by HempingtonPost | Mar 29, 2019
2018 was a breakthrough year for hemp extract and cannabidiols. From capsules, tinctures and pumps to patches, edibles, drinks, and pet products—the hemp extract and CBD market made a household name for itself this past year—a $600 million name in fact. With hemp extract and CBD’s rise in nationwide popularity, an influx of new companies and products have made their way to the market. And that growth isn’t expected to slow, as data forecasts project the hemp-derived CBD industry will reach $22 billion by 2022.
A pioneer in the industry before it was “trendy”; PrimeMyBody is now a mainstay on the hemp oil and extract market. We have a responsibility to our Affiliates, customers, and the entire market to offer premium products that harness and effectively deliver the natural benefits hemp so readily provides. That mission led us to the development of RECEPT broad spectrum hemp extract.
To be a leader in this new age of hemp health you have to take forward-thinking approaches to product development. RECEPT is a statement to the metamorphosing hemp market. It is a declaration that room for improvement is always open, that unlocking hemp’s seemingly limitless health potential is an ongoing affair.
With guidance from our Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. Cheng Ruan, we took calculated measures to decipher how a hemp and phytocannabinoid product could be improved and made better. For us it started with expanding the phytocannabinoid and terpene profile as a way to develop a more well-rounded entourage effect.
Simply put, an entourage effect is a concept that various compounds in the hemp plant work best when synergized together, rather than being isolated. This orchestra of compounds all harmoniously playing together organically promotes more impactful health results.
“The focus on cannabidiol or CBD has probably been the most famous and most studied, up until now. We wanted to recognize that the entourage effect is going to have a more powerful effect on the human system and also have a more natural effect,” says Dr. Ruan.
“RECEPT is about something the body is able to utilize to balance itself. It’s all about balance and equilibrium these days. That’s where the hemp industry is going and why we wanted to be ahead of the curve with RECEPT.”
A Spotlight on CBG (Cannabigerol)
A key phytocannabinoid that contributes to a complete entourage effect is CBG or cannabigerol. Overshadowed culturally by CBD and THC, CBG is a rising star in the hemp and wellness field. “A focus it seems now is pharmaceutical companies are taking note of its benefits and starting to purchase plots of land for the making of CBG-heavy hemp plants in preparation of doing their own clinical trials,” adds Dr. Ruan.
A precursor or parent compound to many other phytocannabinoids like CBD and THC, CBG’s potential effects on health and wellness have only begun to be tapped. “CBG is a compound that we’re starting to see a tremendous amount of data on, especially toward the end of 2018,” says Dr. Ruan.
Like CBD, CBG is a non-psychoactive hemp phytocannabinoid compound that plays a key role in the biochemistry of the hemp plant and producing a productive entourage effect. Research has begun to conclude that CBG holds a number of health-related benefits, including a role in neuroprotection and neuroregeneration. Another fascinating discovery is the part CBG—with antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, and antimicrobial properties—plays in balancing and improving gut health.
As valuable of a phytocannabinoid as CBG is, harnessing the compound in a hemp extract is not simple. CBG occurs in the hemp plant in very trace amounts and is more prevalent in younger hemp strains. As a hemp plant matures, CBG—also known as the “stem-cell phytocannabinoid”— naturally synthesizes into other phytocannabinoids. We take careful and complex steps to extract CBG for its use as a central ingredient during the formulation process of RECEPT.
“Because it occurs in trace amounts, CBG is fairly limited today, but that’s what we’re heading toward as a hemp market,” Dr. Ruan says.
Benefits of Hemp Terpenes
It would be impossible to create a truly broad spectrum hemp extract without the use of terpenes. Present in hemp and a variety of plants including many citrus fruits and herbs, terpenes are known for their aromatic properties and are commonly used in aromatherapies. The fragrant scents that terpenes exhibit serve as a defense mechanism or repellant from bugs during a hemp plant’s growth periods.
