Tag: Hemp

  • Zig-Zag Launches New Hemp Wrap Flavors

    Zig-Zag Launches New Hemp Wrap Flavors

    Credit: Zig-Zag

    Zig-Zag rolling papers announced the expansion of its hemp wrap line, featuring 100 percent tobacco-free hemp wraps in four new flavors: Sour Squeeze, Georgia Peach, Summer Slice, and Mellow Haze.

    The wraps are designed to enhance the smoking experience with their smooth, slow-burning properties and exceptional draw, according to a release.

    Each pack of Zig-Zag Hemp Wraps includes two premium wraps and a convenient packing straw, ensuring an “effortless and enjoyable rolling experience.

    The new hemp wraps are exclusively available in 25-pack cartons online for $24.75 and in 2 packs at retail across the country.

    “Our new hemp wraps are crafted to deliver a superior smoking experience without the use of tobacco,” said Stacey Neuhaus at Zig-Zag. “We are excited to introduce these unique flavors to our lineup, offering our customers more options to enjoy their smoking rituals.”

  • Italy Labels CBD as Narcotic, Defies EU

    Italy Labels CBD as Narcotic, Defies EU

    The Italian government has placed CBD on the country’s list of narcotic drugs in defiance of a regional administrative court ruling and in contravention of European Union law.

    The Ministry of Health said the designation is in line with Italian Presidential Decree 309/1990, the cornerstone of drug legislation in Italy. However, that contradicts a ruling by a regional court last year, which was based on a legally binding ruling applicable across the European Union.

    The attack on CBD is only the latest move by the Italian government. The Ministry of Health first classified CBD as a narcotic and banned the compound from the market in October 2020 – only to rescind the order shortly thereafter, according to media reports.

    Later, in a separate attempt in early 2022, the State-Regions Conference – a platform for dialogue and cooperation between the central and regional governments – updated language in a 2018 decree to classify hemp as strictly a medicinal plant.

    In that case, four cannabis associations filed suit, and one year later, the decree was annulled by the Regional Administrative Tribunal of Lazio, which ruled it violated European law.

  • Bill Would Reduce Hemp Farmer Burden

    Bill Would Reduce Hemp Farmer Burden

    Image: MexChriss | Adobe Stock

    A bipartisan team of U.S. senators presented a bill in the Senate that would reduce the burden on industrial hemp farmers, according to The Dales Report.

    Senator Jon Tester and Senator Mike Braun introduced bipartisan legislation dubbed the Industrial Hemp Act that would exempt farmers who exclusively cultivate industrial hemp from arduous background checks and expensive sampling and testing requirements.

    These protocols would, however, remain for farmers growing cannabinoid hemp.

    “Montana farmers don’t need government bureaucrats putting unnecessary burdens on their operations,” said Tester. “It’s time we cut red tape and make it easier for industrial hemp farmers to get their product to market. My bipartisan bill builds on Montana’s leadership on hemp policy and creates good-paying jobs for folks across rural America.”

    The current U.S. Department of Agriculture rules require all hemp crops to be compliant, and crops are subject to testing while the end-use products made from industrial hemp have always been exempt from the Controlled Substances Act.

    The new legislation would still require industrial hemp farmers to meet compliance standards but would not require background checks and testing protocols if their crops are in compliance.

    Producers who go against these regulations would be banned from taking part in the hemp program for five years.

  • U.S. FDA May Publish Draft Guidance for CBD

    U.S. FDA May Publish Draft Guidance for CBD

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is planning to make recommendations on how to regulate the use of the popular cannabis compound cannabidiol (CBD) in food and supplements, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing agency officials.

    After weighing the evidence on the compound’s safety, the FDA will decide within months how to regulate legal cannabis and whether that will require new agency rules or new legislation from Congress, according to the report.

    In an interview, Janet Woodcock, the FDA’s deputy commissioner and leader of the agency’s cannabis regulation efforts, expressed concern about the safety of CBD and whether current regulatory pathways for food and dietary supplements are suitable for this substance.

    However, the agency is interested in determining whether it is safe to consume CBD on a daily basis for extended periods of time or during pregnancy.

    Woodcock mentioned concerns about potential effects on fertility in the future, but, at the same time, her comment signaled that the agency is working to establish regulatory frameworks for the legal sale of appropriate cannabis and cannabis-derived products.

    CBD is a chemical compound found in cannabis plants. It is one of the main ingredients in cannabis, but unlike THC, it does not cause a high or have psychoactive effects.

