Reuters — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to make recommendations on how to regulate the use of popular cannabis compound CBD in food and supplements, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing agency officials. After weighing the evidence on the compound’s safety, the FDA will decide within months how to […] Read more
U.S. FDA reported weighing CBD regulation in food, supplements
Ramping up: processing of Alberta crops gathers steam
Food, fibre and fuel facilities are coming on stream and that’s good news for producers
Reading Time: 5 minutes Ag-fuelled processing in Alberta – everything from hemp and pulses to renewable diesel – is gaining traction and opening new markets for producers. One of those is Canadian Rockies Hemp, which just opened the largest hemp fibre processing plant in North America at Bruderheim. The company’s products are used for textiles, building, pulp and paper […] Read more
Suddenly hemp fibre is in high demand as hempcrete use jumps
U.S. builders are using hempcrete more frequently due to its insulating properties and moisture tolerance
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The market for hemp fibre may be on its way up again and Jeff Kostuik of Verve Seed Solutions says it’s based on a part of the plant that used to be considered waste. At a crop demonstration in Manitoba this summer, he pulled apart a hemp stem and showed the hurd, […] Read more
Biden overhauling U.S. marijuana policy
Prior federal offenses to be pardoned; moves could ease U.S. business for cannabis firms
Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Joe Biden took steps to overhaul U.S. policy on marijuana on Thursday by pardoning thousands of people with federal offenses for simple marijuana possession — and initiating a review of how the drug is classified. Biden said thousands of people with prior federal convictions could be denied employment, housing […] Read more
Pot producer Canopy Growth to shed retail stores
Company working on 'path to profitability'
In full cost-cutting mode, Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth Corp. is set to shed a significant chunk of its vertical integration model by selling off the retail pot shops it owns across the country. Smiths Falls, Ont.-based Canopy announced Sept. 27 it has an agreement in place with OEG Retail Cannabis — already the owner/operators […] Read more
Canada to review impact of cannabis legalization four years on
Review will also look at regulatory challenges in pot sector
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada on Thursday launched a review of the country’s legalization of recreational cannabis use four years ago to evaluate its impact on youth, Indigenous minorities and others, and analyze its effect on the economy and the illegal marijuana market. Canada became the first developed nation to legalize use of recreational marijuana […] Read more
The cannabis market is huge, but so are the losses
The sector wants lower taxes and less regulation, but over-expansion has crippled many companies
Reading Time: 3 minutes Forget waterhemp. Cannabis might be Canada’s fastest spreading weed. Since being legalized in October 2018, cannabis production exploded across the country. From oils and edibles to dried flowers and other products, consumer demand continues to rise. But regulations, production woes and massive overcapacity have dragged the industry into a period of consolidation. The overall market […] Read more
Regulations, versatility pull hemp in different directions in West
Crop 'still struggling with reaching its full potential'
MarketsFarm — Accounting for 60 per cent of Canada’s 1,100 cultivation licenses as of 2020, according to Health Canada, Western Canada is the country’s most important region when it comes to hemp production. But while there are more products on store shelves, more cultivars than ever before and high prices for the crop, demand for […] Read more
Alberta poised to become hemp-processing powerhouse
Two hemp processors aim to open $70-million production plants in 2024
Reading Time: 5 minutes Alberta farmers will be growing a lot more hemp when two new proposed processing facilities open their doors in 2024. One is a $72-million hemp oil-processing operation to be built in a yet-to-be-determined location in southern Alberta while the other is a rare bird in the hemp sector — a facility that will process hemp […] Read more
Pot producer Canopy Growth to cut 250 jobs in profitability bid
Reuters — Canopy Growth Corp. said it would lay off about 250 employees as part of a cost-cutting plan as the Canadian pot producer tries to achieve long-elusive profitability. Most Canadian marijuana companies have struggled to turn a profit despite more than three years of cannabis legalization due to fewer-than-expected retail stores, cheaper rates on […] Read more
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