The New Year is fast approaching, and with it comes exciting news for the hemp industry.
Thursday, December 20th was a long-awaited day for farmers and producers in the hemp industry. On this day President Trump signed what is officially known as the “Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.” This important act opens doors for farmers, producers, scientists, and consumers.

Just in time for Christmas, the U.S Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Purdue, called the bill a “Christmas present” to farming. Purdue also went on to say about this monumental day, “This is a great day for our farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers.” It indeed is a great day that means a lot for a lot of people, but what exactly does it mean?

CBD Is Again Getting The Recognition It Deserves

CBD has been used for centuries by our ancestors. They used industrial hemp to make rope, clothes, and many other things. CBD derived from hemp has also frequently been used for its therapeutic and medicinal benefits. CBD was not strictly for recreational use in the past, and it certainly won’t be in the future.

With the full legalization of hemp, more people will have access to the incredible natural relief CBD has to offer. This will also give scientists more access to study CBD and its benefits.

With the support of our government, as well as the ease of purchasing CBD products that this bill offers, the credibility of CBD will continue to rise—giving CBD the credit it deserves.

CBD has been known to help people find relief from a variety of health ailments such as:

• Nausea
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Sleep Disorders
• Chronic Pain
• Epilepsy

A Case Of Mistaken Identity

One of the reasons hemp has wrongly been accused of so much, is simply because it looks very similar to marijuana. Thankfully more and more people, including our nation’s leaders, are coming to realize that these two plants are very different.

Hemp and marijuana both belong to the cannabis sativa plant family. There are many similarities between the two plants; they even look almost identical. However, there are also striking differences within their chemical makeup. Perhaps the most significant difference is the amount of THC the two plants contain.

THC and CBD are both natural chemical compounds, called cannabinoids, which are found in cannabis plants. However, THC is known to cause psychoactive effects and produces a high. CBD has many benefits and does not produce psychoactive effects or a high.

Hemp is cultivated to contain high amounts of CBD and less than .3% THC. That is not enough THC to get a person high. Marijuana, on the other hand, contains high amounts of THC. THC is still not legal in every state.

Wasn’t CBD Legal Before?

Cannabis being legal may seem like a crazy thought, but it is happening. Cannabis is coming in 2019. Marijuana will still not be considered legal in every state, but hemp and CBD products will be federally legal in every state in 2019.

The legal status of hemp and CBD has always been confusing. Yes, it was already legal to use hemp or CBD in every state. However, there were many restrictions as far as growing and selling hemp and hemp derived products, such as CBD products in every state.

The new bill lifts many of these restrictions allowing more freedom for farmers, scientists, and producers. For example, hemp production will now be allowed in all 50 states for any use and each state will be given the option to submit their own plans to regulate hemp. The bill will allow for interstate commerce for hemp and hemp-derived products like CBD.

The Controlled Substances Act

In 1970 during Nixon’s war on drugs, the Controlled Substances Act was put in place. While hemp was considered a vital source for centuries, for about 50 years it was unfairly put on the list of Schedule 1 Controlled Substances, along with drugs like heroin and LSD.

It seems absurd that hemp was put on the list considering its rare and mild side-effects and the fact that no fatal hemp or CBD overdoses have been reported.

In 2014 a farm bill was passed that made it legal for some farmers to grow hemp for agricultural and experimental purposes. However, there were still many restrictions in place, and hemp was still legally considered a Schedule 1 drug. The new farm bill that was just signed by President Trump effectively removes hemp from the controlled substances list.

What This Means For Farmers, Scientists, Producers, And Consumers

With the removal of hemp from the controlled substances list, more opportunities are available in the hemp industry. It will now be legal for more farmers to grow hemp and protect their hemp with crop insurance. This alone could provide a big boost to the economy. The CBD market is expected to hit $22 billion by 2022.

Scientists and researchers will now have more access to study hemp and CBD to provide consumers with more information about the plant and its many health benefits.

Producers will have more opportunities to get their products into stores like Target, Walgreens, and CVS. The online world will also be changing as Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Amazon will be forced to lift some of their restrictions on CBD advertising. Consumers will have more access than ever before to hemp and CBD.

2019—The Year Of CBD

The end of another year always brings with it, a bittersweet feeling. But, more people than ever will be looking forward to 2019 with immense hope with the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill.

Greater opportunities for farmers, scientists, and producers translates into more opportunities for consumers to get the products they need. With everything we already know about hemp and CBD, imagine what the future holds as another whole level of hemp and CBD is about to be reached.

At Intrinsic Hemp, we strive to provide our customers with quality hemp and CBD products that bring much-needed relief. We are especially excited about this new farm bill, and the opportunity it will give us to continually help our customers in new and better ways.

 

Due to FDA Regulations, we recommend that you do your own research on CBD products. We also suggest that you read the reviews on our website; where our customers record their real-world results of using our products.