Fall is here, and America’s millions of CBD and hemp cannabinoid consumers still face an elusive expanse of rules and regulations that change as rapidly as the autumn leaves. 

• 90 new state bills would regulate hemp
• Cookies scores a University of Southern California deal
• And Cann’s 2mg Grapefruit Rosemary is delicious

Looking to make sense of the chaos? Leafly has you covered. Read on for your monthly news roundup of all things CBD, delta-8, THCA, and other hemp molecules.

Top CBD, delta-8 news of September

In a dramatic first for the hemp industry, the multinational brand Cookies has entered into a multi-year sponsorship deal with a university sports team. Beginning this season, Cookies will be an official sponsor for the University of Southern California Trojans football, as well as USC’s men and women’s basketball. According to a press release, “on-site tailgate experiences” will occur at select events; your good is as good as ours what that will look like. 

CBD and hemp legal news

In 2024 alone, US states have introduced 90 bills to regulate hemp. Yikes! The Libertarian-minded crew at the Reason Foundation recently dropped a proposal to streamline and standardize the US hemp industry. You can read it here.

California

Californians are “panic buying” thousands of dollars of CBD and other hemp products in advance of Governor Gavin Newsom (D)’s anticipated emergency ban on all hemp products containing trace amounts of THC in the Golden State. 

Missouri

Drama continues to unfold in Missouri, where Governor Mike Parson hopes to ban intoxicating hemp products. On September 18, the state health department rebuffed Parson’s plan. Hemp sales are back on, for the time being.

Texas

The Texas Supreme Court will consider whether to outlaw delta-8 sales in an upcoming case. According to the Texas Hemp Industries Association, the state’s hemp business is worth $8.1 billion, and delta-8 makes up a $6.8 billion piece of that pie.

US Federal

A US Circuit Court ruled on September 4 that the super-potent hemp-derived cannabinoid THC-O (aka THC-O acetate) qualifies as hemp, per language in the 2018 Farm Bill. The ruling puts the Court at odds with the DEA, who argue that THC-O does not meet the definition of hemp, and thus remains federally illegal. But since SupCo struck down the Chevron Doctrine this year, circuit courts no longer need to rely on a federal agency’s opinion to issue a ruling. We’ll see what happens next.

On October 15, the US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of a truck driver named Douglas Horn who failed a drug test after consuming a CBD product that allegedly did not contain any THC. Horn subsequently lost his job. He hopes to sue the manufacturers of the CBD product, Dixie X.. 

On September 4, the FDA sent a warning letter to a North Carolina-based skincare company called Root Bioscience Brands. The letter alleges that the company made medical claims about its CBD and other cannabinoid products that it does not have qualification to do, since CBD is not an approved drug. The company complied.

This one’s weird: Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R) is suing Meta (the parent company of Facebook). Huckabee alleges the company ran fake ads suggesting that he’s endorsing a CBD product. 

We love Cann’s 2 mg tonics!

We interrupt our news broadcast to offer a quick review on one of our favorite hemp-derived beverages Leafly HQ: Cann’s 2 THC mg Grapefruit Rosemary tonic. Packaged in a cute mini-can, this zippy beverage delivers a bouquet of subtle flavors and a clean, mellow buzz that helps it stand out among the competition. Cann’s products look classy, taste great and don’t launch you into a sugar rush (or subsequent nosedive).

CBD and hemp science news

Heads up, Leafly Nation. As we reported earlier this month, a new study shows that contrary to a widely-held belief, CBD can actually enhance cannabis’ psychoactive effects, not diminish them. 

Suppository success! A survey-based study found that Foria’s CBD suppositories reduced menstrual pain and discomfort for nearly four-fifths of all participants. 

Oregon State University has received $5 million to study the potential uses of industrial hemp.

CBD and hemp industry news

Big ups, CBD! According to a new report from InsightAce Analytic, the CBD ingredient market (aka products that include CBD as an ingredient) could more than double by 2031. The report estimates that CBD saw $2.42 billion in revenue in 2023, and that the figure could reach $6.77 billion by 2031.

The first CBD lozenge has landed in Canada, thanks to a collaboration between Aurora Cannabis and Vectura Fertin Pharma. Bon appetit.