    The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp cultivation in the U.S., which led to significant growth in the market for CBD products. These products, sold as dietary supplements, are believed to have health benefits. As a result, many businesses in the cannabis industry are now selling CBD products across the country.

    Over the last few years, the FDA posted several warning letters to companies for illegally selling products containing CBD. The companies are accused of selling products containing CBD that the FDA states some people may confuse for traditional foods or beverages that do not contain CBD or were making medical claims about their CBD products.

    In 2021, The FDA told Charlotte’s Web Holdings, one of the world’s largest CBD companies, that its cannabidiol product cannot be sold as a dietary supplement, signaling that CBD reform may have to wait for congressional action.

  • Criticality opens hemp plant

    Criticality opens hemp plant

    The U.S. market for cannabidiol (CBD) oil is about to explode, and Criticality, an integrated industrial hemp company, is in a prime position to serve it. On March 12, the company inaugurated a 55,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art extraction and purification facility in Wilson, North Carolina, USA. In a ceremony attended by employees, business partners and press representatives, senior management and local dignitaries cut a ribbon and wrote a new chapter in Criticality’s remarkable history.

    Derived from hemp plant, CBD can be used to treat a variety of health issues, including anxiety, insomnia and chronic pain. According to Harvard Medical School, it has also been proven to be effective in treating childhood epilepsy syndromes that typically don’t respond to antiseizure medications.

    Like marijuana, hemp is a species of cannabis. Both species contain tetrahydrocannabinol, a potentially psychoactive constituent. However, the levels in hemp are so low—less than 0.3 percent—that products derived from hemp do not intoxicate the user.

    In recent years, CBD sales have skyrocketed. In the U.S. alone, CBD consumption increased from $108.1 million to $512.7 million between 2014 and 2018, according to the Hemp Business Journal. This year, the publication forecasts sales of $813.2 million. But the real growth has yet to come. Analysts of the Brightfield Group expect the U.S. CBD market to hit a whopping $22 billion by 2022.

    Much of that growth is related to the legalization of industrial hemp and related products. The 2014 U.S. Agricultural Act permitted select research and state departments to grow industrial hemp as part of agricultural pilot programs. Criticality joined North Carolina’s program, following the state’s legalization of medical marijuana in 2014.

    In 2017, Pyxus International, the parent company of leaf tobacco merchant Alliance One International, purchased a 40 percent share in Criticality. Faced with declining demand for tobacco, Pyxus has been exploring new business opportunities where it can leverage its expertise in agronomy and agricultural supply chains, along with its extensive farmer base.

    According to specialists, there are many similarities between the cultivation of tobacco and that of hemp. Tobacco transplanting equipment and curing barns, for example, can easily be adapted for hemp production. And now, the potential offered by CBD has been turbocharged by the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, which became law in December and legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp nationwide, removing it from the Controlled Substances Act.

    “Through our investment in Criticality […] our goal is to become a leader in the production of CBD and related consumer products,” said Pyxus President, CEO and Chairman Pieter Sikkel. “The opening of the facility is a critical step in achieving that goal and is a glimpse of what’s to come in the future.”

    Unsurprisingly, many companies have entered the hemp business, hoping to cash in on the growing popularity of CBD. Criticality intends to set itself apart through meticulous attention to quality and compliance—both with current and future regulations. During the Wilson ceremony, Criticality CEO Brian Moyer said the company is committed to producing a fully traceable product, using good manufacturing practices and meeting all applicable dietary supplement guidelines.

    Criticality’s Chief Technical Officer Jose Martinez compares the company’s CBD extraction process from hemp to the process used by coffee manufacturers to remove caffeine from beans. But rather than using environmentally harmful solvents, he says, Criticality relies on carbon dioxide, one of the most common elements in nature. While carbon dioxide is also a greenhouse gas, Martinez is quick to point out that the extraction process does not generate carbon dioxide; the gas used already exists.

    Wilson Mayor C. Bruce Rose and Wilson Chamber of Commerce President Ryan Simons praised not only Criticality’s innovative spirit but also the company’s contribution to the local economy.

    The factory is expected to generate 88 relatively high-paying jobs by 2024—a figure that might increase even further if the hemp market continues its current growth trajectory.

    Anticipating strong demand, Moyer noted that the facility has been designed with expansion in mind. “This factory is only the beginning,” he said.