Waly. “The COVID-19 crisis and economic downturn threaten to compound drug dangers further still, when our health and social systems have been brought to the brink and our societies are struggling to cope,” Waly added.

Monday, June 29, West Virginia officially announced the plan to reopen their application process for medical cannabis testing labs so that more labs can get registered and their medical cannabis testing program can get off the ground.

“The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health today announced its Office of Medical Cannabis will resume accepting permit applications for medical cannabis laboratories,” their press release explains about the new change and what to expect. “Laboratory permits are not limited in number and the application process will remain open indefinitely.”

As of now, the state will be accepting applications for an undefined amount of time, and there is no cap on the amount of licenses they will offer. It is not clear if there will eventually be a cap, but the problem currently is not too many applicants, but rather a lack thereof.

“This is a key step in the process to make medical cannabis available to West Virginians with serious medical conditions,” said Jason Frame, Director of the Office of Medical Cannabis, when questioned about the new program. “We and many others continue to work toward a goal of providing eligible West Virginia residents the ability to procure quality-tested medical cannabis.”

Originally, the application process was open for two months, ending February 18 of this year. West Virginia Public Broadcasting reports that during that time, only one business applied for a license, so the process had to be reopened.

Maine marijuana regulators have created new rules about sample collections that are expected to make the state's testing system less burdensome.

Maine approved adult use marijuana in 2016 and has been in the process of crafting rules and regulations about sales since. The coronavirus pandemic has slowed the rollout in recent months.

The Maine Office of Marijuana Policy said the state now has the ability to license and regulate sample collectors. The collectors will be workers who collect samples of marijuana and marijuana products for testing on behalf of marijuana testing facilities and other adult marijuana use establishments, the office said.

The testing facilities themselves were previously responsible for the collection of samples. The marijuana office said that would have been burdensome because of the size of the state.

The rules were emergency adopted and are effective until at least Sept. 22, the office said.

Stephen J Wyatt, founder and CEO of Hemp Futures, based in Estonia, tells MCN about the importance of customer engagement and accountability.

Estonia-based CBD producer Hemp Futures was founded in 2019 with the goal of creating ‘clean, green and organic’ products; and operates across more than 68 hectares of certified organic land.

“Estonia is a hidden jewel,” explains Hemp Futures founder and CEO Stephen J Wyatt, a former US Marine. “The environment is very pristine; the water is good; the soil is organic. We’re lucky in that we don’t have a lot of native pest insects, which means we don’t use pesticides at all for growing hemp.”

Finola, the variety of auto-flowering organic hemp which Hemp Futures cultivates was bred specifically for climates like Estonia’s.

Hemp Futures, which prides itself on the quality of its CBD products, plans to take advantage of a niche in the wider medical cannabis market, Wyatt adds: “We know, both through research and through our own experience, that there are a lot of companies representing their products CBD; and they’re not what they claim to be. Our focus is to grow our own product and produce CBD oil using CO2 extraction technology; manage the entire process in-house from seed to consumer to guarantee a superior product.

In 2020 it’s possible to buy hemp rope, soap, shoes, and even beer. The question is, are these hemp products moving us to a more sustainable future?

Hemp an eco-friendly fibre

There is often an underlying confusion in society between hemp and marijuana, and whether they are the same thing or not. They do both indeed derive from the cannabis plant. However, hemp plants contain very small amounts of THC. The industrial cultivation of hemp has been legal in Canada since 1998 but it’s been around for thousands of years prior to this. Additionally, it is one of the first plants to be spun into usable fibre. Hemp has been labelled as one of the eco-friendly fibres in our world today.

What is an eco-friendly fibre? I’m glad you asked. Eco-friendly fibres are alternative to two things; petroleum-derived fibres and GMO cotton.

It depends on which products you compare hemp to, but hemp is a lot better for the environment than most, if not all of it’s alternatives. A large portion of textiles comes from petroleum-based products. The source of synthetic fibres like polyester, nylon and acrylic is from fossil fuel crude oil.

The combination of words, crude oil, is becoming a swear word in many households. In reality, the movement away from petroleum-based products can’t happen overnight as many of the world’s industries are essentially propped up on the use of crude oil. Can you guess what isn’t derived from crude oil? You guessed it, hemp products.