“The role of the terpenes is to be a crucial part of the entourage effect. The other role is taste,” says Dr. Ruan.
RECEPT contains an extended or polyterpene profile that includes limonene, linalool, humulene, geraniol, beta-caryophyllene, myrcene, and terpinolene. RECEPT’s citrus taste actually comes from the natural aromas of the terpenes, specifically limonene. The terpenes in RECEPT provide their own individual health benefits and each has a natural inclination to interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system and cannabinoid receptors, leading to the benefits hemp extract is known for.
As beneficial as the phytocannabinoids and terpenes are, their effectiveness and overall benefit to the brain and body are driven by RECEPT’s powerful liposomal delivery method.
“A liposome is a spherical structure of phosphatidylcholine that can deliver active ingredients, in our case broad spectrum hemp, into cellular tissue,” says Dr. Ruan.
To ensure that each active ingredient is absorbed into the bloodstream at a high rate, we incorporated the use of sonicated nano-technology. To create the teeny tiny liposomes that house and transport each hemp ingredient to the bloodstream and endocannabinoid system, RECEPT is developed using ultrasonic wave technology powered by a machine known as a Sonicator. Using high shear force, the Sonicator takes RECEPT’s liposome particles created during formulation and compresses them into even smaller nanoparticles.
This technology allows the ingredients in each drop of RECEPT to zip across cell membranes and begin their interaction with cells and cannabinoid receptors within moments. PrimeMyBody is one of the first hemp companies in the U.S. to utilize a Sonicator.
At the conclusion of the nano field sonication process, samples of the formula are then subjected to a Laser Particle Size Analyzer test to ensure the nano size of the liposomal particles. Our goal is to complete sonication with a product that resides within a 15 to 25 nM (nanometer) size range—which is roughly the length of an antibody protein. If you’re keeping track at home, that is one of the smallest sized hemp extract particles available on the market today. The nanoparticle size is the reason RECEPT begins working quickly and why its therapeutic effects on the brain and body are prolonged for longer periods of time.
An Alcohol- and THC-Free Hemp Extract
THC may have a viable place in the wellness field, but it just isn’t a necessary ingredient in RECEPT. For our Affiliates’ and customers’ peace of mind, we strategically excluded THC as a way to provide a hemp extract completely void of any psychoactive components.
Theoretically, THC—the phytocannabinoid in the cannabis plant that creates a psychoactive effect or “high”—does play a part in the overall entourage effect, but according to Dr. Ruan, those theories aren’t by any means definitive.
“Do you need THC to have a maximal entourage effect? I do not think, clinically, we know the answer to that as of yet. The last thing we wanted to do was to have any psychoactive components in this extract at all,” adds Dr. Ruan.
As for alcohol, ethanol is typically used during the extraction process of phytocannabinoids and terpenes from the hemp plant. Although in trace amounts, these alcohol remnants remain in many hemp extracts and oil products on the market today.
“Traditionally, alcohol has been required to make nanoparticles, but now there is new technology that does not require that to be there, which makes it ethanol-free. That has been a huge demand from the entire hemp community over the last year.”
For RECEPT, ethanol is used for extraction purposes, but as Dr. Ruan notes, we’ve adopted new technological advancements to evaporate all ethanol fragments during formulation, resulting in a 100 percent alcohol-free hemp extract. No alcohol means RECEPT delivers only reactive effects without a hint of sedation. And parents can be worry-free when administering RECEPT to teens or children.
With a number of analysis results confirmed and clinical trials led by Dr. Ruan already underway, RECEPT was made for advanced wellness. By comparison, RECEPT is the most broad spectrum hemp extract with CBG available on the hemp market today. To view how RECEPT compares to many name brand products on the market check out our hemp oil review chart.
