Cannabis News

Kansas Lawmakers Discuss Legality Of Intoxicating Hemp THC Products

Published

3 weeks ago

October 27, 2025

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“If it’s intoxicating, it’s harmful.”

By Anna Kaminski, Kansas Reflector

Although Kansas remains one of the last states in the nation without legalized medical or recreational marijuana, the THC-infused drink has eluded official scrutiny.

The issue of the legality of the drinks came up during a meeting of the joint legislative committee on safety on Thursday.

Robert Stuart, head of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, explained to lawmakers that while marijuana is illegal in Kansas, THC-infused beverages are considered hemp products and are allowed under the federal Farm Bill of 2018, which legalized cannabis plants that contained no more than 0.3 percent of a plant’s weight of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Products created using hemp are usually advertised as Delta 9 items, and may have a weaker effect than marijuana due to their lower THC content.

Rep. Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican, asked Stuart, “Should we outlaw it?”

Yes, Stuart said, and he bet the KBI’s attitude would be the same.

“If it’s intoxicating, it’s harmful,” he said.

THC beverages are restricted to adults 21 and older, just like alcoholic beverages.

“You hear all kinds of social arguments and all kinds of ways of thinking,” Stuart said, “but it would be much clearer for any of these distributors, any of these vendors, any member of the public to say, OK, this is what’s clearly illegal and what’s clearly not.”

The blurred lines make it difficult for retailers to comply with state laws, for consumers to know the products they buy are safe and for law enforcement to conduct criminal investigations, Stuart said.

Kansas City, Missouri-based brewer Boulevard Brewing Company this month announced a THC-infused version of its signature Quirk seltzer, to be called “Berry Jane.” It will be available in two doses. One with 5 mg of THC and the other with 10 mg, separated by a darker can. It is expected to go on sale in Kansas and Missouri next month.

The The KBI earlier this month celebrated a major crackdown on THC productsraiding 10 showrooms in six cities across the state. KBI Director Tony Mattivi said the products were harming Kansas children.

The The Kansas House passed a bill to legalize medical marijuana In 2021, and a special committee made recommendations to Parliament last year, but Republicans have blocked the legislation from moving forward. It could come in the next session, before the 2026 government elections.

This story was first published by the Kansas Reflector.

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Cannabis News

Hemp still attractive for growers despite uncertain future

Published

7 hours ago

November 17, 2025

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South Dakota, the nation’s No. 1 producer of hemp fiber, is getting a major addition to its hemp processing industry this year that will help expand the state’s growing and product-making capacity. But federal legislation related to reopening the government after a seven-week shutdown that seeks to change how the plant can be used poses an existential threat to its growth, some industry members said.

It is representative of the growing two-pronged hemp industry: producing goods such as animal bedding, hemp wood and plastic, and creating consumable goods for humans and animals, some of which are intoxicating.

John Peterson, founder of Dakota Hemp, an industrial hemp grower near Wakonda, is almost ready to open the state’s second hemp processing facility. It will be operational by the end of the year and will have the ability to process hemp fibers and stalks, the thick, woody parts of the plant, into a variety of products.

On the farm, Peterson also grows cannabidiol, or CBD, plants, which produce Dakota Hemp-branded CBD products, such as tinctures, lotions and pet treats, among other items sold statewide.

Cannabis News

North Carolina Hemp Businesses Brace For Impact Of New Federal THC Product Ban

Published

7 hours ago

November 17, 2025

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“We have a year to figure it out or we have a year to like it, crush it and fight for the plant and we hope to change that with the legislation.”

By Brandon Kingdollar, NC Newsline

For Hannah DeLange, the most rewarding aspect of running Redhead Hemp’s Durham location has been “creating a space where people feel comfortable and safe,” creating an inviting social atmosphere much like a coffee shop or bar.

Shelves are stocked with CBD gummies, Delta-9 sangrias and THC caramels, among other drinks and treats with promises like “sleep with benefits” and “lower calories, bigger vibes.”

The interior of the store looks cozy, with plants covering the brick walls with brightly colored artwork and plush sofas and chairs for relaxing. At the store’s “Canna Cafe,” customers can sit down with hemp-infused tea and coffee.

“It’s kind of a space for everybody,” DeLang said. “It has to be a plant for all people, and it has to be accessible, and to create a space that can really personify that.”

Now, the future of that space and many others like it are in jeopardy, with the majority of hemp-based cannabinoid products set to become illegal in November 2026.

