A new study suggests that hemp seed and hemp oil can be made into a promising gluten-free flour mix that offers an “optimal baked texture” along with “significant nutritional impact.”

The research, from a six-person team at the University of Calabria, in Italy, used hemp seed flour and oil to make gluten-free cupcakes, testing various parameters to explore the feasibility of hemp as an alternative flour.

Initially, authors found that replacing butter with hemp oil in a traditional recipe—made with 00 wheat flour—reduced the consistency of the cupcake batter. But when the wheat flour was replaced entirely with hemp flour, the batter’s consistency “was restored.”

“Replacing butter with CBD-enriched hemp oil reduced batter consistency. The subsequent, gradual incorporation of hemp flour led to a further decrease,” the paper, published in the journal Molecules, says. A mix of hemp and maize (corn) flour didn’t meaningfully improve the consistency.

“However, when hemp flour was used exclusively, the consistency of the batter was restored to a level comparable to the traditional formulation,” the study says, “resulting in an optimal baked texture.”

In addition to detailing a process authors described as “an efficient method for extracting CBD-rich oil”—which involves maceration along with the use of microwaves—they found that hemp oil “presents a viable alternative to traditional oils and fats for creating functional foods.”

Evaluating various physical properties of the resulting hemp flour–oil mix, researchers concluded that “hemp oil and hemp flour are viable ingredients for traditional cakes and desserts, notably contributing increased nutritional value through the CBD-enriched hemp oil and the beneficial profile of hemp flour.”

The study comes as more research evaluates the nutritional value of hemp in both humans and animals.

Late last year, for example, scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agricultural Research Service said they were working to “unlock this plant’s amazing nutritional benefits for consumers and new economic benefits for the farmer.”

A USDA video also touted the many uses of hemp, including for fabric, paper, construction materials and a wide range of nutritional products. Novel ways of processing the plant, it predicted, could one day incorporate nutrients from hemp into even more everyday foods.

“The hemp plant is a very robust plant,” researcher Sean Liu said in the USDA video, noting that hemp grows in a range of different conditions, requires comparatively few agricultural inputs and can be processed into all sorts of products.

Nutritionally, seeds contain a variety of amino acids and are rich in protein, Liu added, while hempseed oil contains both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. “It has a lot of unsaturated fatty acids that’s good for your heart, and it also can lower your blood pressure,” he explains.

But as Liu said in the video, there’s more work do be done to unlock hemp’s nutritional potential.

“We want to fully utilize the hemp seeds,” he explained. “Oil is a good part of the hemp seeds, but there are other things that we want to utilize to maximize the benefits of the hemp seeds, such as the proteins and the dietary fibers. They are all good food ingredients that can be used for a lot of healthy food.”

“There’s a couple ways of utilizing hemp seeds,” Liu added at the time. “One is that you use the whole grains, the whole seeds… The other way to do it is to take out some of the components to incorporate the formulation of a lot of common foods.”

Also last year, an organization of livestock feed control officials voted to allow commercial farmers to begin using hemp seed meal as food for egg-laying hens. Under the new policy, which was recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), hemp meal can account for up to 20 percent of hens’ diet.

Since hemp’s legalization federally under the 2018 Farm Bill, there’s been a renewed interest in utilizing the plant for nutrition, fiber and even intoxicating cannabinoids. As part of that, some have eyed hemp seed meal as an attractive option for livestock.

In late 2023, for example, New York lawmakers sent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) a bill that would have legalized hemp seed as a feed ingredient for horses, llamas and household pets, though the governor ultimately vetoed the measure, citing lack of safety information on the practice.

The topic is nevertheless gaining attention in the research community.

Separately, FDA in 2022 sent warning letters to a number of businesses marketing CBD products for animals, cautioning that there’s a “lack of data on what levels of potential residues are safe for a person consuming the foods that come from CBD-treated animals.”

In April 2023, however, the USDA found that cows that are fed hempseed cake retain very low concentrations of THC and CBD in their bodies, indicating that meat products from hemp-fed cattle are safe for human consumption.

Another federally funded study published in 2022 found that feeding cows hemp in fact reduces their stress levels. Researchers have also previously looked into how CBD affects stress and pain in horses.

Cannabis Seeds Launched To Orbit By SpaceX Crash Into Sea, Setting Back Mission To Grow Marijuana On Mars

Special agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) coordinated with local and federal agencies to carry out a series of search warrants on June 23, seizing myriad products at smoke and vape shops in five cities.

ALEA’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) spearheaded the multiagency operation with support from the Alabama attorney general’s office, the Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the 12th and 19th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s offices, the sheriff’s offices in Coffee and Chilton counties, and police departments in Troy, Enterprise, Clanton, Wetumpka and Montgomery.

SBI Major Crimes Chief Shawn Loughridge said during a June 27 press conference that the search warrants, which were executed at 10 businesses, resulted from a nearly yearlong investigation that launched after numerous complaints from community members arose in those five cities.

The SBI special agents confiscated “significant” quantities of cannabis, drug paraphernalia and other illegal drug-related items, yet the investigation remains ongoing, he said.