On RECEPT’s place in the evolving hemp market, Dr. Ruan says, “In terms of brain fog, fatigue, energy, neuroregeneration, and body system function, I do think there are a lot of implications that will be related to brain health and we’ll be able to contribute to those findings with this product. That makes me super proud about how it came out. RECEPT is truly a natural product with really good intentions. Every ingredient is brought out in much detail for everyone to enjoy.”
For more product contact me here – http://up4life.primemybody.com
References:
- https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-cbg-a-cannabinoid-showing-massive-medical-potential-n508
- https://www.alchimiaweb.com/blogen/cannabigerol-cbg/
- https://www.projectcbd.org/science/terpenes-and-entourage-effect
- https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog–entourage-effect-how-cannabinoids-and-terpenes-work-together-n233
by Nature Going Smart | Mar 29, 2019
Today, one of the most common forms of biofuel is biodiesel. In “What is Biodiesel” we already discussed its origins and evaluated pros and cons of its use in “Drawbacks of modern production of Biodiesel”.
Today we would like to address
– what is the role of the Cannabis plant in the Biodiesel and green energies scenario?
– how can this plant help us to move towards a more sustainable-energy world?
One of the most interesting alternative to traditional and common feedstocks for biodiesel and biofuels in general is Cannabis.
Why Cannabis is an interesting raw material for biodiesel?
Biodiesel can be produced from a great variety of feedstocks: the choice for the best one depends largely on geography, climate and economics. For this reasons, today rapeseed and sunflower oils are mainly used in Europe, soybean oil and animal fats in the United States, palm oil in tropical Countries and corn and sugarcane in Brazil.
Thus, the choice of feedstock used for Biodiesel production does not follow criteria that pinpoint the most efficient raw material that could be grown for this purpose, but it’s rather based on the most available feedstock currently present in a Country.
In contrast to palm oil, sugar cane, maize, etc., Cannabis is a highly adaptable, fast-growing, annual plant that can be cultivated at most latitudes. In addition, Cannabis is oneof the few plants that produces high yields of both oil and biomass, which means it can be used to produce both biodiesel and bioethanol.
For this reasons, Cannabis has the potential to form the basis of a revolutionary fuel industry, internationally distributed because the plant can be efficiently grown almost anywhere, yet locally determined because consumers and communities can also be producers.
What kinds of green energies can be produced from the Cannabis plant?
There are many applications for the Cannabis plant in the textile, food, medical and building sectors, but its uses in the energy sector are not well known by the general public and not limited to biodiesel which is just one of many.
Examples of energy products that can be produced from Cannabis are: [3] , [4]
– heat produced from the combustion of briquettes or pellets made of Cannabis hurds and stems;
– electricity from Cannabis biomass through the use of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engines;
– biogas from anaerobic digestion, a common natural process based on microbial degradation of biomass in the absence of oxygen, which generates methane;
– bioethanol obtained through fermentation, which is another natural process used by man since ancient times;
– biodiesel from Cannabis seed oil where the oil contained in the seeds is converted to biodiesel by a transesterification process with methanol;
Between the advantages of using Cannabis as a resource for biofuels we can now highlight at least 4 important points:
1) Cannabis produces annually high yields of both oil and biomass;
2) Cannabis can be efficiently used in crop rotations substituting the common crops, so no new arable land would be necessary;
3) Cannabis requires little pesticide;
4) Cannabis has the potential to decrease pesticide use in succeeding crops; [5] Today, the main feedstocks for biofuels like maize, soybean and sugar beet, require large quantities of pesticides so a biofuel production 100% based on these crops may not be a real green solution.
In fact, a responsible way of growing green oil crops should take under consideration the amount of pesticides the cultivar requires.
Pesticide use have a strong influence on:
a) the energy input in cultivation (due to high energy requirements for pesticide production)
b) the entire ecosystem
If you are interested in natural pesticides solution, check out our video on “Push-pull technologies, an eco friendly pest management system”.