Hemp business owners in North Carolina and their counterparts across the US are grappling with the impact of the ban, with some mounting advocacy efforts to reverse the ban and others working to narrow the range of CBD products that will remain legal.

“I think there is a lot of fear”

“We found out the morning of the Senate vote that this was happening,” said Emma MacAdam, owner of Redhead Hemp. “It was pretty clear when they put it in the bill that that bill was going to pass, so it just seemed like a vicious way for them to push their agenda into a bill that was so necessary and important to so many people.”

Hemp and marijuana are varieties of the cannabis plant, which differ mainly in levels of the psychoactive compound THC, with hemp containing much less. CBD, another chemical produced by the cannabis plant, does not have an intoxicating effect by itself, but it does produce a calming effect and has been shown to help treat pain and anxiety.

The ban, which significantly lowers the acceptable level of THC in hemp products, was passed earlier this week as part of a farm credit bill along with a stopgap funding deal to end the federal government shutdown.

It bans the sale of hemp products, including CBD products, that contain more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container, DeLange and MacAdam said, about 99.5 percent of their stock. That would eliminate “full-spectrum” hemp products, which they said make up the most typical CBD products.

“They’re basically saying we can only use the non-intoxicating parts of the plant,” DeLange said. “For a lot of people, the compound THC, even that small amount that you see across the spectrum, that’s really important for pain relief, anxiety, sleep and things like that.”

DeLange said using CBD products has also helped some clients stop using opioids or stop drinking heavily. “Beverages have been a great resource for a lot of people who want a healthier alternative to that.”

The ban comes after lobbying by the marijuana industry and state law enforcement that the hemp industry exploited a loophole to sell products with many of marijuana’s effects but without regulatory oversight. The senators say they never intended to open up a recreational hemp market and only wanted to allow the cultivation of industrial hemp.

The reason, according to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other co-sponsors of the Farm Bill, is to “keep these dangerous products out of the hands of children, keeping the hemp industry to farmers,” and to do so, it closes a loophole that allows CBD products to be sold with less than 0.3 percent THC, a threshold that the Farm Bill originally helped overcome.

“Unfortunately, companies have exploited a loophole in the 2018 law by taking legal amounts of THC from hemp and turning it into an intoxicating substance, then marketing it to children in candy-like containers and selling it in easily accessible places like gas stations and convenience stores across our country,” McConnell said.

MacAdam and DeLange pushed back that the products are aimed at younger customers. They said their store has a strict 21+ policy.

“It’s very easy to use the iconic ‘save the children’ flag for a lot of things, I think there’s a lot of fear around cannabis – that’s the history of cannabis, period,” DeLange said.

“And there’s no talk of parental responsibility in that matter, or the fact that liquor isn’t safe for kids, and a lot of the new liquor companies are pretty and colorful,” MacAdam added. “I think it’s a complete escape.”

‘Wild West’

The rapid change to the ban represents a significant change for an industry that has seen little regulation in many states, including North Carolina, for the past seven years.

North Carolina has not enacted regulations on intoxicating hemp products, even with basic age restrictions, despite the support of the state Senate, Gov. Josh Stein (D) and Attorney General Jeff Jackson (D).

In February, the state’s child welfare task force reported a 600 percent increase in emergency room visits for minors related to cannabis use since 2019. Stein launched the Cannabis Products Advisory Council in June, saying “our state’s unregulated cannabis market is a wild west and is crying out for order.”

Last month, Jackson joined attorneys general in 38 states to ask Congress to regulate the sale of CBD products, asking lawmakers to “clarify the federal definition of hemp” during the appropriations process.

“Efforts by states to outlaw hemp-derived psychoactive products to protect their citizens cannot solve this problem,” the attorney general’s letter says. “Such efforts can only lead to unique and ineffective prohibitions and regulations that differ from state to state and will not stop the flood of THC mail order products from being transmitted through interstate commerce.”

Bills proposed in North Carolina that have not advanced this year include bans on sales to minors and sales permit requirements and child-friendly packaging and printed warnings. A bill passed by the Senate in June, which Jackson spoke for, would ban the sale of hemp-derived drinks, gummies and other products to anyone under 21 and prohibit their use on school grounds, among other rules, like a licensing process.

That bill and many others died in the powerful House Rules Committee, now chaired by Rep. John Bell (R-Wayne), who in 2024 became chairman of the hemp company Asterra Labs. Bell did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.

