Global Ganja Report

In Episode 24 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg notes the historic strides toward liberation of the cannabis plant in 2018, from the fabled four corners of the Earth. Yet under capitalism, every advance also opens new contradictions.

With passage of the Farm Bill and removal of hemp-derived CBD from controlled substance status, big market growth is expected for the very chic and purportedly salubrious non-psychoactive cannabinoid. The law is a win for a nascent CBD industry that has been struggling to shake off the lingering stigma surrounding (psychoactive) cannabis. The effort to segment cannabidiol from "marijuana" is exemplified in the several states that now have "CBD-only" laws.

The newly enacted Farm Bill contains language implicitly removing hemp-derived CBD from the controlled substances list, along with industrial hemp. A CBD industry that has been growing fast in a legal grey zone stands to grow faster in the light of legal clarity. Conflicting state laws and even federal regulations, however, could prove an obstacle to unfettered expansion.

Amid the seemingly endless hype about CBD, its once better-known sibling cannabinoid THC seems to increasingly languish in the shadows—both in terms of media attention and industry investment.

Justin Cooper is co-founder and CEO of British Columbia-based Green Planet, which supplies equipment to all of Canada's Licensed Producers of cannabis as well as producing its own line of fertilizers. He speaks with Cannabis Now about the fast-growing legal industry in his country, and what it means for the world.

The global cannabis industry is increasingly dependent on factories in China's industrial zones—and fears being impacted by Trump's trade war with Beijing. Chinese pharmaceutical firms meanwhile explore potential applications of cannabis. Yet possession of herbaceous cannabis can land you before a firing squad in China. Human rights groups express alarm about the furious pace of executions in the People's Republic—outstripping the rest of the world combined. And drug offenses—including pot possession—top the country's capital crimes.

North Dakota may become the 10th state to legalize cannabis, following approval of enough signatures to get a ballot measure before the voters in November. But the surprisingly liberal measure of course faces opposition from law enforcement in a traditionally conservative state.

California health authorities dealt a blow to the burgeoning CBD business by banning preparations of the cannabinoid derived from industrial hemp rather than psychoactive cannabis. The diktat adds to the legal confusion around CBD, and highlights the need for greater clarity from the competent authorities at both the state and federal level.