New Belgium, Willie Nelson Call for American Hemp Reform
It's not quite baseball and apple pie, but the list of combinations more American than beer, agriculture and country music is a short one. So the fireworks were in full effect when the trio of New Belgium Brewing, GCH Inc. (Willie Nelson's legal cannabis company) and the Vote Hemp organization announced their partnership on Tuesday, July 3, to highlight the plant's economic benefits and call for federal and state reform.
Expected to officially launch today, July 4, the American Hemp Campaign wants to encourage hemp farming in America by talking with lawmakers, industry influencers and the public about the economic benefits of domestic hemp production. Although state-legal programs helped push Americans to purchase at least $820 million worth of hemp products in 2017, according to the Hemp Business Journal, the plant still doesn't have the full federal approval of other agricultural products like cotton or wheat thanks to hemp's kinship with psychoactive marijuana plants.
The U.S. Senate passed the FARM bill last week, which includes provisions to legalize the cultivation, processing and sale of hemp. However, the bill must be merged with its counterpart in the House of Representatives during a bicameral conference committee before reaching President Donald Trump, so fully legalized hemp isn't here just yet. Until then, the industrial-hemp industry — particularly the cannabidiol (CBD) sector — won't be in the clear from potential prosecution by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Both companies partnering with the campaign are familiar with the cannabis plant. New Belgium released its Hemperor HPA, a pale ale with a hemp base and stanky aroma, earlier in 2018, while GCH owns Willie's Reserve, the commercial cannabis manufacturer offering products in Colorado, California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. New Belgium distributes to all fifty states, and each has its own policies regarding hemp. According to New Belgium CEO Steve Fechheimer, this caused a variety of obstacles to releasing its hemp-friendly beer.
Read more: http://www.westword.com/marijuana/new-belgium-brewing-willie-nelson-partner-on-vote-hemp-for-american-hemp-reform-10499411
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I'll reassure you that I'm for total weed control just because I wouldn't want to look foolish losing weed control.