Texas Ban on Smokable Hemp on Hold until 2021
A Texas judge blocked authorities from enforcing the state’s smokable hemp ban until a Feburary 2021 trial resolves the dispute between hemp producers and the health department.
A group of four hemp producers sued the state after lawmakers passed a hemp legalization bill last year that explicitly forbade the production of products intended for smoking or vaporization. State health authorities extended its reach earlier this year to prohibit the sale and distribution of such products made outside Texas, a move the hemp companies claim was an unconstitutional overreach of their authorities.
Travis County Judge Lora Livingston said in a ruling that the group has “demonstrated a probable right to relief” sufficient to warrant a temporary injunction.
Cannabis Consumption Surges During Pandemic, Delivery Services are the new Norm
If you’re sitting on the couch with a bong in one hand and the TV remote in the other, you’re not alone.
According to a new poll conducted by California-based Ganja Goddess, an online shopping, delivery and lifestyle brand that caters to cannabis consumers statewide, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, that the majority (55 percent) of respondents consuming cannabis during the ongoing pandemic increased by 9 percent.
The study, which polled more than 850 people, also revealed a “massive, lasting uptick” in those turning to cannabis delivery services.
Hemp: The Solution to Face Mask Pollution?
French manufacturer Geochanvre has begun developing and selling face masks made from hemp. Unlike medical masks, the cannabis-derived masks are biodegradable and compostable.
A majority of disposable, single-use personal protective gear comes from plastics. These masks end up in oceans, lakes and landfills, and could take up to 450 years to decompose.
A study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology said approximately 129 billion face masks and 65 billion latex gloves are being used every month.
IRS May Allow Cannabis Businesses to Take Tax Deductions
A new IRS guidance says state-legal cannabis firms should be able to take business tax deductions under Section 471, a tax code approved in 2018 that allows businesses grossing $25 million or less in revenue to deduct a greater portion of their expenses.
Under new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance, state-legal cannabis operators can reduce gross business receipts using an accounting method available under Section 471, according to a WeedWeek report.
Will Cannabis Commerce Between State Soon Be Legal?
A Coalition of more than 50 cannabis advocates and businesses have launched the Alliance for Sensible Markets with their sights set on cannabis interstate commerce among legalized states. The organization says cannabis commerce between consenting markets will “spur an immediate explosion of new investment, expansion, and business formation, creating tens of thousands of jobs and generating billions in economic activity in local communities.” Moreover, the move would prepare the landscape for full legalization “by developing a regulatory framework based on sound economic principles and common sense.”
According to the group’s website (sensiblemarkets.org), interstate cannabis commerce would be achieved in two steps: getting the governors “of at least two legal or legalizing states” to agree to an interstate compact for cannabis products, and forwarding the compacts to Congress for approval — hopefully in 2021.
Can Milk and Hamburger Get You Stoned?
Scientists at Kansas State University are conducting studies on whether feeding hemp to livestock could potentially result in high concentrations of THC in meat and milk sold commercially.
So far, the team has completed two preliminary studies, one of which concluded that acidic cannabinoids, especially CBDA, are readily absorbed from cow’s stomach and available for distribution throughout the body.
“If we can prove that that is of no concern of consequence to the consumer, we feel that that would remove one of the major impediments to the widespread production of hemp worldwide,” Hans Coetzee, also with Kansas State, said in an interview with KSNW-TV.
As it stands, the practice utilizing hemp as bovine feed is prohibited despite the federal legalization of the crop and its derivatives.
Smoking High on Millennial Consumption List
A new report from analytics company Headset found millennials to be the biggest category for cannabis consumption and their overwhelming choice is smoking.
The latest report on August sales (in California) revealed that millennial males contributed to the most sales with 37.5% of the market share.” Millennials in general spent 43% of their money on flower, 9% on pre-rolls, and 23% on vape pens. Female cannabis consumers weren’t as big of fans of the smokable categories. The ladies spent just 17% of their money on vape pens.
