Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard
takyon: The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 will remove hemp-derived products from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, starting in 2019:
The new law, approved in overwhelming margins by Congress a week ago and signed by President Trump, is part of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 and will go into effect on January 1, 2019. What it means is that a category of cannabis called hemp, which contains less than 0.3 percent of the psychoactive ingredient known as THC, will be removed from its Schedule 1 classification under the Controlled Substance Act of 1970. With Schedule 1, all forms of marijuana are considered as deadly as heroin and more dangerous than cocaine.
[...] "The significance of this law change should not be underemphasized," stated Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "This law marks the first change in the federal classification of the cannabis plant (since 1970) and paves the way for the first federally-sanctioned commercial hemp grows since World War II."
As noted in a previous story, there will be many bureaucratic obstacles involved with cultivating low-THC hemp legally. The bill also does not actually legalize cannabidiol (CBD), as has been reported:
One big myth that exists about the Farm Bill is that cannabidiol (CBD)—a non-intoxicating compound found in cannabis—is legalized. It is true that section 12619 of the Farm Bill removes hemp-derived products from its Schedule I status under the Controlled Substances Act, but the legislation does not legalize CBD generally. As I have noted elsewhere on this blog CBD generally remains a Schedule I substance under federal law. The Farm Bill—and an unrelated, recent action by the Department of Justice—creates exceptions to this Schedule I status in certain situations. The Farm Bill ensures that any cannabinoid—a set of chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant—that is derived from hemp will be legal, if and only if that hemp is produced in a manner consistent with the Farm Bill, associated federal regulations, association state regulations, and by a licensed grower. All other cannabinoids, produced in any other setting, remain a Schedule I substance under federal law and are thus illegal. (The one exception is pharmaceutical-grade CBD products that have been approved by FDA, which currently includes one drug: GW Pharmaceutical's Epidiolex.)
There is one additional gray area of research moving forward. Under current law, any cannabis-based research conducted in the United States must use research-grade cannabis from the nation's sole provider of the product: the Marijuana Program at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy's National Center for Natural Products Research. That setup exists because of cannabis's Schedule I status. However, if hemp-derived CBD is no longer listed on the federal schedules, it will raise questions among medical and scientific researchers studying CBD products and their effects, as to whether they are required to get their products from Mississippi. This will likely require additional guidance from FDA (the Food and Drug Administration who oversees drug trials), DEA (the Drug Enforcement Administration who mandates that research-grade cannabis be sourced from Mississippi), and NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse who administers the contract to cultivate research-grade cannabis) to help ensure researchers do not inadvertently operate out of compliance.
Previously: First FDA Approved Cannabis-based Drug Now Available by Prescription
2018 Farm Bill Likely to Legalize Hemp Cultivation in the U.S.
Related Stories
Submitted via IRC for chromas
First FDA approved cannabis-based drug now available by prescription
The first cannabis-derived medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration is now available by prescription in every state, according to its manufacturer.
Epidiolex, manufactured by GW Pharmaceuticals, is intended to treat seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy that begin in childhood. The drug is made of cannabidiol (CBD), a component of marijuana that doesn't give users a high.
"Because these patients have historically not responded well to available seizure medications, there has been a dire need for new therapies that aim to reduce the frequency and impact of seizures," Justin Gover, CEO of GW Pharmaceuticals, said in a statement.
From the DEA website:
Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are: heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote
U.S. House and Senate legislators have reached an agreement on the Farm Bill, which includes a provision that would legalize hemp cultivation nationwide, with caveats (e.g. nobody with a drug-related conviction can participate):
Not only have cannabis derivatives like hemp been effectively banned in the US since the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, other legislation has categorized marijuana products as dangerous Schedule I substances like LSD and ecstasy. Then in 2014, Congress passed legislation that approved small pilot programs for growing hemp, though to do so, farmers still needed approval from the Drug Enforcement Administration. (This 2014 provision was part of the Farm Bill, a massive piece of legislation that sets policy around food and agriculture. The Farm Bill needs to be renewed every few years, so the new decision to legalize hemp is part of the proposed 2018 Farm Bill.)
Despite this, there was some debate over whether derivatives of the hemp plant, like CBD, were really excluded from the Controlled Substances Act, according to Shawn Hauser, a senior associate at cannabis law firm Vicente Sederberg, hence the legal gray area. "The 2018 bill actually goes in and amends the Controlled Substances Act to make very clear that CBD derived from hemp would not be considered a controlled substance," she says.
This is "a pretty important step forward in terms of federal government's recognition of what CBD is and what its lack of potential harm or risk is," says John Hudak, a senior fellow at Brookings Institution and author of Marijuana: A Short History. There are likely to be more CBD products now, but that still doesn't mean that everyone can just grow hemp in their backyard. Farmers will no longer need DEA approval, but there will still be significant federal and state restrictions on hemp products and growers will need to be licensed and fulfill other requirements developed by the US Department of Agriculture. "It's not going to be this free-for-all that some people imagine," Hudak says.
[...] The House and the Senate both need to officially vote on the new legislation, which is expected before the end of the year. As Hauser says: "We're still in infancy at the precipice of a new business which other industrialized countries have had for decades."