In contrast with common feedstocks, Cannabis:
– can be grown even on “marginal” lands because it has low input requirements for cultivation;
– can be efficiently used as a preceding crop for the cultivation of cereals since it increases their yields from 10-20%;
– is a pest-resistant, highly adaptable plan;
– even in monoculture fields, it allows for a low pesticide use if followed by a well designed crop rotation;
– it is an annual plant that fits well in crop rotations and it has the ability to suppress soil pathogens opening the path for an healthier soil; [6], [7]
Cannabis biofuel: the advantages
– low pesticide requirements;
– good weed competition (less need for pesticides);
– suitability as break crop in cereal-oriented crop rotations;
– high biomass yield in relatively short time;
– low input requirements;
– economically feasible even for small-scale cultivation areas;
– unlike perennial crops it does not require any long term commitment for its cultivation;
All these aspects may be key elements for a more sustainable biofuel production from biomass in the next future.
So, why Cannabis is not already the main source for biofuels worldwide?
Today, after decades of prohibition, Cannabis is getting back to the legal market claiming its share in many sectors. Laws are changing and people has started to look at different alternatives.
But the reason why Cannabis is still not widely used for biofuels is very simple: today, the value of the crop’s fibre and seed is greater than the value of energy it would produce.
Economical competition on the energy level with petroleum-based fuels or other biofuels can be very challenging for Cannabis. Given the actual situation, incomes for farmers are greater if they sell their seed and fibre crops separately, which can better compete on the food and textile levels.
Right know, without the necessary infrastructure and subsidies by governments aiming to favour green energies instead of fossil fuels, the production of biofuels from Cannabis struggles to be profitable.
Cannabis has a good energy output-to-input ratio and is an above-average energy crop but it has been developed little as an industrial energetic crop over the past decades compared to other crops.
However, in comparison with other well-established food crops, Cannabis still has a great potential for improvement on both increased biomass yields and better conversion efficiencies into biofuel so we can be optimist for the next future.
What are Cannabis hurds and how can they contribute to make energy crop more competitive?
As we said, industrial Cannabis hemp is mainly cultivated for its high-quality fibres and high-value seed oil, but today the hurd, the woody core of the plant which constitutes up to 70% of the dry stalk matter, is a cellulose waste.
A better use of this waste material may contribute to rank Cannabis at the top of the most interesting plants for energy production. In fact, the efficient liberation of sugars from lignocellulosic biomass waste (like Cannabis hurds) not only would decrease solid waste handling, but it would also produce value-added biofuels and bio-based products such as bio-plastics.
Cannabis hurds are a form of lignocellulosic biomass which constitutes the most common raw material present in the world. Differently from wood species, Cannabis is an annual plant and its hurds chemical composition is pretty unique:
– on one hand it is very similar to that of wood species with a high content of carbohydrate (cellulose and hemicelluloses) containing sugars;
– on the other hand it has a very low percentage of lignin, thus favouring the extraction of cellulose from the plant material;
So far, Cannabis hurds still only have minor applications such as animal bedding, garden mulch or as a component of light-weight concrete; Cannabis hurds are an agroindustrial by-product with a high carbohydrate content so they are an excellent candidate for second-generation ethanol production.
Thus, the use of Cannabis hurds as a feedstock to produce ethanol may increase Cannabis attractiveness as a resource for biofuel and replace petrol as a transport fuel.
Conclusions:
Today, technologies to recover up to 96% of the sugar present in Cannabis hurds to transform it in ethanol already exist, but the problem is that they have not been introduced at an industrial scale yet.
Why Cannabis cultivation has the potential to make us move towards a greener world?
– it can promote environmentally beneficial methods of agriculture (especially via crop rotations), which could actually help secure a long-term strategy of land management, ensuring that food
shortages do not occur;
– it can generate the basis for a green economy, taking advantage of the many bio-products that can be derived from the Cannabis plant;
– it can be used for either food, fibre or as a bioremediation crop to restore unproductive land back to agricultural productivity while at the same time providing industrial quantities of cellulose for energy production;
The world urgently needs a replacement for fossil fuels, and cellulose derived ethanol seems to be an ideal industrial successor to them. With Cannabis we would replace an unsustainable industrial feedstock with one which is not only sustainable, but addresses some very serious environmental and socio-economic issues.
