We were surprised to learn recently that a legal battle is set to ensue between a hemp retailer and the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Hemp Industry Daily reported that Hometown Hero CBD is seeking a temporary restraining order and a temporary and permanent injunction on a ruling posted by the Texas Department of State Health Services. This ruling classified delta-8 THC as a controlled substance, which has major implications for the Texas-based, e-commerce hemp retailer.
Although this was surprising news, it actually makes complete sense to us as organic hemp growers in California. We understand what would motivate a hemp retailer to enter into a major legal contest like this – it’s a matter of fighting for the survival of the business. The law around hemp and hemp products, from cannabis and edibles to CBD oil, is constantly shifting at the moment and it makes it difficult for firms to make progress.
Texas attorney Andrea Steel characterized the situation well when she told Hemp Industry Daily that: “This is a just a snapshot of the negative, trickle-down effect happening in the hemp industry nationwide federally. As we continue to sit and wait for the FDA to issue regulations regarding CBD and other consumable hemp-derived cannabinoids, confusion abounds.”
Hemp farmers complain in the UK
And it’s not just in the US that we are finding these sorts of problems. Across the Atlantic, in the UK, farmers have been complaining recently about the laws that stop them from cultivating CBD oil from cannabis plants.
Sky News reported that: “British farmers and small businesses have described current legislation that prohibits them from cultivating CBD oil from cannabis plants – while it remains legal to import it from abroad – as ‘unfair’, ‘ridiculous’ and ‘insane’.”
CBD products are legal in the UK and can easily be purchased on the high street or online. So you can understand why farmers would feel a sense of outrage at not being allowed to supply this totally legitimate market. Instead, the CBD products are imported.
What we are looking at here is a subtle legal distinction – the kind that is typical when law makers are dealing with hemp. UK farmers are allowed to grow hemp, but only for the stems and seeds, not the leaves of the plant. The hemp stems have their uses as textiles; the seeds can be eaten, but the leaves are what you need to make CBD products. As natural hemp farmers based in California, we definitely sympathize with the UK’s farmers and feel their pain. It’s a bit like being a pig farmer and having your government tell you that you’re allowed to sell bacon but not the trotters!
Of course, the growing conditions in the UK can’t compare to our climate in California when it comes to hemp. Our organic, 100% natural hemp benefits from the California sunshine and the same soil that yields California’s world-renowned oranges and fine wines. We supply hemp brokers, e-commerce firms and retailers all over the US and across the globe. If you would like to order our organic California hemp today then contact the team on:
ibarra@californiagrownhemp.org
+831-884-3124 WhatsApp