
Newsletter
Newsletter – March 17, 2021

Dublin Hemp Emporium Holds On Despite CBD Uncertainty
By Jean Lotus
The future is bright in the European Union for CBD after new laws in 2020 ruled it safe for food and topical use. But Ireland is still mired in a murky situation for CBD where local regulators say cannabidiol is not yet approved under novel food regulations.
No one knows the situation as well as Dublin father-and-son business owners James and Marc McDonald, proprietors of the family-owned Hemp Company in Dublin since 1999.

Canadian Rockies Hemp Corp. To Open Alberta Fiber Processing Center
By Jean Lotus
Ground is breaking in Bruderheim, Alberta, on a new hemp processing operation that will be the largest in North America for decortication of hemp grown for fiber.
Canadian Rockies Hemp Corporation announced in February that the company had secured $18 million in cash-against-document financing from private equity firm Merida Capital Holdings, which specializes in cannabis and hemp financing.

Husband-and-Wife Hemp Farmers Grow Their Business on Colorado’s Western Slope
By Jean Lotus
The western slope of Colorado has long been a great agricultural site for peaches, grapes and hops, so when industrial hemp was first approved in Colorado in the 2014 Farm Bill, a young local farmer and his wife from Grand Junction jumped on growing the crop.
Wacey Clarke and his wife Alex got into the CBD hemp business early, on family farmland near the Utah border, expanding the family’s landscape, irrigation and cow/calf operation.