It is important to understand that neither Cannabis nor any other energy crop should become the only resource used on a global level for biofuels. Assisting to repeated large monoculture fields of Cannabis for biofuel production would be detrimental even for this highly adaptable plant.
A balanced mix between Cannabis and other crops may provide a solution, and it would be very short-sighted for society and industry to keep neglecting the Cannabis’ energy potential.
Cannabis is an environmentally friendly biodegradable alternative to both petrofuels and petroplastic and it will become more popular only when industrial mandates begin to favour environmental concerns for real.
An increased green consciousness between the general public followed by a bigger demand for natural products may be fundamental in triggering this process.
Here at Nature Going Smart we try to make people move towards a more nature-consciuos world.
Today we explained why Cannabis has the potential to be a real solution for a sustainable worldwide biofuel production.
All the rest is politics.
Deepen your knowledge on the biofuel topic checkin gout our articles “Solutions for biofuel: algae, non-edible oils & waste cooking oils“, “What is biodiesel” and “Drawbacks of modern production of biodiesel“.
by Hempington Post | Mar 21, 2019
Following the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, CBD sales have continued their massive growth in the United States and beyond.
- Cannabidiol (CBD), a chemical found in cannabis, has seen a huge growth in sales over the past few years.
- CBD can be derived from hemp, and the passing of a new farm bill in the States makes this form of cultivation legal at a federal level.
- This forms part of wider growth in the cannabis market, as companies expand their operations in North Americaand even beyond.
Wildflower Brands Inc. is among the companies benefiting from this market, with an increase of more than 300 percent in online sales for its CBD products last year. Tilray Inc. is expanding with its acquisition of hemp foods company Manitoba Harvest. Canopy Growth Corporation announced revenue for its fiscal third quarter rose more than 280 percent compared to a year ago. In December, Cronos Group Inc. announced that tobacco company Altria would be taking a $1.8 billion stake in the company. Aphria has just completed expansion projects that allows it to substantially increase its output.
CBD Drives Growth for Hemp
Hemp, a plant that has long been out of the public eye, is returning to the spotlight in a big way. A non-intoxicating form of cannabis, hemp was primarily used for centuries as a natural source of fibers, which were used in cloth, rope and even building materials. Many ships in the great age of sailing relied on hemp for their riggings.
But in the sweeping anti-drug crusades of the 20th century, hemp became caught up in attacks on cannabis. Campaigners who were determined to save consumers from their own pleasures had cannabis outlawed at a time when there was little effective way of distinguishing between hemp and other forms of cannabis. No longer needed for cloth and rigging, hemp was made illegal. Now all that has changed – nowhere more dramatically than in the United States of America.
The Farm Bill
Hemp is making a comeback thanks to the growing popularity of cannabidiol (CBD), an active ingredient found in many forms of cannabis. It’s an ingredient that companies such as Wildflower Brands Inc. a creator of plant-based health and wellness products, have been making extensive use of in recent years. Combined with other naturally occurring plant compounds, full-spectrum CBD is used in a range of Wildflower products, including capsules, topicals, soaps, tinctures and vaporizers.
Until recently, the production of CBD in the United States faced serious restrictions and uncertainties. Many states had legalized the production of cannabis in some form, either for medical or for recreational use. In addition, there were licensed trials of the cultivation of hemp, which can be rich in CBD. But all of these plants were illegal at a federal level, meaning that even with state-level approval, cultivators faced financial limitations and the threat of government action.
