Farm Bill Legislation May Springboard Federal Hemp Acceptance

CannabisNewsWire Editorial Coverage: The United States House passed the 2018 Farm Bill, which will redefine subsidies to farmers, nutritional welfare recipients, conservationists and others. Tucked into this bill of more than 1,000 pages is hemp legalization legislation supported by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Demand – and thus farming revenue – for tobacco is waning, and McConnell says hemp farming could help bolster farming communities in his home state of Kentucky and across the country. Currently listed as a controlled substance under federal law, the new bill will declassify hemp as a schedule 1 drug and label it as a viable agricultural commodity. Through its hempSMART™ subsidiary, Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA) (MCOA Profile) is one example of a few companies currently providing consumers hemp plant-based products under the rubric of existing laws, and the company has undertaken broad-based legal hemp cultivation programs. Other companies that could feel the ripples of change in the space are Isodiol International, Inc. (CSE: ISOL) (OTC: ISOLF) (FSE: LB6A.F), CV Sciences, Inc. (OTC: CVSI), Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC: MJNA), and Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTC: LXRP) (LXRP Profile).

Hemp’s History

Archaeological evidence reveals that for over 10,000 years hemp has been used by humans for pottery, shoes, ropes, clothing, food, medicine, and a wide array of other applications. Since early populations ingested hemp seeds, it stands to reason they also discovered the medicinal properties found in the plant. Ancient Asia, Egypt, India, Greece and the Islamic world all have rich histories relating to medicinal cannabis. In the 19th century, cannabinoids gained popularity for therapeutic use in Western medicine, but regulatory efforts imposed strictures during the 20th Century, eventually leading to a ban on its use in the U.S. under federal drug controls because of hemp’s relation to its more drug-user-friendly cannabis counterpart, marijuana. But, in recent years, society has turned to modern science to substantiate anecdotal claims about the therapeutic efficacy of non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) found in the hemp plant.

“I know there are farming communities all over the country who are interested in this,” McConnell told the Senate Agriculture Committee amid debate over his bill. “Mine are particularly interested in it, and the reason for that is — as all of you know — our No. 1 cash crop used to be something that’s really not good for you: tobacco. And that has declined significantly, as it should, given the public health concerns.”

The federal government has exhibited schizophrenic regulatory tendencies toward hemp since the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 that quashed hemp production with exorbitant excise taxes.  Reversing course during WWII, the government urged farmers to grow hemp for fiber and also waived taxes, and over 400,000 acres of hemp were cultivated between 1942 and 1945. After the war, hemp again had persona non grata status. Congress then passed the Controlled Substances Act in 1970, prohibiting the use of all cannabis for any purpose whatsoever and effectively terminating all industrial hemp production. Hemp extracts, however, are considered legal because they contain less than 0.3 percent THC, but the cultivation of hemp remains federally verboten. Now, the advancement of the Farm Bill signals a revived federal interest in the industrial hemp industry.

Hemp Pioneers

Led by hemp industry pioneers, Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA) has spearheaded efforts and staked claims on multiple legal hemp cultivation projects. The company’s innovative strategy is to vertically integrate hemp production and sales – from seed to shelf. Cultivation of quality hemp will feed MCOA’s innovative CBD-based formulations, which use the highest-quality hemp to produce what could be the finest-quality botanical supplements on the market. The hempSMART™ product line contains tested levels of clinically researched ingredients to meet consumer needs that support the body’s natural endocannabinoid system.

From seed to shelf, MCOA has built its business model around industrial hemp-based CBD products. Hemp has a myriad of uses beyond CBD therapeutics – as a food, a natural fiber, and even as a commodity in the building materials sectors. No part of the plant goes unused, and MCOA’s overarching strategy is to capitalize at each profit point – from farm to finished products. MCOA appears to be establishing a commanding presence at multiple inflection points across the entire hemp value chain.

hempSMART™, Inc.

Expanding on ancestral wisdom, MCOA has combined the most effective ingredients in wellness technologies with pure plant-derived industrial hemp-based cannabinoids to create optimally formulated wellness products for health-conscious consumers.

hempSMART™ offers a number of different products within a wide range of delivery systems, such as its capsule-based formulations hempSMART™ Brain, a patent-pending nootropic product designed to support natural brain function; and hempSMART™ Pain, which is formulated with a blend of premium full-spectrum CBD and botanical supplements designed for pain associated with physical activity.

The company also offers sublingual CBD tinctures to customers including hempSMART™ Full-Spectrum Drops and their natural pet supplement hempSMART™ Pet Drops with advanced bioavailability.

hempSMART™ has also expanded upon its established line of products by offering topical products such as hempSMART™ Pain Cream, which is designed to provide temporary relief and soothe sore, aching muscles and joints. The company also launched a new cosmetic product, hempSMART™ Face, a CBD facial moisturizer that has been designed to refresh, replenish and restore skin cells on the face.

MCOA’s hempSMART™ CBD consumer products are sold at www.hempsmart.com.

