Whats New in the world of CBD, well a new Texas law sought to bring the state in line with a 2018 federal law that legalized hemp while keeping marijuana illegal. The result: widespread confusion.
Marijuana prosecutions in Texas plummeted by more than half in the six months after the law was enacted. Eleven states and Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana possession. While In Texas, state law allows prosecutors to press criminal charges, typically misdemeanors for small amounts.. however they can carry fines of more than $1,000 and jail time.
IN FACT, a man spent a month in jail last year in amarillo after being arrested for allegedly transporting marijuana.
Now although they thought he was transporting Large amounts of Mary J. Lab tests indicated the substance was in fact legal hemp.
At least the state is still trying to determine regulations and training for law enforcement so people aren’t mistakenly arrested and held for… a month.
Last year, state representative Joe Moody, introduced House Bill 63, which would have prevented police from arresting people for possessing an ounce of pot or less and would make having an ounce or less a Class C misdemeanor carrying a maximum $500 fine.
A majority of the state’s registered voters are in favor of some form of marijuana legalization, according to a University of Texas Poll from June.
More than 80% of the state’s voters said they would legalize pot in some capacity, including medical marijuana (31%), small amounts (30%) or any amount (23%).
IN OTHER NEWS: Hemp Prices Plunge as the Demand for CBD Falls Short. You may not realize it when you’re spending $75 on CBD hair gel, but hemp prices are plunging amid a “grossly oversupplied” market. According to PanXchange Chief Executive Officer Julie Lerner.
Hemp biomass prices reached a high of over $40 a pound in July of last year while today, it’s trading under $10 a pound due a quadrupling of supply from 2018 to 2019.
Lerner said in an interview. “Every way you slice it, the physical demand for the CBD market is much, much smaller, then the supply… I’m a little surprised that retail prices have not started to come down yet. There’s so much competition.”
Currently the CBD consumer market remains limited as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to prohibit the extract in food or dietary supplements….. although many sellers ignore that mandate.
Speaking Of the FDA. After hearing the FDA say it needed more data about CBD safety and toxicity, ValidCare which according to their website was created to bring together people working to improve health, wellness and care, began its National Consumer Experience program in October, asking consumers to begin journaling their use of hemp-derived products through the CBD+me app. A social community that tracks and shares CBD experiences to reveal wellness benefits to consumers around the world.
In mid-November, ValidCare took a sliver of the data from the initial study to create a white paper on the research findings, which it presented to the FDA in December:
Some of what they found from more than 2,000 registered users is that the
- Ages ranged from 19 to 82; with the average age, 48.
- 56% were female; while 44% were male. (I am not sure if that is because more woman use CBD products or just because more woman are using that app.)
- 69% used full-spectrum products; while less than 10% used isolate products.
- About 50% were taking 10 milligrams per serving or 25-30 milligrams per day.
- More than 85% preferred oral consumption.
- About 75% preferred tinctures specifically.
- Zero adverse events were reported.
- Fewer than 5% reported a side effect, such as sore throat, digestive issues or confusion.
- More than 70% reported positive progress toward their goal for taking the product.
- Another 20% reported a secondary benefit.
Now I am sure we will be waiting to see what the FDA has to say about that however in the meantime, We can talk about a press release from the FDA that was issued On December 17th, aimed at weary holiday travelers. The agency warned that drivers should “use caution if planning on operating a motor vehicle after consuming any CBD products.” In the release they state that CBD can cause sleepiness, sedation and lethargy and that you shouldn’t take it before operating a car, bus, train, plane, or boat.