All that changed in December with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. One of a regular series of bills governing the U.S. agricultural sector, this bill removes hemp from the list of controlled substances, making it unambiguously legal for farmers to grow hemp. This changes the landscape for CBD products in the States. Companies such as Wildflower, which has already got its products into many outlets in the health and wellness sector, will be able to expand their reach even further.
States have the right to set their own rules around restricted substances, and some states have taken an unsympathetic attitude to CBD. The Farm Bill doesn’t force states to change this attitude, but there are already signs that public opinion on all levels are changing. The regulations in many states assume adherence to the federal guidelines, and some states, such as Alabama, have already softened their stance since the Farm Bill became law.
Under the Farm Bill, hemp production will be tightly regulated. Most states already have existing regulations in place, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be developing its own regulations as well. But for an established company such as Wildflower, which already works in California, Washington and New York, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Cannabis companies are accustomed to working in a tightly controlled environment and meeting the legal standards set by state legislators, as well as the product standards required by retail outlets. In that context, working within new federal regulations shouldn’t present a significant challenge, while the existence of consistent national standards will create opportunities for growth.
CBD Demand Grows
The Farm Bill has been driven in large part by the growing demand for CBD. An obscure and seldom discussed chemical a decade ago, CBD has emerged as an important consumer product. The gradual legalization of cannabis and research into its medical effects drew attention to the fact that those benefits were not all related to THC, the psychoactive chemical that gets cannabis users high. Identified as a chemical with great potential for health and wellness, CBD has started to be marketed in its own right and is used in products such as the Wildflower Wellness line.
Public interest in CBD has grown seemingly from nowhere. Tapping into interest in both cannabis and natural remedies, and offering treatments that may succeed where others have failed, CBD sales have soared. Hemp-derived CBD alone was a $390 million market in 2018 and is expected to reach $1.3 billion by 2022. And that doesn’t even include all the CBD products derived from other forms of cannabis.
The results for producers have been staggering. Wildflower saw its online sales grow by more than 300 percent in just nine months in 2018. In response, the company opened its first New York retail store, a sure sign of a product’s popularity in an age when so many companies are shedding their brick-and-mortar presence.
Looked at globally, CBD is in even better health. The Brightfield Group has estimated that CBD’s value will reach $5.7 billion this year and $22 billion by 2022. While research on the topic is still in its infancy, there is growing evidence that CBD could be used to treat a number of ailments, including certain extreme forms of childhood epilepsy. Even the United Kingdom, a country whose government remains staunchly opposed to the legalization of cannabis, has allowed the use of a CBD drug for this purpose.
Companies producing and selling CBD products are springing up across North America, Europe and beyond. Demand is growing, especially among millennials. That’s bolstering the impressive sales of companies such as Wildflower and putting pressure on politicians to further liberalize the laws around hemp.
Making the Most of a New Market
A lot of companies are now making the most of the growing popularity of cannabis, CBD and hemp. With its acquisition of Manitoba Forest, is tapping into an extensive U.S. distribution network and an upcoming line of CBD products.
Manitoba Harvest sells hemp-based granola, protein powder, milk and other food products at more than 13,000 points of sale across the United States.
Canopy Growth Corporation impressive increase in sales was boosted by the company’s first sales of legal recreational marijuana in Canada, which accounted for more than 70 percent of gross revenue. Chairman and co-CEO Bruce Linton attributed the lift to the company’s decision to make early, “meaningful” investments that helped it corner a big part of the Canadian market when the law took effect. Canopy Growth is a world-leading diversified cannabis and hemp company, offering distinct brands and curated cannabis varieties in dried, oil and softgel capsule forms.
by Hempington Post | Mar 9, 2019
Levi Strauss & Co. has created a new line of clothing made with hemp that “feels just like cotton.” Hemp requires far less water and land in the growing phase and has roughly half the carbon footprint of conventionally grown cotton but has not had wide adoption in the apparel industry because of its coarse feel.
