The 2018 Farm Bill was correctly described as a resounding victory for the US hemp industry. But the intensity with which its benefits manifest themselves in the short term will depend on how developed the individual companies involved are.
According to studies, companies producing CBD-based materials would expect some bottleneck in the supply chain, at least in the early days.
Although rural states like Kentucky are rapidly developing their growing hemp operations to meet growing demands, Gomez argues that the excess production and low cost of cannabis flower in recreational-friendly states like Oregon and Washington will lead to even some growers devoting themselves to hemp.
But overall, you should know that CBD is now legal in the US and that you can legally purchase CBD products online at JustBob.
CBD trade
The CBD increases in volume each year. As a result, brands already present in the CBD-based food and beverage market will be the first to enjoy the benefits of the Farm Bill.
According to studies, large retail chains will quickly start putting CBD products on their shelves, given the now absent threat of federal controls.
“The real boom will involve those companies already operating in the sector with quality control, tests, and certifications in order”.
John Simmons, the co-founder of an American CBD brand, talked about the relationship of trust established with distributors and retailers: retailers prefer to work with brands that have an established protocol in their business. And I think they don’t want to deal with producers from the world of THC. They don’t want hybrids”.
Removing restrictions on financial transactions is fundamental: “Being able to use a corporate credit card that is not linked to marijuana, our interest goes from 6 to less than 2%. It changes our life. It facilitates the process in e-commerce, it seems a trifle, but it is fundamental”.
A slice of the market is defined and dedicated to independent realities that sell natural food products and specialties. Gomez noted that CBD brands seek to align with specific consumer demographics, while stressed millennials prefer the e-cigarette, health, and wellness shoppers are looking for functional drinks and body care products. The Farm Bill has literally opened Pandora’s box, which could rewrite the market’s history.
What was unexpected about CBD and cannabis?
The Farm Bill is the key to unlocking a nationwide market for hemp’s CBD-derived products, but it doesn’t necessarily open the door. It is undoubtedly a means that will bring clarity to the regulatory landscape, but food and drink brands will still have to be careful before launching into the category.
First of all, the Bill doesn’t force all States to sell CBD products. Each will choose for itself, but no longer the prospect of conflicting with federal laws. Forty-seven States have soon legalized the sale of CBD within their borders, with the only exceptions being South Dakota, Nebraska and Idaho.
Food and beverage products that contain CBD face a more specific problem: like any other food supplement, regardless of content, they are under the control of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), which has expressly prohibited the use of CBD in conventional supplies. And dietary supplements due to their new drug status under observation.
The FDA’s position would prevent the addition of a drug, in this case, CBD, to any food unless the food contained the drug before the drug was legally placed on the market or any investigation into the drug was granted. CBD-infused or containing products appeared after an investigation into Sativex, a CBD-based drug, in 2007.
While remaining critical of CBD, the FDA has never shown interest in hitting CBD-based food and wine products with too heavy penalties, limiting themselves to warning letters.
CBD cannabis in the F&B industry
According to studies, cannabidiol has entered the food and beverage industry at an “amazing race” in the United States. With demand growing steadily, the market seems poised to welcome more and more cannabis products.
The report notes that the addition of CBD “is blurring the boundaries between the pharmaceutical and food sectors. This trend could be accentuated if its alleged therapeutic benefits were demonstrated”.
Until then, manufacturers will want a fair amount of caution in making too many promises about the effects of CBD-infused products.
Also, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has contested some claims in this sense, deeming them unfounded. However, consumers do not seem too concerned that CBD in food and drink is currently only regulated at the state level in the US, pending general approval at the federal level.
Cannabis in the United States today
CBD is now legal, and you can easily order the best CBD products online, but, despite the presence of a federal law that has included cannabis as an illegal substance, each State has had freedom within its borders.
In some US territories, recreational and medical use are wholly legal or partially legal depending on the individual’s age, the amount in possession, or that grown in the home. This was the case in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, and Washington.
Lastly, in New Jersey, the new legalization measures are still being evaluated. In addition, there is the federal district of Washington, DC. Others, however, allow use only for medical purposes in 22 States such as Arkansas, Delaware, or Minnesota.
Still, others agree to therapeutic use but impose limits on the THC content of cannabis in 12 States such as Alabama, Kansas, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Finally, the States where the use is entirely illegal are Idaho and Nebraska.
The approval of this Bill by the Senate, even if it would not oblige individual States to legalize marijuana, would allow the different territories to create a common front. This shared program does not currently exist.
