Los Angeles hemp lawyer

August 15, 2020

Los Angeles CBD Lawyer Analyzes the Plan (or Lack Thereof) for California Hemp Production

The 2018 Farm Bill left no question as to the legality of hemp when it removed the crop – and its derivatives like CBD – from the definition of “marijuana” as listed within the U.S. Controlled Substances Act. The measure gave the U.S. Department of Agriculture regulatory authority over how hemp could be grown under federal guidelines. That said, states were given the option to assert primary regulatory authority over hemp growth and production inside its own borders. States that wanted to do this needed to submit plans to the USDA. Los Angeles CBD Lawyer

Although states weren’t given a strict deadline for submission of their own plans, it was noted in USDA interim rules that previous federal statute governing cultivation of hemp (the 2014 Farm Bill) expires at the end of October. That means hemp industry insiders in states that don’t turn in their hemp cultivation and production plans prior to Oct. 31, 2020 may have issues if their practices are not consistent with federal law.

As a longtime Los Angeles CBD lawyer, I have been closely watching these developments in California. In 2019, state lawmakers passed SB-153, a measure that required the state’s attorney general and department of food and agriculture to team up and put forth a hemp production plan to the federal agriculture department by no later than May 2020. However, that did not happen. According to the USDA, the feds are still waiting on California’s plan. Continue reading

September 25, 2019

Hemp Banking Protections Pass U.S. House in Pivotal Cannabis Banking Bill

By Cannabis Law Group

A historic cannabis banking bill was recently passed by House legislators hoping to secure a safe haven for financial institutions that serve hemp and hemp-made CBD companies. Los Angeles hemp business attorneys know this key measure is necessary, despite the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill that made hemp legal. marijuana banking

The banking bill, also known as H.R. 1595, passed 321-103 in the House with wide bipartisan support, with 91 of those who voted for it being Republican. It’s unclear whether it will face much fierce opposition in the Senate or what the president’s position would be if it lands on his desk. There are Senate committee chair Republicans who are in support of cannabis banking reform measures, though none have specifically mentioned hemp.

If passed, the measure would direct U.S. banking regulators to draft guidelines to federally-backed financial institutions affirming the legality of both hemp and CBD products extracted from it – within 90 days of the law’s passage. The federal regulatory directive would outline best practices for banks on how to follow the law in offering financial services to any hemp-related business (which can include contractors, landlords, plumbers, etc.). Continue reading

June 23, 2019

Interstate Hemp Delivery Wins Favorable View from USDA

By Cannabis Law Group

State lawmakers from California to Maine will not legally be allowed to prohibit the transport of hemp and the CBD derived from it once the U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes it’s regulations on hemp production later this year. That’s according to an advisory opinion from a department attorney, who added states already should not ban or impede the transport of hemp grown legally per a 2014 law. The opinion also specifically took issue with the seizure of 6,700 pounds of hemp seized in Idaho in January. cannabis trucking lawyer

Growing hemp, which is the non-psychoactive cousin of marijuana that has a host of industrial uses (everything fro textiles to twine), is legal under the 2018 Farm Bill Congress passed late last year. Dozens of states are actively working to create a framework to expressly allow for the cultivation and sale of hemp, as many outlawed in state statute to match federal law. Idaho is one of a handful of states where driving through with a sizable load of hemp can result in serious time in prison. Continue reading