Change is in the Air!!!

Hey gang!! Its the end of another seemingly endless week. We have made it to Friday and we should all take a moment to congratulate ourselves on our collective achievement. A couple of years ago it might not have been such a big deal. But in this day and age it is, and we all know it. so congrats on reaching another hard-won weekend.

You might have noticed that there was no blog for last week. That is because we were in Europe at the annual Cannafest that takes place in Prague. This is the first time we have been able to attend since 2019 when our adventures in the wonderful and strange world of cannabis were just beginning. So last weekend almost exactly 2 years and 1 pandemic later we found ourselves amongst old friends and many new ones.

The conference was small and there were not many attendees but we got to talk shop with some of the bigger players and innovators in the cannabis industry in Europe. It was a very friendly positive environment and we learned a lot about the current state of affairs in the industry. We also traded gossip and intel on existing regulations, rulings and laws, and speculated on what the future will bring. We wanted to share a bit of what we learned.

Regulatory Confusion: A Global Event

In the past we have talked about how the regulatory environment for cannabis and cannabinoids such as CBD and CBG is super confusing and convoluted. Its pretty much a mess where nobody knows what the actual truth is and nobody is clear on whats allowed and what is not. That hasn’t really changed much, and this holds true not only in North America but in Europe and much of the rest of the world as well.

Out With the Old In With the New

We can say that the regulations haven’t really changed all that much but the truth is that they have, kind of.  In the US more support is being given for CBD growers and processors as well as the people who manufacture and sell their own tinctures and other CBD/CBG related products.

We talked about how in California CBD is now legal. There are regulations that need to be followed but it is recognized as a legal product that can be sold pretty much anywhere. So great!! CBD is legal!!

But its the classic one hand giveth and the other taketh away scenario. CBD is legal, except for smokable CBD flower. Which is not legal. Or rather there is a moratorium on selling smokable CBD flower until the state can put together a scheme for how it will be taxed. The deadline for that is July 2022. But you know, its like the government, so it could take a while.

Different Locations, Same Problems

The situation in California is being echoed around the rest of the US. CBD is legal at the federal level as long as it is below 0.3% THC. In most states such as Washington, Oregon, California, Massachusetts etc, CBD is fully legal. Now technically they say “if approved by the FDA” but even the FDA is like, “uhhh, whatevs its all good.” Mainly because, CBD is legal at the Federal Level.

Some states have a bit tighter control. In Wisconsin possession of CBD products is a misdemeanor and punishable by jail time. However local law enforcement has been advised by the state’s Attorney General not to enforce the law. It is advisable to have a doctors certificate in this regard.

Making Sense of it All

So great, everyone loves CBD and it is legal everywhere in the US, for the most part. But as we said before nothing is ever 100% clear. The reality is that CBD is federally legal and can be sold and shipped to anywhere in the US.

Each state does have their own approach to regulating CBD. This includes everything from where it can sold to how it must be labeled to if and how it can be marketed. So it is important to know your local rules regulations before purchasing CBD or starting your own CBD business. If you are found to be non-compliant with local regulations you are probably going to have problems.

What Now?

So the big question is, what now? Well now we can expect for things to become more harmonized as we move forward to 2022 and beyond. The US is slowly evolving in this regard and the drum beat for the federal legalization is getting steadier.

What about the rest of the world? We will talk about that next week as we share our tales from Prague and Cannafest.  Until then no that no matter where you are in the US you can buy our hand crafted, high quality tested CBD products and we will ship it you anywhere in the US. If its Wisconsin though we advise to leave the CBD at home if you are going out.

Now get out there and get that weekend rolling!!