Woodstock for hemp sippers is here: The inaugural Pacific Hemp Beverage Summit is going down on October 11, 2024 in Bend, Oregon. You can find more info about the event here.

And that’s it for Leafly’s monthly novel cannabinoids news roundup. As always, it’s the Wild West out there. We’ll see you next month to report on the latest.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to veto a hemp bill that aims to severely limit the sale of hemp-derived products containing delta-8 THC, delta-9 THC, and delta-10 THC—a bill many say would essentially wipe out the hemp industry.

Florida’s Senate Bill 1698, if signed into law, would restrict the sale of hemp products containing THC, “defining the term “total delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol concentration”; providing conditions for the manufacture, delivery, hold, offer for sale, distribution, or sale of hemp extract; prohibiting businesses and food establishments from possessing hemp extract products that are attractive to children; prohibiting the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services from granting permission to remove or use certain hemp extract products until it determines that such hemp extract products comply with state law, etc.”

CBS News reports that if he vetoes it, DeSantis would be developing a strategy like “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” That’s because the hemp industry is in direct conflict with the cannabis industry as both are sources of THC.

“It’s been flying under the radar, but he’s going to veto,” an unnamed source told CBS News. “The marijuana people are furious, and they are scrambling.”

“There was never a thought the Governor would veto the bill,” said a second source. “But they are now signaling that they are going to veto, and I think it would be fair to say he is leaning toward a veto.”

Supporting the hemp industry would be a strange move, given that DeSantis slammed a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis in Florida.

DeSantis attacked a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis—Amendment 3—which would legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older and allow individuals to possess up to 3 ounces, and up to 5 grams of concentrate.

“The weed one is not just to decriminalize, it’s basically a license to have it anywhere you want,” he said. “No time, place and manner restrictions. This state will start to smell like marijuana in our cities and counties. It will reduce the quality of life.”

In 2016, Florida voters approved medical cannabis, but patients must be diagnosed by a doctor with a qualifying condition. 

Then the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp and lawmakers accidentally legalized intoxicating compounds like delta-8 THC. The hemp industry has taken off all across the country.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle seem to be in support of the hemp industry as well. Republican Party of Florida chair Evan Power, is spearheading the growth of the hemp industry. 

“I’ve had conversations with staff on the bill,” Power told CBS Miami. “And he is moving toward a decision. And we hope he doesn’t sign it.”

Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried was a big supporter of hemp when she served as the state Agriculture Commissioner. “Expanding access to cannabis is a non-partisan issue with broad support in Florida,” Fried told CBS Miami. “Hemp products provide relief to millions of Floridians—including veterans, seniors, and patients with chronic pain. Any attempts at regulation should protect consumers, while considering the impact on accessibility for patients and the ability of small businesses to compete.”

Support for Adult-Use Cannabis in Florida

Florida’s vast potential for adult-use cannabis has been highly anticipated since the Sunshine State first moved to introduce medical cannabis in 2016. Trulieve contributed more than $40 million to the campaign, alongside an additional several million dollars from a handful of other medical cannabis treatment centers.

In Florida, measures must gain 60% support in order to pass. A new USA Today/Ipsos survey suggests that a majority of registered Florida voters, 56%, support the measure, with 49% of Florida adults overall. Forty percent said that they would vote against it, and just 4% said that they were unsure.

Democrats and independents were most supportive of the measure (69% and 63%, respectively), while 39% of registered Republican voters  said they would vote in favor of the measure. The survey also found that support varied by region, with those in central Florida more likely to say they are in favor of recreational cannabis legalization than those in north or south Florida (54%, 49%, and 38%, respectively).

While there are no differences in self-reported plans to vote for recreational cannabis legalization by gender or age, white Floridians were more likely than Hispanic Floridians to say they would vote in favor of recreational cannabis legalization later this year (55% vs. 32%, respectively).

Other polls were a bit more hopeful: A November 2023 poll from the University of North Florida found that 67% of respondents said they would vote yes on a constitutional amendment to allow adults in Florida to purchase and possess small amounts of cannabis for personal use. It also notes that 70% of respondents supported recreational cannabis in Florida as of Spring 2023 along with 76% showing support in Spring 2022.