“No arrests have been made at this time,” Loughridge said. “However, this evidence collected this week represents a major step forward in holding these businesses accountable and protecting the health and safety of our communities.”

The seized products included what law enforcement officials said were packaged and marketed as hemp but contained THC potencies that violated Alabama law, according to ALEA. Loughridge said those potencies were determined after special agents and local law officers conducted controlled purchases to analyze and determine the THC content.

Under Alabama law, only hemp products containing less than 0.3% delta-9 THC are legal to sell outside the state’s licensed medical cannabis market, which has yet to commence commercial sales amid ongoing legal challenges to the state’s licensing process.

Alabama’s hemp law is based on the 2018 Farm Bill, which federally legalized hemp, incorporating a preharvest field test for the 0.3% THC potency. The legislation does not regulate finished products.

SBI Director Chris Inabinett told reporters during the press conference that “no amount of clever packaging or marketing” is going to change the legal definition of hemp.  

“We now have the technology and facilities at ALEA to conduct accurate, presumptive analysis of THC levels in these products,” he said. “These search warrants were not meant to punish business owners; they were issued in response to numerous community complaints. This is about public safety.” 

Inabinett also said that certain intoxicating cannabinoid products are being sold in Alabama in packages that resemble candy, snacks and other popular food items attractive to children.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said that he wanted to make something “abundantly clear” during the press conference.

“This is not hemp. This is marijuana,” he said. “This is an illegal marijuana operation. Despite the labeling, despite what may be represented, this is illicit drugs. And, as opposed to going to a local drug dealer to buy your marijuana, this was going to a storefront. Either way, it’s illegal activity for which we’ll be vigilant in making sure that we enforce.”

The multiagency operation unfolded one week before legislation to ban smokable and synthetic hemp products goes into effect on July 1.

House Bill 445, signed by Gov. Kay Ivey, also authorizes Alabama’s Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board to license and oversee consumable hemp product manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, allowing the board to conduct inspections and seize unlawful hemp products without a warrant.

In addition, the legislation will place a 10% excise tax on hemp product sales, impose testing and labeling requirements, prohibit sales to those under 21 years old, and ban online sales and direct deliveries.

Four companies filed a lawsuit against Ivey and Marshall on June 27 in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, claiming the legislation is unconstitutional, asking the court for a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction.

While certain provisions of the signed bill don’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2026, an attorney general spokesperson from Marshall’s office clarified that possessing or selling prohibited products under H.B. 445 on or after July 1 could subject an individual to a Class C felony—which carries a 1-year to 10-year prison sentence—WSFA reported.

The plaintiffs argued in the lawsuit that they’re not sure whether they’ll be violating HB 445’s smokable and synthetic hemp ban because the law’s definitions are “so vague.”

“It’s impossible to tell whether a particular product is included in the statewide bans,” according to the suit. “As they exist, H.B. 445’s [bans] fail to provide fair notice of what products are prohibited and open the door for arbitrary enforcement in violation of the Due Process Clause.”

The plaintiffs also argue that since one must possess something to transport or ship it, H.B. 445 violates the Dormant Commerce Clause and the 2018 Farm Bill, which explicitly protects the interstate commerce of federally compliant hemp through states and territories.

During the press conference on last week’s raids, 12th Judicial Circuit District Attorney James Tarbox said the search warrants and enforcement efforts have nothing to do with H.B. 445.

“When you have a billboard that says ‘dispensary-grade THC,’ that means one thing to me: You’re selling marijuana,” he said. “When you have a billboard that says ‘inhale the good stuff,’ that means one thing to me: You’re selling marijuana. When your business is selling synthetic urine and drug screen masking agents, that means one thing to me: You’re up to no good. It’s about protecting the public and upholding the rule of law here in the state of Alabama.”

The day after the press conference, the Alabama Cannabis Coalition claimed it had been told by an “informant” that the raids would continue.

“We do not know when, but we would assume they are not going to waste any time flexing their muscles after the press conference yesterday,” the advocacy and policy reform group posted on social media. “Word on the street, they are targeting any business that is selling flower. Their plan is the same as 6/23/2025, confiscate flower and all cash in the business. Spread the word, protect yourselves and be safe. The long arm of the law has no boundaries.”

Police arrested four people in Texas over the incident and they were all extradited to Georgia. The two suspects who are accused of actually stealing the CBD distillate are facing felony burglary charges, while two other suspects who were linked to the plot via peer-to-peer money transfers are facing both burglary and conspiracy charges. Prosecutors believe that one of the suspects, Aaron Wayne Smith, 29, was the main orchestrator of the plot, and are pursuing the following charges against him:

• Second Degree Burglary
• Conspiracy to Commit a Crime
• Use of a Communication Facility in Committing or Facilitating a Drug Transaction
• Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute
• Felony Theft by Taking

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper said in a statement he is “incredibly proud” of the investigation, highlighting DOA’s cooperation with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Rangers, and the Irwin County Sheriff’s Office.

Meanwhile, lawmakers considered a bill this year to ban THC from all hemp products sold in the state but the Senate-passed proposal ultimately stalled in a House committee.