Many Soylentils may think that futurology in video format is pointless. However, a small cadre of futurologists have enthusiastically assembled predictions as clips and/or slideshows; often with futuristic music. My introduction to this minor artform was HayenMill's predictions about the 2010s, 2020s and 2030s. deanmullen10 has been making predictions in this format for seven years. The early ones are low-resolution crud but the 7th iteration has a particularly funky music mix and covers decades from the 2010s to the 2090s then more sparsely to the 24th century, and one further set of distant predictions.
The 8th iteration of predictions is due to be uploaded on Fri 11 Jan 2019. I'm looking forward to this because I find the format inspiring and uplifting. The demoscene, house style music is also quite good when programming. The 6th edition's predictions for the 2050s has a representative selection of the music although many find that to be sonic noise.
Other scenarios from deanmullen10 include the sudden collapse of a large Silicon Valley company due to loss of goodwill, alien invasion, and some amusingly inaccurate predictions in the same format (with some suitably retro-futuristic music), extrapolated from the 1980s. In the 1980s, the BBC was a comedy goldmine for inaccurate predictions; mostly through broadcasts about technology. This included waiters using touch screens. Further back, car navigation using a tachometer and an audio cassette, the bedside teletype, and the cashless society. Although, a particular favorite is cutting trees with lasers. It also featured 3D audio. (Whatever happened to that?)
In the season of New Year's Resolutions, it is the season to look back at looking forward. The four day working week has been predicted since at least the 1930s and legal cannabis cultivation throughout the US has been predicted since at least the 1960s. However, self-driving cars, flying cars, home robots, and fusion power remain Real Soon Now.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @04:01PM (3 children)
Just what your shithole country needs. More drugs and druggies.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday December 27 2018, @04:43PM
Cannabis has been widely used for decades. Cannabis consumption won't jump that much if it is fully legalized.
But this is about less-than-0.3% THC hemp. It's about as much of a drug as the grass on your front lawn. Or the weeds under your bridge.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 4, Informative) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday December 27 2018, @09:20PM (1 child)
Paper, clothing, and rope are drugs now?
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @09:39PM
Hemp for Victory [youtube.com]!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @04:11PM (2 children)
If the DEA had been doing their job correctly, hemp would already be legal. That it took an act of congress to remove hemp from scedule I goes to show how corrupt the DEA is.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @06:06PM (1 child)
Whether you are liberal or conservative, the following is true: bureaucracies always shift towards protecting their own power. That's why military intelligence fights jurisdiction battles with the CIA, NSA, and Homeland Security. Why do we have FBI, US Marshalls, Secret Service, ATF and DEA? Wouldn't it make more sense to have a single federal police bureau, period? And likewise the DEA will fight anything that reduces its budget, authority, or reason to exist.
(This is also true in private bureaucracy. This is a humanity problem, not just a government one.)
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday December 27 2018, @06:28PM
Nothing is always anything.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @04:30PM (5 children)
Weed prices are going to go up because of this, it was better for everyone when the government kept out.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday December 27 2018, @04:45PM (4 children)
https://mjbizdaily.com/chart-declines-in-wholesale-prices-hammer-major-recreational-cannabis-markets/ [mjbizdaily.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @04:47PM (3 children)
I was just messing around and don't know anything about weed really, but isn't that all based on "white market" data?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Thursday December 27 2018, @05:26PM (2 children)
Taxes on statewide legal cannabis have been lowered in order to compete with street cannabis. There is a competition here and street dealers will not disappear if governments make it inconvenient and expensive to obtain. 25-100% sales taxes won't be tolerated.
The widespread decriminalization of cannabis means that dealers face much less risk than ever before. Medical, if not recreational, cannabis is legal in many states, small possession crimes are now routinely ignored by many police. Transporting cannabis with the intent to sell it is a bigger crime, but it may be hard to prove or police still won't care. Less risk, less loss. Dealers can remain in the game and sell to the people who would approach them anyway (whereas any new cannabis users like soccer moms will go the legal route).
Theoretically, you get a much better product if you buy it "legally" (and we have to put it in quotes since it's still illegal federally). For example, there are sales of "organic" cannabis. Hell, someone has probably slapped a non-GMO sticker on it by now. And you should have a more accurate representation of the THC/CBD contents on the packaging. With a dealer who isn't your college buddy, you might be getting some shitty weed. Now you have legitimate biologists pushing the THC content of strains to the peak of about 30%.
Point is that it may be worth it to pay a bit more, get a quality product with accurate labeling, and not get cheated, robbed, or murdered [tennessean.com].
I am also a square so you if a soystoner wants to correct anything, go ahead.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @06:47PM (1 child)
people put up with a 30% vig for ios apps
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday December 27 2018, @06:52PM
You mean the developers put up with it. Users don't notice or care.
People who buy hundreds of dollars of cannabis would notice a 30% tax.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Thursday December 27 2018, @04:48PM (10 children)
Though I have not personally tried cannabidiol, I am assured by those who have that anyone who believes it's a non-intoxicating compound should probably try some and re-evaluate that opinion after they come back down.