It’s hard to back away from the fact that yes, hemp is definitely more sustainable than its two alternatives. Some benefits of growing and using hemp are;

With that being said, I’m a believer in stepping back and looking at both sides of the argument with a unbias opinion. Some downfalls of hemp include;

The hemp industry is moving the world to a more sustainable future. If anything, it’s pushing the envelope for developers of other eco-friendly fibres to create more sustainable practices. Canada is still relatively new in the hemp industry but does have a head start on its neighbour down south who just legalized hemp cultivation in 2018.

Data for recent years show a steady climb in the global cannabis market. More and more countries have decided to go green and legalize cannabis in order to weaken the illicit market strength and help the economy. To grow, sell, and distribute the best products, manufacturers use lots of modern technologies. It doesn’t only help them to stay competitive in today’s market, but it also helps to optimize the production process.

A lot of people grow marijuana at home for recreational or medical purposes, or perhaps they have a chance to drop by a 24-hour dispensary to purchase their cannabis of choice. In the countries where it is legal, companies have the same growing processes but just on a large scale with improved technology. Let’s take a look at a number of trends that have taken hold in the cannabis industry:

Led Fixtures 

Cannabis fans have been using light-emitting diodes for years. However, LED fixtures look much different these days. For example, programmable LED fixtures can give more control during the growing process than any other technology. 

Almost all fixtures have light-sensing equipment inside that helps to coordinate the output and maintain a set routine. Some of the best cannabis companies in the United States use this technology to improve the quality of their products as well as their revenues.

Also, programmable fixtures allow marijuana fans to create light recipes that can help the strains to grow. With the help of this technology, cultivators can mimic sunrise, sunset, and even midday lighting. Needless to say, it allows growers to take care of their products anywhere in the world. The best thing is that anyone can get this technology for personal use. 

Women tend to experienced the same acute effects of cannabis as men at a lower dose of THC, according to new research published in Psychopharmacology which sought to mimic real-world smoking practices.

“We know from population survey data that men are more likely to use cannabis than women, but it seems like women experience more severe cannabis-related harms,” said study author Justin Matheson, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto.

“Research in animals suggests that this is because females are more sensitive to the effects of THC, the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis, and that this might be due to differences in the way THC is metabolized in females. However, there has been relatively little human laboratory evidence to suggest sex differences in the acute effects of THC.”

In the double-blind study, 91 healthy cannabis users smoked a single cannabis cigarette (12.5% THC or placebo) before completing subjective effect scales and cognitive tests. The researchers also monitored their vital signs, such as blood pressure and body temperature. The participants used cannabis about 1 to 4 times per week and were 19 to 25 years old.

The researchers found that female participants tended to smoke for just as long a duration as males. However, women tended to smoke less of the cannabis cigarette.

We soon got used to cooking and eating exotic proteins and grains like chickpeas, couscous and quinoa. Now, attention has turned to hemp in the search for other productive, environmentally friendly food crops.

Hemp has had a slightly shady image, which is undeserved. It’s a type of cannabis plant but "industrial" hemp has miniscule levels of the psychoactive THC component – officially less than 0.35 per cent.

The legal impediment to growing hemp for food has largely been removed, though to the annoyance of growers, they still have to apply for a licence to cultivate it.

Hemp’s small oily seeds are high in protein and the fibre from its stalks can be used for an astonishing range of goods from concrete to clothing.

Its environmental credentials may be second to none. It absorbs four times more carbon dioxide than the same acreage in trees, and it matures quickly. So in sunny New Zealand, between October and March, it is possible to harvest hemp in rotation with another crop.

Whether you’re just a recreational user, or a patient who has been prescribed marijuana for a chronic disease or any other condition, you might have, at one point in your life, wondered if you should start growing your own cannabis plants. 

Getting a hold of your preferred strain can be a pain, especially if you live in a remote area, for example in rural Nevada. The middle of the desert is a tough spot for a quick, in-and-out dispensary pickup. Las Vegas may be a long drive and you need your medicine ASAP. 

Growing your own cannabis is a great solution for avoiding situations like the one mentioned above. After all, not only will it enable you to harvest large quantities of the stuff at a time, which lowers your dependence on third-party providers, but also help meet your needs in the best possible way; you’ll be getting exactly what you need when you need it. 

There are plenty of ways you can begin your own growing operation. Modern technology is your biggest ally. Ingenious methods of producing high-quality buds are being developed at a breakneck pace. 