California Advances Hemp and CBD in Supplements and Food, but Bans Smokable Flower
By Jean Lotus
The California state legislature moved forward Wednesday with new rules governing the sale of products containing hemp and CBD in cosmetics, dietary supplements and as food additives. But the new rules prohibit hemp to be sold for smokable flower.
The bill, SB-235, was introduced Jan. 19 by Sen. Ben Allen. A counterpart bill, AB-45 was introduced last year by Assemblywoman Cecilea Aguiar-Curry in the Assembly.
NoCo Hemp Expo Rolls Out Robust Educational Programming for Three-Day Trade Show
We Are For Better Alternatives (WAFBA), Colorado Hemp Company, and Let’s Talk Hemp Media are pleased to announce a robust line-up of educational programming during the upcoming NoCo Hemp Expo (NoCo7). Taking place March 25-27, 2021, at the National Western Complex in Denver, NoCo7 is the leading educational and networking trade show designed for hemp business leaders, entrepreneurs, and farmers to gather and learn new innovations, directly from industry experts.
Hemp News Spotlight
Robert Hoban: Examining USDA’s Final Rule for Growing Hemp
By Forbes Magazine
U.S. Hemp Roundtable Issues Statement Opposed to Marketing Products Under the Guise of Hemp for Any Intoxicating Value
By U.S. Hemp Roundtable
U.S. Sales of Hemp CBD Products Declined 2% in 2020 to $803 Million; Study Cites Rapidly Maturing Category
By Nutrition Business Journal
New Mentor Program for Black Farmers Announced by Charlotte’s Web
By Vitamin Retailer
12 Predictions for the Next Decade of Consumer Cannabis
By Inside Hook
Innovation is Key in a Saturated Market for Hemp-derived CBD Products
By Natural Products Insider
Good Hemp Inc. Enters Production Agreement with Healthy Oils and Supplement Maker Barlean’s
By Johnson City Press
New Mexico-based Santa Fe Farms Acquires Colorado-based High Grade Hemp Seed
By Longmont Times Call
Woman-owned Green Leaf Labs Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary During Women’s History Month
By Green Leaf Lab
U.S. Hemp Brokerage Adds Willie’s Remedy™, Wana Wellness™, Plain Jane™ and First Crop™ to Its Portfolio
By U.S. Hemp Brokerage
Triathlete Uses Prosthetic Leg Made from Hemp by Kansas Company
By The Kansan
There’s a Surplus of Hemp in the Market; What Happens in 2021?
By Nutritional Outlook
Hemp’s Legal, but the Industry Still Has Trouble Finding Banks — Here’s Why
By The Columbus Dispatch
Hemp Fiber Industry Slow to Start in Illinois, but Long-term Hopes Persist
By Peoria Public Radio
Idaho Hemp Bill Clears State Senate Agriculture Affairs Committee
By The Capital Press
California’s Contra Costa County Extends Hemp Ban through September 2021
By Mercury News
Spain’s Hemp Industry Faces Legal Risks
By Harris Bricken
U.K.-based Love Hemp Group Inks Deal with Mixed Martial Arts Leader Ultimate Fighting Championship
By Proactive Investors
Russian Hemp Producer Eyes Expansion as Demand for Textiles Made from Hemp Grows in Russia, China
By Market Screener
EVENTS
Working Women in Cannabis, Presented by Cannabiziac Univ., March 17, 2021
NoCo Hemp Expo – March 25-27, 2021, National Western Complex, Denver, CO
Advancing Hemp: Gary Reding Teaches Hemp Farming Systems, May 20, 2021, Presented by Acres USA
Southern Hemp Expo, Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh, NC, Sept. 2-4, 2021
Natural Products Expo East, Philadelphia, PA, Sept. 22-25, 2021
Add your event to Hemp Events, a free listing service for legitimate hemp industry events. Visit www.HempEvents.org.
TAKE ACTION
Urge Colorado Governor Jared Polis to Support Hemp-friendly Regulations
In January 2021, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) issued proposed industrial hemp regulations intended to improve the regulatory framework for hemp products such as CBD. We applaud the agency’s efforts to promote a strong regulatory regime, however, proposed regulations could add burdens to hemp farmers and companies, without providing added value protection to consumers. Click here to learn more and take action.
Support H.R. 841, The Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act
In September 2020, U.S. Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Morgan Griffith (R-VA) introduced the Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act – a bill which would provide a clear legal pathway for the sale of hemp extracts like CBD, while ensuring that products must comply with the rigorous regulatory framework existing for dietary supplements. The bill garnered broad bi-partisan support. On Feb. 7, 2021, Reps. Schrader and Griffith and 17 of their colleagues reintroduced the bill as H.R. 841. Support passage of the bill here.
Urge Your Members of Congress to Support Our Troops’ Access to CBD
On July 20, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to allow service members to use products containing hemp, including CBD. Unfortunately, the amendment was not included in the Senate’s version of the NDAA, which passed on July 23, and was not included in the final bill. However, as a new Congress meets this year, they are hoping for another hearing. Learn more.
Sign the 1% Hemp Petition
The 2018 Farm Bill authorized hemp production but used an outdated definition of hemp that does not work for farmers or the hemp industry. The current definition limiting hemp to 0.3% THC has proven unworkable, forcing many farmers to destroy their crops. Congress must change the definition of hemp to allow up to 1% THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) so that farmers can grow hemp without fearing that they will later have to destroy them. Add your name to the Vote Hemp petition urging Congress to redefine hemp as up to 1% THC.
Fix, Marry or Kill? Hemp Needs Your Help in HI, MA, MN and MO
The U.S. Hemp Roundtable has identified bills that need the hemp industry’s attention in key states including Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Missouri. Click here to learn more and take action.
Farmers of Color Need Your Support
The U.S. Hemp Roundtable encourages the hemp industry to support the Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act, as it “fits precisely into our mission.” The legislation would deliver $5 billion in direct relief to Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic farmers and other agricultural producers of color to help them respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as address longstanding inequity in agriculture. Learn more and take action.
Subscribe to the Let’s Talk Hemp YouTube Channel
#LetsTalkHemp is the ultimate platform that focuses on “Changing the Cannabis Conversation”. We provide news, education, and information about Hemp and Cannabis to our viewers so that they can learn more about the industry and get tips and tricks on the latest technologies. Subscribe to our channel and learn about everything from legal updates, farming, production, and new products entering the Hemp & Cannabis space.
Let’s Talk Hemp Podcast – Season 4, Episode 5
Available On March 18, 2021

Canada has been at the forefront of hemp foods since the late 1990’s and there is no sign of our friends to the north slowing down anytime soon. Today, Canada has legal recreational and medical cannabis in addition to being a leading global producer of industrial hemp. In this episode of Volume Up, host Morris Beegle is joined by co-host Anndrea Hermann of Hemp Production Services along with Ruth Shamai, founder of Ruth’s Hemp Foods, and Mike Fata, founder of Manitoba Harvest, as they revisit the early days of hemp becoming legal and the Rise of the Canadian Hemp Industry.
About Let’s Talk Hemp
Let’s Talk Hemp is a publication of Colorado Hemp Company (a division of We Are For Better Alternatives) focused specifically on the subject of industrial hemp and cannabis. We present features and curate news from across the globe to share the benefits of cannabis on health, energy, manufacturing and planet (H.E.M.P.). Colorado Hemp Company also is the Producer of NoCo Hemp Expo and Southern Hemp Expo, the nation’s leading hemp conferences and expositions.
Publisher: Morris Beegle, Elizabeth Knight
Editor: Steven Hoffman
Web Developer: Debby West
Design: Ben Wright
Circulation: Evan Tompros
Contributor: Heather Collins, Jean Lotus
Financial Officer: Lori Buderus
Let’s Talk Hemp Podcast: Morris Beegle
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