Marijuana Business Magazine February 2019

Countries included have passed legislation at the federal level and must fulfill at least one of the following criteria: • Cultivation or manufacture of medical cannabis allowed. • Doctors can prescribe medical cannabis. • Import and/or export of medical cannabis allowed. High: Countries at the forefront of the global industry. Frameworks are established, and adoption is well underway. Medium: Implementation has begun but is still limited or restricted; lots of room for the market to develop. Low: Legislation has been passed, but implementation is very limited or nonexistent. Decriminalization is not included. MAP LEGEND High level of medical development/implementation Medium level of medical development/implementation Low level of medical development/implementation Other - federally illegal but unique circumstances Recreational Marijuana Business Magazine | February 2019 18 Farm Bill Provides Legal Status for Hemp The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp—defined as cannabis below 0.3% THC—from the Controlled Substances Act. The change—which also applies to extracts from hemp, including CBD and other cannabinoids—is expected to unleash seismic market changes for the entire cannabis industry. Federal drug authorities will have to treat hemp like any other agricultural commodity, such as wheat or potatoes, and hemp farmers will no longer face legal or regulatory burdens of being classified as an illegal drug, such as difficulty getting crop insurance or barriers to getting loans. Hemp producers holding cultivation licenses in the 42 states with existing pilot programs won’t see an immediate change. Those state laws will remain in effect until the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has time to review the state regulations to decide which pass muster. The USDA must come up with national hemp regulations “as expeditiously as practicable.” The national plan must include procedures for checking THC content and plans to destroy plants that test “hot.” International News Industry Developments | International & State