
Newsletter
Newsletter – September 24, 2020

CBD Industry Takes the Fight to the DEA
Harmony, RE: Botanicals CEO Janel Ralph Leads Industry Lawsuit Challenging DEA’s Proposed Rules on Hemp
By Steven Hoffman
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) just made the wrong person mad.
By issuing in late August an interim final rule to regulate hemp that is separate from USDA’s, many hemp business leaders feel DEA’s IFR could seriously threaten the hemp extracts market.
Enough so that Janel Ralph, CEO of two leading hemp extract brands including Harmony (aka Palmetto Harmony) and RE: Botanicals, has taken the initiative to file a federal lawsuit challenging DEA’s rule and perceived interference in the industrial hemp market.

Excellence Matters, in Space and on Earth: Front Range Biosciences Establishes Hemp Center of Excellence
By Steven Hoffman
Dr. Jonathan Vaught, Ph.D. – renowned plant-breeding and biotech scientist and CEO and cofounder of Front Range Biosciences – is committed to hemp. With a Ph.D. Organic Chemistry and expertise in molecular biology, he knows that quality – and excellence – matters, especially in seed stock and genetics.
You may remember Front Range Biosciences as the company that in March 2020 partnered with the University of Colorado to send hemp tissue cultures into space to study the effects of the International Space Station’s zero gravity environment on the plant’s gene expression.
NEWS ROUNDUP
Wildfires Expected to Impact Hemp Crops
By Green Market Report
House Bill Would Extend 2014 Hemp Pilot Program Until September 2021, Push Back Implementation of USDA Interim Final Rule on Hemp and Its Derivatives
By Marijuana Moment
The DEA’s Final Rule and its Impact on the Hemp Industry
By Cannabis Industry Journal
U.S. Hemp Authority Issues Draft Version 3.0 of Industry Standards; Encourages Stakeholder Feedback by October 15
By U.S. Hemp Authority
Colorado Department of Agriculture Appoints Six New Hemp Advisory Committee Members
By Colorado Department of Agriculture
Kentucky Hemp Industries Association Changes Name, Merges with Kentucky Hemp Association
By Kentucky Hemp Association
Universities Begin Offering Cannabis Education
By Hemp Farmer Magazine
Jack Herer Estate, Sweetwater Brewing Co. Collaborate to Launch Jack Herer Harvest Ale
By Celeb Stoner
Black Minority Owned Business Launches Hemptencils™ Eco-friendly Disposable Utensils Made from Hemp
By GreenTek Packaging
The Art and Science of CBD Market Sizing
By Cannabis Business Executive
Move Over CBD: Rare Cannabinoids Are Shaking Up Cannabis and Hemp Products
By Forbes
Cargill Joins Regenerative Agriculture Movement, Sets Goal for 10 Million Acres
By The Star Tribune
EVENTS
Women in Plant Medicine Summit, Sept. 30, 2020, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm PDT
Advancing Industrial Hemp 2020 Virtual Event, Presented by Acres, USA, Oct. 5, 2020
NoCo Hemp Expo – NoCo7, March 25-27, 2021, National Western Complex, Denver, CO
Southern Hemp Expo, Aug. 20-21, 2021, Nashville, TN
TAKE ACTION
Comment Period for USDA Hemp Program Reopened: Submit by 10.8.20
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is providing an additional thirty (30) days for public comments on the interim final rule (IFR) that established the Domestic Hemp Production Program on October 31, 2019.
Comment Period for DEA Interim Final Rule: Submit by 10.20.20
The purpose of this interim final rule is to codify in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulations the statutory amendments to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) made by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (AIA), regarding the scope of regulatory controls over marihuana, tetrahydrocannabinols, and other marihuana-related constituents.
Urge Congress to Provide Flexibility to Hemp Farmers, U.S. Hemp Roundtable Action Alert, Submit Comments
The USDA’s current regulatory plan for the growth and processing of hemp has caused heartache for U.S. hemp farmers. It’s an industry consensus that the agency’s Interim Final Rule (IFR) does not provide the kind of flexibility on issues like THC testing, hot hemp disposal, and plant sampling that farmers need in order to successfully profit from their hemp crops.
Urge Support for H.R. 8179, The Hemp and Hemp-derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act of 2020, U.S. Hemp Roundtable Action Alert
Hemp Supporters, there’s never been a more urgent opportunity to support CBD on Capitol Hill. If passed, H.R. 8179 would ensure that hemp-derived CBD, and other non-intoxicating hemp ingredients, could be lawfully marketed as dietary supplements.
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.
Kiss the Ground Movie – Now Available on Netflix!

Kiss the Ground reveals that, by regenerating the world’s soils, we can completely and rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems and create abundant food supplies. Using compelling graphics and visuals, along with striking NASA and NOAA footage, the film artfully illustrates how, by drawing down atmospheric carbon, soil is the missing piece of the climate puzzle.
The film is positioned to catalyze a movement to accomplish the impossible, to solve humanity’s greatest challenge, to balance the climate and secure our species future.
WhatCannaRadio Podcast
Part Three with Morris Beegle

Morris Beegle, President & CEO of Colorado Hemp Company and WAFBA, joins this podcast to discuss how his experience in the music industry has allowed him to build the world’s largest hemp trade show, known as NoCo Hemp Expo, and develop hemp apparel and paper products.
Morris talks about how the hemp space has gone from a focus on fiber, before CBD was well known, and back to fiber, as the CBD bubble is popping. His goals are around growing the hemp manufacturing supply chain in the US by starting with the products, then working his way back to the plant. Such as his company Tree Free Hemp, which currently imports it’s pulp, though is working to build out a large enough source here in the US.
Join WhatCannaRadio as they discuss the future of US Hemp with Morris Beegle.
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
Financial Officer: Lori Buderus
Let’s Talk Hemp Podcast: Morris Beegle
Send Us Your Hemp News!
Send press releases and news announcements to news@letstalkhemp.com