Hemp Cultivation

In what appears to be a vertically integrated business strategy, MCOA entered into a joint venture with Global Hemp Group Inc. (OTC: GBHPF) to launch multiple industrial hemp cultivation projects in the legal marijuana states of the U.S. and in Canada. The first is a 125-acre industrial hemp cultivation project in northeast New Brunswick. The project is well under way with objectives of promoting hemp farming and attendant year-round jobs.

A certified professional agronomist, Joan Parker-Duivenvoorden, has been hired to manage the project. She has over 15 years of experience with the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and with the New Brunswick Soil and Crop Improvement Association, which will prove invaluable as the project expands to encompass and employ over 50 farmers.

Planting has been completed on the first 77 acres, and the remaining 48 acres will be seeded soon. Drying equipment is being evaluated to process the hemp after harvest, and management is already in discussions with several potential processing partners for extraction of cannabinoids. Once all the licenses have been acquired for importing and manufacturing finished CBD products, the New Brunswick site could easily serve as a distribution center for MCOA’s hempSMART™ subsidiary.

In another joint venture with Global Hemp Group, MCOA is also developing Covered Bridge Acres, a high-yielding CBD hemp cultivation project in Oregon. Operations at the farm are well under way. The project will utilize both traditional outdoor cultivation and what will be over 19,296 square feet of greenhouses.

“Our evolving project in Scio, Oregon, highlights the quality of the team in place as they continue to lean on their many years of experience cultivating hemp. Activities such as these will help to secure the raw oil that we will need for our hempSMART brand of CBD infused products,” stated Donald Steinberg, MCOA’s CEO.

The Takeaway

With rapidly expanding retail distribution and burgeoning, diversified hemp cultivation programs underway, MCOA is fast approaching the vertical integration that typically impacts bottom lines and drives shareholder value.

Other companies already operating in the CBD space include:

Isodiol International (CSE: ISOL) (OTC: ISOLF) (FSE: LB6A.F) grows and harvests hemp on an industrial scale and then processes it to extract cannabidiol (CBD) for worldwide distribution. The company pioneered the commercialization of 99 percent-plus pure, pharmaceutical-grade cannabinoids, micro-encapsulations and nanotechnology for consumable and topical skin care products.

CV Sciences (OTC: CVSI) operates in two business segments. The company’s drug development division develops and commercializes novel therapeutics utilizing synthetic CBD. Its consumer product division manufactures, markets and sells plant-based CBD products to a range of market sectors.

Medical Marijuana (OTC: MJNA) develops, distributes and sells hemp oil that contains naturally occurring cannabinoids, including CBD, and other products containing CBD oil. The company sells its hemp-derived CBD products through its distribution subsidiaries. The company was among the first to bring hemp-based CBD oil products to market in the United States.

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTC: LXRP) out-licenses its patented delivery technology, which lowers dosing of lipophilic active molecules and enhances their effectiveness. The company’s technology increases intestinal absorption rates, speeds delivery to the bloodstream, and masks tastes for orally administered bioactive molecules including cannabinoids, vitamins, NSAIDs, nicotine and other molecules.

Together, MCOA and these companies weave a tapestry of industry, innovation and intuitive concern for the communities they serve with nature-based hemp products that appear to be once again losing the stigma that has come from being marijuana’s staider sibling.

For more information on Marijuana Company of America, visit Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA)

About CannabisNewsWire

CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

Receive Text Alerts from CannabisNewsWire: Text “Cannabis” to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.cannabisnewswire.com and or https://CannabisNewsWire.News

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.cannabisnewswire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

DISCLAIMER: CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is the source of the Article and content set forth above. References to any issuer other than the profiled issuer are intended solely to identify industry participants and do not constitute an endorsement of any issuer and do not constitute a comparison to the profiled issuer. The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release by CNW are solely those of CNW. Readers of this Article and content agree that they cannot and will not seek to hold liable CNW for any investment decisions by their readers or subscribers. CNW is a news dissemination and financial marketing solutions provider and is NOT registered broker-dealers/analysts/investment advisers, hold no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security.

The Article and content related to the profiled company represent the personal and subjective views of the Author, and are subject to change at any time without notice. The information provided in the Article and the content has been obtained from sources which the Author believes to be reliable. However, the Author has not independently verified or otherwise investigated all such information. None of the Author, CNW, or any of their respective affiliates, guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any such information. This Article and content are not, and should not be regarded as investment advice or as a recommendation regarding any particular security or course of action; readers are strongly urged to speak with their own investment advisor and review all of the profiled issuer’s filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission before making any investment decisions and should understand the risks associated with an investment in the profiled issuer’s securities, including, but not limited to, the complete loss of your investment.

CNW HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected,” “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company’s annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and CNW undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

Archives

Select A Month

Official NewsWire Relationships

Alternative Products Expo Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference Cannabis Business Summit & Expo 2019 Cannabis Drinks Expo Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition Cannexpo Marigold PR MjMicro Conference New England Cannabis Network O'Cannabiz Conference & Expo Tether BudTender Tether BudTender Appreciation Week

CannabisNewsWire Currently Accepts

Bitcoin

Bitcoin

Bitcoin Cash

Bitcoin Cash

Doge Coin

Dogecoin

Ethereum

Ethereum

Litecoin

Litecoin

USD Coin

USD Coin

Contact us: 303.498.7722