For home growers, grow boxes are all the rage right now, and it seems like it will stay that way for some time to come. Here are some of the most innovative, high-tech systems that will have you harvesting your favorite strain in no time! 

Due to the popularity of cannabis products, the demand for this potent plant has increased. The health sector, as well as the beauty industry, are all talking about the benefits and integrating the compound in their products. The excitement is all about the health benefits of cannabis, especially CBD, THC, and hemp seed oil.

But rarely do they tell you about any known side effects. Luckily, some health organizations are dedicated to telling users the truth so that they can make informed decisions.

Just to let you know, hemp oil is obtained from the hemp plant's seeds and sometimes the stalk. Just like CBD, it has very little THC, which adds to the health benefits. Additionally, the oil is rich in omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids.

So, Are There Any Side Effects in the Body?

Well, a significant percentage of things that we consume have side effects. Some might be natural while others might be the result of misuse. Hemp seed oil is not an exception. It can lead to the following side effects.

·         Change in mood –When taking hemp seed oil, you might experience some changes in mood. The CBD that is present interacts with the nervous system, and this sends a variety of signals that can alter your mood. However, this is not an effect for all users. Some may not even feel any change in mood.

It’s a common misconception that all CBD products contain the same hemp-derived ingredients, but in fact there are three major types of CBD products called spectrums. They are full spectrum, broad spectrum or CBD isolate, named based on the hemp-based compounds in the product.

It’s understandable if your head is already spinning. The CBD industry is filled with 1000s of different products . To make things even more confusing, these products are marketed in a variety of different ways — often without consistency from brand to brand.

As a consumer this can make it a challenge to identify the specific hemp-derived content in a product. This is a big deal, as these specifics play a BIG role in the effectiveness and accessibility of CBD. Luckily, a little education goes a long way.

By digging in and identifying the spectrum of a CBD product you’ll be able to make educated shopping decisions. This will help you find the most effective products for your needs while avoiding any potential substances that you don’t want in your products.

Keep reading and we will walk you through the three primary spectrums of CBD products, the advantages and disadvantages of each, how to identify them, and how to pick the right one for your needs. 

The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has exposed critical vulnerabilities in national governments and business operations around the world.

The virus is significantly disrupting supply chains and consumer habits on a global level that will reverberate across every industry in the coming months.

The aftershocks of the crisis could last for years.

While the legal cannabis industry is theoretically recession-resistant in the same way alcohol and pharmaceutical sales have been impervious to historical downturns, cultivators must take necessary measures to safeguard their long-term financial safety.

An Artificial Boost in Consumer Spending

The recent surge in consumer spending has resulted in an artificial sales boost, and dispensaries cannot expect this influx of profits to last.

Studies have found links between genetics and the ways in which people react to marijuana.

Marijuana is a widely used drug yet it remains unpredictable. Seasoned users can usually manage the effect that marijuana has on them, while also staying calm during an unpredictable high. For newcomers, however, it’s different; novice users usually can’t predict how the drug will affect them, whether it’ll lead to a paranoid high or giggle fest.

Science says your genes might play a part in how your body reacts to cannabis.

Cannabis functions by binding itself to the cannabinoid receptors in our bodies, which are located in our cells, containing our individual DNA. Mutations in CB1 or CB2 receptors can make you more vulnerable to different illnesses, such as Chron’s disease or anorexia. These changes could also impact how your cells bind to different molecules including the ones in cannabis.

In a 2019 study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers found that a variable in the gene CHRNA2 could increase the risk of becoming addicted to cannabis. Cannabis addiction is something that’s not all that understood, with many people doubting its existence. Symptoms of marijuana withdrawal include depression, irritability, a higher heart rate and more.

There are all kinds of techniques people use when it comes to growing premium bud. Some people have their tried-and-true methods that they swear by while others are still in the trial-and-error period of their growing journey. Regardless of skill level, when it comes to growing a flourishing crop, the first place to begin when choosing to grow cannabis plants is with knowing how to properly select quality seeds.

Seeds that are not mature are typically small with a greenish hue and soft shell. Good, healthy seeds will be more greyish to brown with speckles and have a glossy appearance free from cracks. They are typically bigger in size as well. Seeds that are very dark or near black and appear to be dull may be old. To avoid immature seeds or aged seeds, try not to purchase seeds that have recently been harvested as well as those that have been kept in storage for long amounts of time.

