More Exclusive Features

Despite historic inroads, federal marijuana reform faces uphill climb before midterm elections

Published April 24, 2018 | By Jeff Smith

Political support for reforming federal cannabis laws appears to be snowballing: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, President Donald Trump and former House Speaker John Boehner all recently signaled varying levels of support. In short, a variety of pro-cannabis bills – from hemp legalization and tax reform to granting MJ businesses […]

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NCIA leader vows to move forward while ex-board members question group’s direction

Published April 23, 2018 | By Bart Schaneman

The National Cannabis Industry Association and its executive director, Aaron Smith, are at a crossroads. The coming months could prove pivotal.

To be sure, NCIA has racked up many successes along the way and can now boast of having its highest membership total ever.

It posted record revenue last year, and the number of cannabis businesses joining Denver-based NCIA continues to grow.

But critics of Smith and NCIA – including a growing number of veteran industry leaders – say the organization needs fresh leadership and a new direction.

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Week in Review: Pennsylvania flower sales, Oregon’s cannabis surplus & MassRoots’ big losses

Published April 20, 2018 | By John Schroyer and Bart Schaneman

Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis dispensaries get the OK to sell flower for vaping, Oregon’s marijuana glut is hurting the state’s smaller growers, and MassRoots reveals that its losses widened to $44 million in 2017. Here’s a closer look at some notable developments in the marijuana industry over the past week. Positive in Pennsylvania The announcement that […]

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After decriminalizing cannabis, Antigua preps full legalization

Published April 19, 2018 | By Matt Lamers

One month after decriminalizing cannabis, the tiny Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda is drafting legislation to legalize recreational and medical marijuana sales. The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Act, 2018, published in the Official Gazette on March 5, amends the Misuse of Drugs Act to state that “a person who is in possession of a maximum […]

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Here’s how the FDA’s review of epilepsy drug could affect CBD companies

Published April 18, 2018 | By Hemp Industry Daily staff

It’s shaping up to be a watershed summer for the cannabis industry with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration poised to approve the first drug made from the plant.

The agency’s impending decision on Epidiolex, an epilepsy treatment made of CBD extracted from cannabis flower, could upend decades of government insistence that the plant has no medicinal value.

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Why the US needs federal marijuana reform: Q&A with Congressman Tom Garrett

Published April 18, 2018 | By Jeff Smith

U.S. Rep. Tom Garrett isn’t the most likely congressional member to embrace federal marijuana reform. The first-term Republican is from a state – Virginia – that has yet to legalize medical marijuana, although its laws provide protections for people who use cannabidiol oils for medical conditions. Why did Garrett introduce the “Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act […]

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