MacAdam said the lack of regulation has been a boon in some ways, such as making the industry more accessible to those with relatively few resources, creating greater opportunities for traditional business owners.

“It’s really nice when there’s no barrier to seeing what an industry can do. There’s no license that you have to pay $100,000 for. I started this business with a little money and a big goal, and I’m so grateful for all the people we’ve met along the way,” he said.

“It’s part of our way of life”

Also stopping are farm owners of flowering or smokeable hemp, a crop grown to make CBD products. Dana Rider, co-owner of Otherside Farm in rural Buncombe County, said the industry has been “disgusted” since hemp products were legalized in 2018 thanks to potential bans.

“We’d freak out and then everything would be fine, or they’d put it off for another year,” Rider said. “Obviously, (the ban) is going to strike a chord somewhere because, you know, it’s part of our livelihood.”

He said his family started growing hemp a year after starting their farm. Other farmers he knows have switched to hemp to revive their run-down tobacco farms and dairies. They now operate an online store, Otherside Hemp, and also sell their products in stores across the state. “It’s part of our income and helps keep the farm going,” he said.

He said that for many clients, the goal is not to undergo a chemical, but to manage pain and other conditions such as insomnia and anxiety.

“Your grandmother and your aunt and your parents don’t want to feel different, they don’t want to have that altered consciousness,” Rider said. “They just want to feel better.”

MacAdam and Rider both say they have been in conversation with other business owners who are working to push back against the ban before it goes into effect.

“We carry a lot of small businesses, a lot of family-run businesses, so we’re very concerned about our friends,” MacAdam said.

Otherside Farm plans to ask its supporters to contact state and local representatives about the ban, Rider said. “We have a year to figure it out or we have a year to like it, crush it and fight for the plant and we hope to change that with the legislation.”

“We will wait,” he added. “Until they tell us we can’t sell our stuff anymore, we’re going to keep selling our stuff and growing and producing our products.”

While some farms and shops will be able to continue to legally sell products processed to remove THC, also known as “CBD isolates,” Rider said his farm does not have the equipment to produce them. Since they only sell full-spectrum products, their entire product range would be wiped out by the ban.

“For us, we can’t really pivot, can we?” said Rider. “We wouldn’t be around anymore, basically, and that’s sad to think about.”

This story was first published by NC Newsline.

Marijuana Moment is made possible with the help of readers. If you rely on our pro-cannabis journalism to stay informed, consider a monthly Patreon pledge.

Cannabis News

Organic Remedies donates $100,000 to support court appointed special advocates for children

Published

1 day ago

November 16, 2025

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Organic Remedies has raised $100,000 to support Pennsylvania Court-appointed Special Advocates for Children. PA CASA is a statewide, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to grow, strengthen and unify local CASA programs to ensure the overall safety, well-being and forever home of all children affected by abuse and neglect in Pennsylvania. By supporting a network of affiliated local CASA programs, building new CASA programs, as well as providing training, technical assistance, and continuous quality improvement, PA CASA improves outcomes for children who have experienced abuse and/or neglect.

The company’s fourth annual fundraising golf tournament, held Sept. 5 at Carlisle Country Club, raised funds through golf registrations and other golf activities. More than 100 golfers, including business partners and other representatives of the medical marijuana industry, participated in the golf outing to raise funds for PA CASA. This year’s contribution of $100,000 exceeded last year’s collection by more than $20,000. The donation was presented to the organization on Nov. 12 at the Carlisle Country Club in Carlisle, Pa.

“Every child deserves a safe and caring home, free from fear, hunger and abuse. At Organic Remedies, we are proud to support PA CASA to protect vulnerable children and provide them with a chance for a brighter future. We hope our contribution will help expand training and develop new programs that ensure more children can find safe and permanent homes,” said Mark Toigo, CEO of Organic Remedies.

“We are deeply grateful to Organic Remedies for their generous contribution to support our mission: to grow, strengthen and unite local CASA programs to ensure the safety, well-being and permanent homes of all abused and neglected children in Pennsylvania,” said Jennifer DeBalko, CEO and President of the PA Court of Special Advocates for Children. “With 21 local programs serving 32 counties, there is still much work to be done. This donation will significantly enhance our training efforts and help us develop new programs across the state. Thank you, Organic Remedies, for being with us.”

For more information:
Organic remedies
www.organicremediesmo.com