Fresh seeds have a high germination rate that drops dramatically over time — from 90 percent down to 20 percent after three or four years. Excellent seeds are the cornerstone of successful plant growth because each one contains the genetic material that determines certain characteristics like size, shape and potency.

The strain of the seed determines what type of effects will be experienced after consumption. Indica and sativa are the two main strains that have distinct characteristic. Indica strains are known for their physical effects, with a noted body high and deep relaxation being the most commonly reported feelings, while sativas provide a cerebral buzz often associated with increased sensitivity to sights and sounds. Most seeds are hybrid strains that are either more indica-dominant or sativa-dominant.

It’s helpful to consider how long it will take plants to grow before picking out seeds. After deciding whether to grow indoors or outdoors, calculate the amount of time estimated for a plant to come to full maturation. Most plants take between seven and nine weeks until they are ready to be harvested, although indica plants tend to grow a little bit faster than sativas.

Hemp legalization under the 2018 Farm Bill unleashed unexpected markets for the crop. One unexpected market: people are consuming hemp the way they often consume its higher THC cannabis cousin—by smoking it.

The Farm Bill defines hemp as cannabis with a THC content that doesn’t exceed 0.3 percent. With THC levels this low, smokers aren’t getting high on hemp. Some are using it as a tobacco alternative, while others are seeking the CBD, a compound marketed for therapeutic effects, like reducing anxiety—although scientific research has yet to conclusively back this claim. Farmers are excited about pre-rolled hemp because it doesn’t require a processor between them and the consumer, for example, as a CBD oil would. Also, hemp flower fetches a good price, compared to common crops like corn or wheat. 

The challenge for state regulators, lawmakers, and law enforcement, however, is that hemp pre-rolls look like joints.

The landscape of states with laws allowing and outlawing smokable hemp looks like a checkerboard. Some states are giving the market the okay. In February, Virginia lawmakers affirmed that it’s legal for people aged twenty-one and up to smoke hemp. A bill in Tennessee last year only bans the sale of smokable hemp to minors. And in Arkansas, local entrepreneurs have found a loophole to meet consumer demand: while the state does not allow local hemp growers to sell flower directly to retailers or customers—they must sell to processors who turn who can turn it into products like CBD oil—retailers are selling out-of-state smokable hemp products. State Rep. David Hillman, R-Almyra, who sponsored Arkansas’s hemp legalization bill, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette it wasn’t his intention to cut Arkansas farmers out of this market. Hillman plans to fix this in the 2021 session.

Meanwhile, other states are not as open to the idea. Texas’s 2019 law allowing hemp production bans the manufacturing of smokable hemp. Louisiana bans the sale of hemp “for inhalation” and Kentucky doesn’t allow the sale of hemp in cigarette or cigar form (A bill in the Kentucky General Assembly this year to remove this ban failed to get any traction before the session ended). The South Carolina Attorney General said in an opinion last year that he’ll leave it up to law enforcement to determine if hemp flower is considered unprocessed and thus illegal to sell. Some retailers in the state decided to err on the side of caution and remove raw hemp from their shelves in the wake of the opinion. A bill in the South Carolina House would have removed the ban on the sale of raw or unprocessed hemp. The General Assembly adjourned on May 12 after a COVID-19 related break, but could be back for a special session in the fall.

One medical research team in Israel believes they have a small piece to the coronavirus puzzle. In an exclusive interview with The Fresh Toast, Dr. Igal Louria-Hayon, head of the Medical Cannabis Research and Innovation Center at the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel, says the healing properties in cannabis may be able to help the body fight against COVID-19.

Announced in May, Dr. Louria-Hayon and his team of researchers announced they would begin a clinical trial in studying how cannabis aids in inflammation within the body and if that could decrease the effects of COVID-19. One of the main causes of death with the disease is “cytokines” — proteins that signal cells to turn on to fight — that are released, causing the body to react in uncontrollable ways against the virus. As a part of the body’s endocrine signal process, once cytokines are turned on past their maximum, the proteins become difficult to control and can cause a shockwave of effects, leading to death.

