How Hemp Producers Can Unlock Potential In Carbon Credit Markets (Op-Ed)
“For hemp producers, entering the carbon credit market may provide a strategy for long-term sustainability and market resilience.” By Amy M. Rubenstein, Dentons As the cannabis and hemp industries evolve (including most recently through an amendment to the 2018 Farm bill that redefines “hemp”), producers should seek innovative ways to diversify income and align their […]
Federal Hemp Ban Pushed By GOP Is A ‘Step Backward,’ Democratic Congresswoman Says (Op-Ed)
“Our governments, farmers and small businesses need more guidance and regulatory certainty—not blanket bans.” By U.S. Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), via MinnPost Since Congress legalized hemp in 2018, Minnesota’s hemp industry has blossomed. In the roughly two and a half years since Minnesota signed its own hemp legalization bill into law, hemp has grown into […]
New Top California Cannabis Regulator Appointed By Newsom Must Fix The Program’s Failures (Op-Ed)
“Kellum’s tenure will succeed only if he recognizes that the agency he now leads cannot rebuild trust without acknowledging, clearly and without qualification, the depth of the failures that preceded him and his commitment to charting a new course.” By Hirsh Jain, Ananda Strategy Late on the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving, California Gov. Gavin Newsom […]
Marijuana And Hemp Businesses Are Already Working Together, And It’s Going Better Than You Think (Op-Ed)
“The ‘Commission’ meetings are unlocking a united vision of an industry built on safety, fairness, accountability and consistency.” By Adam Rosenberg, National Cannabis Industry Association and Eric Berlin, Dentons The recent government funding deal, which narrowed the definition of hemp, sent shockwaves through parts of the hemp market and exposed how fragile the current patchwork […]
New Federal Hemp Law Signed By Trump Amounts To ‘Ban Now, Ask Questions Later,’ Farmer Says (Op-Ed)
“We didn’t ban potatoes just because someone turned them into moonshine. We regulate alcohol. We should do the same with hemp.” By Mike Simpson, Lovewell Farms via Rhode Island Current I co-founded Lovewell Farms, Rhode Island’s only USDA-certified organic hemp farm in 2018. Since 2019, we’ve been growing legal hemp outdoors, using natural ethanol extraction […]
Why Is Congress Moving To Ban The Hemp Products That Saved My Son’s Life? (Op-Ed)
“Congress is poised to re-criminalize this plant and again put hundreds of thousands of patients, and the people that love them, in jeopardy.” By Amy Dawn Bourlon-Hilterbran, Moms Mobilized Before my son, Austin, was even five years old, he had been prescribed a series of pharmaceuticals for his epilepsy—opioids, benzodiazepines, rufinamide and more. That continued […]
The Cannabis Industry Is Sleeping On Threat To Repeal Legalization In Maine And Massachusetts (Op-Ed)
“The industry can’t afford to sit this out… National trade groups, operators and investors should help fund and coordinate local opposition now.” By Joanne Caceres and Hannah King, Dentons Two under-the-radar signature drives in New England could become the biggest political test for cannabis legalization in a decade—and the industry is largely ignoring them. In […]
New Jersey Gubernatorial Candidates Need To Step Up For Cannabis Consumers (Op-Ed)
“New Jersey’s cannabis consumers have a list of specific issues that Sherrill and Ciattarelli could address… And we vote—so the candidates would do well to stop by and say ‘high’ to us before Election Day.” By Chris Goldstein, NORML The Garden State is having a quiet economic revolution with legal cannabis, but both mainstream candidates […]
OpEd: Dear California, This Isn’t Legalization
In this powerful speech, industry leader Ben Larson critiques California’s restrictive cannabis policies and calls for smarter, more inclusive legalization that protects access to both regulated cannabis and innovative hemp-derived products. Last week, at the newly minted IgniteIt (formerly Benzinga Cannabis) California Market Spotlight, I was invited to read a letter I had written to Gavin […]