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Navigating Hemp THC Beverages

Nonalcoholic beverages infused with delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) derived from hemp (aka intoxicating hemp beverages) are becoming increasingly popular for consumers looking for an alternative to alcohol.

With major alcohol retailers like Total Wine entering the cannabis space, alcohol beverage producers may be looking for opportunities to leverage their existing experience in manufacturing, marketing and distributing alcohol beverages towards the emerging intoxicating hemp beverage market. While intoxicating hemp beverages are arguably legal pursuant to the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill), risks remain under federal and state food and drug laws. Accordingly, beverage producers looking to enter this emerging market should become familiar with the ambiguities involved.

Federal Treatment of Intoxicating Hemp Beverages

The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp, defined as cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) and derivatives of cannabis with extremely low concentrations of delta-9 THC (specifically, no more than 0.3 percent THC on a dry weight basis), from the definition of “marijuana” in the Controlled Substances Act. The federal government defines hemp as “the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.” Accordingly, products that meet the definition of “hemp” may be marketed and sold in the United States and are no longer classified under federal law as illegal drugs.

How Is Hemp Regulated?

Under the 2018 Farm Bill, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been assigned to regulate hemp production.

However, any hemp-derived foods, including beverages, are subject to regulation by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (FDCA). While the FDA has largely avoided enforcement actions against such products, focusing most of its efforts on products making unsubstantiated medical and therapeutic claims, it has clearly concluded that it is a prohibited act under federal law to introduce any food in the market to which THC or cannabidiol (CBD) has been added. Therefore, the risk of federal enforcement remains until the agency changes its stance towards THC as a beverage additive.

State Regulation

While the federal government has been inactive in this space, the legal status of intoxicating hemp beverage products varies significantly by state. On the one hand, several states, including Minnesota, have expressly legalized the inclusion of hemp-derived cannabinoids in beverage products, with clear regulations regarding testing, labeling, advertising and more. On the other hand, some states have legalized hemp beverage products but lack a robust regulatory framework – leading to a mostly unregulated, laissez-faire market.

Further, many states fall into a grey area when it comes to the legality of such products. Some of these states have legalized hemp along the lines of the 2018 Farm Bill but have not officially opined on whether it can be added to beverage products, while others do not mention hemp products at all. A subset of states has expressly legalized hemp [...]

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Pennsylvania Governor Calls for Cannabis Legalization and State Alcohol Tax Relief

Pennsylvania’s governor is urging the state’s legislature to legalize recreational marijuana and pass a six-month reduction or cancellation of the state’s alcohol tax on the hospitality industry. Pennsylvania would join 11 other states and Washington, D.C., in fully legalizing marijuana, which can be lucrative for states.

“It’s almost, from a legislative and a state government perspective, a no brainer, because it’s a new source of revenue that you don’t have at a time where you need it desperately,” McDermott Will & Emery partner Alva C. Mather said in a recent Brewbound article. “And there’s lots of precedent for how to make it work in many other states, so the tide has turned quite a bit in the last several years where I think it’s not as taboo as it used to be.”

“States are in a very difficult situation in light of the pandemic, in terms of how they’re going to be able to generate more revenue and more job opportunities,” Mather said. “This is an entirely new industry that brings both to the table.”

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CBD Products in the Time of COVID-19: Best Practices for Making Your (Trade)mark

In the midst of an unprecedented and unsettling global pandemic, one constant remains: certain entrepreneurial-minded folks will not miss the opportunity to file trademark applications for new “brands” that align with the latest news cycle. COVID-19 is no different. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has experienced a swell of new US trademark applications for COVID-related trademarks, with many of the marks using descriptive terms or phrases that have become commonplace in a shelter-in-place, #wfh and social distancing world.

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EPA Approves Use of 10 Pesticide Products on Hemp

Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its approval of 10 new pesticides for use on hemp products. EPA’s approval of nine biopesticides and one conventional pesticide provides greater certainty to hemp farmers in time for the 2020 planting season.

The hemp industry awaits further guidance from other federal regulatory agencies.

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What to Know About FDA’s Recent Statements on CBD

Last week FDA issued a public release on CBD titled, “What You Need to Know (And What We’re Working to Find Out) About Products Containing Cannabis or Cannabis derived Compounds, Including CBD.”

The FDA document does not break much new ground, though it emphasizes again FDA’s concern with the safety of CBD, some of which comes from FDA’s review of the CBD-based epilepsy drug Epidiolex. FDA does not believe it has enough information about certain aspects of CBD, such as what happens if someone takes CBD daily for sustained periods. In addition, FDA specifically identifies as a potential harm the use of CBD with alcohol because of the increased risk of sedation and drowsiness, which can lead to injuries. FDA, in addition to issuing this document, sent 15 warning letters to companies marketing CBD products that FDA views as unapproved drugs primarily because of the drug like claims made for such products.

FDA appears to be on a path toward considering a regulation to allow the marketing of CBD in conventional foods or as a dietary supplement. This approach will likely take a long time—perhaps some 2-4 years—absent legislative changes that do not appear likely in an election year. In the meantime, FDA continues to view putting into interstate commerce a food to which CBD has been added or to market CBD as or in a dietary supplement as a violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).




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Congressional Committee Takes Historic Step Toward Decriminalizing Marijuana

For the first time in American history, a congressional committee approved a marijuana legalization bill. On November 20, 2019, after more than two hours of debate, the House Judiciary Committee approved the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2019 (H.R. 3884) in a 24 to 10 vote. If the MORE Act becomes law, it would effectively end the federal prohibition of cannabis in the United States.

Currently, marijuana remains a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD, under the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule I drugs are those that the federal government considers to have no proven or acceptable medical use and a high abuse potential. The MORE Act, if passed into law, would remove marijuana from Schedule I.

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House Judiciary Committee to Consider De-Scheduling Bill

This Wednesday, November 20, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a markup of H.R. 3884, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act). The bill’s sponsors and advocates for cannabis normalization say the legislation is the most comprehensive ever considered by Congress. In fact, due to the bill’s sprawling reforms, it was referred to eight separate committees for consideration according to their discrete jurisdictions. The Judiciary Committee will be the first to consider the bill and the Committee members will have opportunities to amend it.

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USDA Publishes Long-Awaited Interim Regulations Governing the Production of Legalized Hemp

Yesterday, the United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its interim final rule setting forth the proposed rules and regulations regarding the production of hemp under the provisions of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, or the “2018 Farm Bill.” As mandated by the 2018 Farm Bill, the proposed regulations outline provisions for both the approval by the USDA of State or Indian Tribe proposed plans as well as the development of its own federal plan for the production of hemp in the absence of an applicable approved State or Tribal program.

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Safe Banking Act Passes House, Extends Cannabis Safe Harbor Protections

First introduced in 2013, the SAFE Banking Act just passed the House 321-103. This bill, an exciting and promising development for cannabis advocates, provides safe harbor to banks and financial institutions doing business with state-legal cannabis businesses, and allows cannabis businesses to move away from conducting business exclusively in cash.

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Cannabis and Hemp Update

Cannabis legalization receives widespread popular support. According to opinion polls, more than two-thirds of Americans support full legalization—a steep rise in support considering that as recently as 2005, almost two-thirds of Americans opposed legalization. The country appears on the path to full cannabis legalization, but until that time, citizens and companies should be aware of the legal risks involved in entering the cannabis space.

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Originally published in The New Brewer, July/August 2019.




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