Dear government monitors, don't take me the wrong way: stay out of it except to decriminalize and get back, out of the lives of we the people, etc.
(Score: 2) by crafoo on Thursday December 27 2018, @06:10PM (1 child)
I don't think you had pure CBD. Not an uncommon situation
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @08:34PM
CBD is not intoxicating according to the technical definition. There are two thing that make people think it is. First is that it is hard to reliably separate from THC and all other related compounds that are. Second is that it does suppress parts of the CNS, which people could mistake for a stimulant on the postdrome as they recover from the suppression.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Whoever on Thursday December 27 2018, @06:57PM (1 child)
It's not intoxicating. Perhaps you need to re-evaluate the reliability and independence of your sources.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @08:06PM
it is about as intoxicating as a strong tea. it is a weak stimulant weaker than caffeine
(Score: 2) by bobthecimmerian on Thursday December 27 2018, @08:41PM (3 children)
Are you sure that's correct? My understanding is that CBD is not intoxicating at all, THC is the intoxicating agent in marijuana. Many (all?) of the CBD products available in parts of the US have all of the THC removed.
Where did you get your information?
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Thursday December 27 2018, @09:15PM (2 children)
No, I'm not sure, in that I haven't analyzed the stuff with respect to its possible neurotropic properties, nor have I consumed any. My experience and knowledge are meager at best.
I report only what friends and family members who eat the stuff in the form of hemp-derived gummy edibles tell me. They eat the stuff variously for pain management and/or anxiety reduction, and each to some degree report feelings of euphoria and detachment which they seem to subjectively interpret as intoxication.
Is the discrepancy explained by one or more of the following?
I don't know. Just repeating what I've heard. I don't mean to imply any great insight.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @09:32PM (1 child)
Maybe they are happy that the pain goes away for a while.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 29 2018, @07:37PM
this. just taking ibuprofen with a bad back is so life altering that it may as well be heroin.
(Score: 1) by Goghit on Friday December 28 2018, @03:45PM
In Canada the Grey/Black market runs on superstition and analyses pulled from one's anal sphincter. There are several grades of "CBD" here. I've had CBD that fixes the pain and doesn't get you stoned, "CBD" that doesn't fix the pain and doesn't get you stoned (my guess is it was alfalfa hay), and "CBD" that fixes the pain and got me stoned for several hours, and finally "CBD" that did nothing but get me stoned. Who would have thought the grey market might be a little lax in product purity and consumer protection practices?
Not that I object to getting stoned. I just like to have a little bit of a heads up though, in case I was planning on activities like driving or functioning. Not sure how we fix this problem without a bit of government oversight. Personally, I don't like smoking gutter oil.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 31 2018, @02:41AM
In b4 archive. Psychoactive Adulterants Identified In Some Liquid CBD Products [norml.org]:
Take it off schedule I and give the FDA to regulate products claiming to be a pure extract (CBD, THC, CBN, etc). That is what is truly in the interests of "we, the people." As these would be restrictions upon commercial, capitalist activity, it is in the interests of "we the people" to apply a democratic socialist approach. The problem is that the neoliberal establishment and ruling class will never stop dragging their feet because they're afraid of any change whatsoever that might challenge their dominance of society. Of course, these commercial suppliers will be absorbed into the establishment without too much fuss (maybe some drama like with vaping right now). However, at no point does this process infringe on the rights of the people, and complete legalization gives the people power to demand honesty in advertising.
It remains to be seen whether legalization will come without a fundamental revolution in how society is organized.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Thursday December 27 2018, @04:57PM (2 children)
For us non 'mericans could someone explain how this changes the current legal oddity, where it might be legal on a state level but illegal on a federal level. Is this the federal level then? So all good all around now then? Toke up until you pass out laughing ...
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Thursday December 27 2018, @05:02PM
It's federal, very limited in scope, only affects hemp which will be made into products like paper, and you can't be a hemp farmer if you have a conviction, etc.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Informative) by EvilSS on Thursday December 27 2018, @09:45PM
(Score: 2) by CZB on Thursday December 27 2018, @05:45PM
That's great, but its not some big new opportunity. For years now its been legal to import many hemp products from Canada. And there's no shortage of CBD oil.
Even if the government releases all their restrictions, it will be a long slow process of expanding the market to the point that farmers are willing to get all the specialty equipment needed to harvest hemp. I looked at what it took a couple years ago and wow, some big specialty crop farm can go buy the gear it takes to harvest a rope plant without clogging up your harvester!
(Score: 2) by stretch611 on Thursday December 27 2018, @05:45PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3C9rMIRuF8 [youtube.com]
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 29 2018, @07:33PM (1 child)
"that is derived from hemp will be legal, if and only if that hemp is produced in a manner consistent with the Farm Bill, associated federal regulations, association state regulations, and by a licensed grower. All other cannabinoids, produced in any other setting, remain a Schedule I substance under federal law and are thus illegal."
stupid pig pieces of shit. grow what you want and make fertilizer out of any "authority" who comes on your property.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 30 2018, @05:16PM
When you can't grow a single non-high inducing plant to make your clothes, paper, oil, etc out of for far less space, fertilizer, etc than the alternative plants.