Now, however, Levi’s has employed a process developed by fiber technology specialists that softens the hemp, giving it a look and feel that is “almost indistinguishable from cotton,” the company says. The new hemp garments in the Wellthread x Outerknown spring/summer collection include jeans and a trucker jacket. They are made with a 70/30 cotton-to-hemp blend. The hemp, sourced from a rain-fed hemp crop, reduced the water used in fiber cultivation by roughly 30%.
Sustainable clothing company Outerknown developed the treatment for the hemp used in the Wellthread collection. Levi’s says more garments will use the material in coming days.
The new collection also includes single-fiber, nylon board shorts, in which all materials – the fabric, the eyelets, the core, the stitching – are made from nylon and are thus fully recyclable, “thus achieving the closed-loop recyclability that has long eluded apparel companies,” according to Levi’s.
The Levi’s Wellthread Collection, launched in 2015, is created with a waterless dyeing technology, which uses up to 70% less water compared with conventional indigo dying. The Wellthread x Outerknown collection launched last fall. The line includes shirts, jeans, and jackets that use as much recycling as possible, according to the two companies. A quilted trucker jacket, for example, has a multi-colored interior lining made from mechanically recycled cotton. The denim exterior is woven with Tencel x Refibra, a fiber produced with wood sourced from responsibly managed forests and chemically-recycled cotton scraps.
Outerknown, a clothing company marketing surf wear made from eco-friendly raw materials, launched in 2015 around the philosophy of doing things “the right way.” With its tagline of “People and Planet,” the company focuses on creating clothes made sustainably and acknowledges the fact that such clothing necessarily comes at a higher cost. “We’re building a very profitable business off customers that not only will pay more for preferred fibers but will only wear things that use preferred fibers,” Mark Walker, the company’s CEO, told Barrons.
The apparel industry is increasingly being scrutinized for its sustainability (or lack thereof), from raw materials use through manufacturing all the way to retail. Practices that might have been overlooked in the past — using polluting chemicals, trashing garments — have been making headlines and prompting brands to make changes. Companies that seem to be taking sustainability to heart with environmentally responsible initiatives include C&A, The North Face, Timberland and Vans.
Interested in learning more about the business case for sustainable apparel? Join us at the 4th Annual Environmental Leader & Energy Manager Conference, taking place May 13 – 15, 2019, in Denver. Learn more here.
by HempToday™ | Feb 28, 2019
This post was originally published on HempToday.net. Subscribe to our newsletter, check out our events and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The USA has jumped into the top ranks of global hemp growing nations, recording a tripling of land under hemp to reach a total 78,176 acres (about 31,000 hectares) in 2018, according to the American hemp advocacy group Vote Hemp. Vote Hemp had recorded about 25,000 acres of hemp fields across the USA in 2017. Twenty-three states grew hemp in 2018, Vote Hemp said.
Globally, that puts the USA third, behind world leader China (400,000 acres/162,000 ha.) and northern neighbor Canada (100,000 acres/40,000 ha), and is nearly double the land sown for hemp in France (42,000 acres/17,000 ha.), Europe’s leading hemp grower. Only about 110,000 acres (44,000 ha.) of hemp were grown across all of Europe in 2017, the year for which the most recent figures are available.
Montana expands fast
The rapid expansion of hemp fields in the USA last year was driven primarily by anticipated passage of the U.S. Farm Bill, which removed hemp from the U.S. narcotics list. The Bill became law in late December. Strong demand for CBD was a major contributing factor in the growth of U.S. fields.
Internally in the U.S., Montana recorded the most fields under hemp last year with 22,000 acres (about 9,000 ha.), a drastic increase over the 542 acres (219 ha.) sown in 2017. Montana eclipsed perennial hemp leader Colorado, which was the second biggest grower in the USA last year with 21,578 acres (8,700 ha.), Vote Hemp reported.
41 states are active
Forty-one U.S. states have defined industrial hemp as distinct and removed barriers to its production: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Read More at Hemp Today