In some studies, cannabis was proven to help regulate inflammation and cytokines, offering better signalling to the body. The goal of the upcoming study is to “examine the receptors to which these substances bond, the cellular messages that are communicated and the extent to which cannabinoids reduce the inflammatory response.”

Especially important to note, Dr. Shlomit Yehudai-Reshef, director of the Rambam Medical Research Institute, shared that her team was able to identify a key method to understanding the virus and the human body’s subsequent reaction: white blood cells. “Despite the complexity and high risk, we found a safe way to separate the white blood cells, including the immune cells from verified patients,” explained Dr. Yehudai-Reshef, clarifying that when the cells were separated, they were easier to study and manipulate.

FILE: University of Lethbridge researcher Igor Kovalchuk is leading a study on medical cannabis as a potential therapy for COVID-19. / Photo: Supplied. Summited photo

By using this powerful anti-inflammatory, a Philadelphia cannabis company believes it can mitigate the immune response triggered by COVID-19.

A Philadelphia cannabis firm has joined the race to create a COVID-19 cure using cannabinoids. FSD Pharma announced last week that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved the company’s application proposal to conduct clinical trials around the medicine. The treatment will use a drug called ultramicronized palmitoylethanolamid (or micro PEA) that includes synthetic molecules that mimic cannabinoids.

Micro PEA is a unique drug. It’s believed to act as an anti-inflammatory and promoted between 1969 and 1979 in former Czechoslovakia as treatment for influenza and the common cold. Clinical trials conducted at the time showed PEA was an effective prophylactic in respiratory infection, with no registered side effects. According to scientists behind the research, it could act as a quick therapeutic answer should a flu epidemic occur.

Today, the drug is promoted as a prescription nutraceutical in Italy and used to treat chronic inflammation. Pharmaceutical firm Epitech Group owned the rights to the drug and sold it under the names Normast and Pelvilen. Earlier this year, FSD, which is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, purchased the worldwide rights from Epitech for $17.5 million and re-branded it as FSD-201.

“We contacted the FDA in late-March 2020 after becoming aware that several Italian physicians and scientists were advocating for use of ultramicronized PEA for patients suffering from symptoms of COVID-19, based on the drug’s mechanism of action as a potent and safe anti-inflammatory agent that reduces the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines,” Philadelphia-based physician and FSD CEO Raza Bokhari said in a statement.

The continued global crisis makes it difficult to know how black-market consumer behavior will change in the future.

The coronavirus pandemic caused an uptick in doomsday hoarding behavior, with Americans stocking up on toilet paper, frozen poultry, and hand sanitizer. They also bought a bunch of marijuana.

Previous data showed legal cannabis sales skyrocketed when Americans became serious about the pandemic around mid-March. But now we have a better idea of how COVID-19 affected black market sales.

The European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) studied dark web marijuana sales with findings published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, as WIRED first reported. The number of dark web cannabis sales increased more than 30% in the first three months of 2020, which coincided with when the pandemic first impacted Europe. EMCDDA analysts aren’t sure why this jump in sales began as early as it did in Europe.

“It’s possible that buyers were trying to stock up for the weeks to come, or there’s just a larger group of cannabis users discovering online as a convenient distribution channel when social contact is limited and they have limited means to reach out to their usual dealer,” EMCDDA’s principal scientific analyst, Teodora Groshkova, told WIRED.

It’s hard to say where we are in the COVID-19 pandemic right now, as infections and deaths continue to rise. But there have been movements in the cannabis industry that are changing the way the industry operates amid the pandemic that may stay post-pandemic.

Being allowed to operate as an “essential” business in the U.S. — which had a few bumps in the road between including both medical with recreational as essential businesses in states such as Colorado (that state quickly changed and added recreational) and Massachusetts — was one positive result that gave the industry some needed respect.

Sales have been strong, and delivery options were expanded as well.

Many U.S. states with legal medical and recreational cannabis have been allowing deliveries since they legalized. But because of COVID-19, dispensaries are now adjusting to curbside or drive-thru window sales to adapt to the new contactless, social distancing way of conducting business.

California licenses more than 150 legal cannabis delivery companies, the most of any state, including Eaze (now scaling back operations), Puffy, CaliExpress and more. The scaling back of Eaze may be just a delivery service experiencing hard times during the pandemic, or it may represent a harbinger of things to come, leaving the door open for more of these adapted dispensary-centered curbside/drive-thru sales.