From the minute Michigan voters approved legal cannabis, communities around the state began to grapple with a pressing question:
How can we shut it down?
You might not think that’d be the first priority for elected officials in a state whose voters approved the sale and use of recreational marijuana last November by a solid 56-44 percent margin.
Yet when it comes to marijuana, many folks are of two minds: Using or buying it shouldn’t be a crime, but … do you really want a weed shop on your street?
Metro Detroit communities Allen Park, Pontiac, Livonia, Northville, Birmingham, Troy and Grosse Pointe City are among the more than 60 cities and townships around the state that voted to opt out of the marijuana business since recreational use was approved last year.
It’s a pattern that mirrors the aftermath of a successful 2008 ballot proposal that legalized medical marijuana.
Because Detroit was slow to promulgate its own regulations, some 250 medical marijuana dispensaries opened in the city. A 2015 survey by Detroit data firm Loveland found that medical marijuana dispensaries were clustered along the city’s suburban borders, and its major thoroughfares, presumably in proximity to a suburban market that wanted access to medical marijuana without housing the dispensaries themselves.
Detroit struggled to get a handle on the proliferation of medical marijuana dispensaries within its limits. Detroit’s City Council approved an ordinance to license and regulate those businesses in 2017, but a voter referendum that year complicated the process with a lengthy court battle.
On Thursday, Trump signed the US Farm Bill into law which legalizes hemp a key source of highly touted wellness ingredient CBD.
American farmers will be able to plant and harvest hemp, a strain of the same plant species from which marijuana originates. The bill passed the House last week in a 369 to 47 vote; it passed the Senate the previous day in an 87 to 13 vote.
The move changes the language of a drug law that had been unchanged for a long time and loosely defined hemp alongside marijuana as a controlled substance.
The new bill exempts hemp from that law and defines it as an agricultural product. That means farmers and researchers of hemp now get some of the same benefits as farmers and researchers of other crops, like the ability to apply for insurance and federal grants.
On Thursday, December 20, 2018 President Trump signed the US Farm Bill into law which legalizes hemp a key source of highly touted wellness ingredient CBD.
“The passage of the 2019 Farm Bill is good news because it provides a strong safety net for farmers and ranchers, who need the dependability and certainty this legislation affords,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a statement after the bill passed the House.
The final bill does include several new changes to the SNAP program, though none will restrict families’ food stamp benefits, according to congressional aides.
The final farm bill provides permanent funding for a number of programs Congress was funding on a temporary basis, five years at a time.
Some of these include: promotional funds for local farmers markets, research money for organic farming, and funds for organizations working to train the next generation of farmers.
The bill also provides permanent funding for veteran and minority farmers.
Bottom Line…The farm bill legalizes the production of hemp.
President Trump legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp Thursday when he signed a widespread, bipartisan farm bill aimed at boosting the agriculture industry.
Komorn Law has represented numerous clients through the legal chaos of starting up a business in the Michigan Medical Marihuana Industry as well as consulting and legal representation for Medical Maruhuana Patients and Caregivers.
If you or someone you know has been arrested as a result of Medical Marijuana, DUI, Drugs, Forfeiture, Criminal Enterprise or any other criminal charges please contact our office and ensure you’re defended by an experienced lawyer.
Attorney Michael Komorn is recognized as an expert on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. He is the President of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), a nonprofit patient advocacy group which advocates for the rights of medical marijuana patients and their caregivers.
Contact us for a free no-obligation case evaluation 800-656-3557.
This page is for informational purposes only. Laws, regulations and the world change routinely, therefore we insist you consult an attorney for the most current legal information.
A great article on a great website Marijuana Moment that talks about Whole Foods saying that Hemp is going to be one of the to 10 food trends in 2019.
In a press release, the company said it relied on “seasoned trend-spotters” who have “more than 100 years of combined experience in product sourcing, studying consumer preferences and participating in food and wellness industry exhibitions worldwide,” to compile its new report on what to expect next year.
So what will be flying off the shelves in 2019? According to the experts, lots and lots of hemp.
Arrested for or Charged with DUI or driving under the influence of “drugs”?… Contact Komorn Law800-656-3557.
“Hemp hearts, seeds and oils are nothing new to food and body care lovers—they’re in everything from waffle mix to dried pastas,” the company wrote. “But a new interest in the potential benefits stemming from other parts of hemp plants has many brands looking to explore the booming cannabis biz.”
“While CBD oil is still technically taboo (prohibited in food, body care and dietary supplements under federal law), retailers, culinary experts and consumers can’t miss the cannabis craze when visiting food industry trade shows, food innovators conferences or even local farmers markets.”
(For the record, there’s a lot of confusion and disagreement about the federal legality of hemp-derived CBD oil, which you can read more about here.)
The trend won’t stop at CBD, either. Apparently phytocannabinoids, those compounds that are present in cannabis but also in other plants, are “becoming more visible and prevalent.”
“It’s clear that hemp-derived products are going mainstream, if not by wide distribution, then by word of mouth!”
Hemp products that the trend-spotters recommended include a line of health supplements containing phytocannabinoids, a face cream comprised of hemp stem cells and organic shelled hemp seeds.
While cultivating marijuana’s non-intoxicating cousin is currently illegal in the U.S. outside of exceptions for state-approved hemp research programs authorized under the 2014 Farm Bill, there’s a strong possibility that industrial hemp will be broadly legalized—possibly by the end of the year—once the House and Senate reconcile their versions of a new Farm Bill and put it on the president’s desk.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who introduced the provision, issued a “guarantee” last week that hemp legalization will be included in the final legislation.
That would give the hemp business an even greater boost going into the new year.
Komorn Law has represented numerous clients through the legal chaos of starting up a business in the Michigan Medical Marihuana Industry as well as consulting and legal representation for Medical Maruhuana Patients and Caregivers.
If you or someone you know has been arrested as a result of Medical Marijuana, DUI, Drugs, Forfeiture, Criminal Enterprise or any other criminal charges please contact our office and ensure you’re defended by an experienced lawyer.
Attorney Michael Komorn is recognized as an expert on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. He is the President of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), a nonprofit patient advocacy group which advocates for the rights of medical marijuana patients and their caregivers.
Contact us for a free no-obligation case evaluation 800-656-3557.
This page is for informational purposes only. Laws, regulations and the world change routinely, therefore we insist you consult an attorney for the most current legal information.
A scientific article on analyticalcannabis.com points out the main differences between Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
It goes-
Of the at least 113 cannabinoids that have been isolated to date, these two are undoubtedly the most well-known and, the most well researched. Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are both naturally occurring compounds found in plants in the cannabis genus. Known as phytocannabinoids, these compounds interact with CB1 and CB2 receptors found in the endocannabinoid system present in all mammalian species.
CBD was first isolated in 1940 whilst THC was isolated in 1964 by the preeminent cannabis scientist Raphael Mechoulam. At the most fundamental level, THC and CBD are different because of their differing physiological effects. CBD is non-psychotropic and therefore does not illicit a “high” whereas THC is psychotropic and is the only known cannabis-derived compound to illicit a “high”. Here we look at some of the key differences, and similarities, between CBD and THC.
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