On Wednesday, the US Senate adopted a resolution that would celebrate Hemp History Week. The measure was intended to celebrate the historical value of hemp and its economic potential. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, responsible for leading hemp to federal legalization last year, celebrated the resolution by taking to Twitter. He tweeted a video of himself using a hemp pen to mark off the dates for Hemp History Week on his calendar. A similar resolution was adopted last year, but this version has some updates.
The estimated market value of hemp retail sales was placed at more than $1 billion instead of the $688 million that was posited in the 2018 version. The updated version also uses past tense to note that farmers were previously prohibited from growing hemp despite its industrial uses; the prohibition was lifted with the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill. It also no longer includes the note that the US is the only major country that restricts hemp farming due to that bill. The current measure makes the fourth year in a row that the Senate has recognized Hemp History Week. There was also a hearing on Wednesday to clarify for banks that hemp is now a legal crop and that banks can support hemp businesses without fear of federal repercussions.
A lawsuit was filed in California that holds that Eaze, a cannabis delivery service, broke the law by accepting credit and debit cards for cannabis purchases. Plaintiff Herban Industries claims that Eaze set up systems to conceal the "true nature" of cannabis purchases to allow customers to use debit and credit cards for purchases. The fact that Eaze can accept cards is said to give the company an unfair advantage over competitors, and it is under California's unfair competition law which the plaintiff filed the complaint. The complaint also holds that Eaze gained a dominant position in the market by working its way around criminal laws, particularly due to the fact that credit and debit card companies prohibit the use of their service for cannabis and related product transactions.
Eaze is said to dodge having the activity marked as cannabis related by disguising the transactions as those for dog toys, carbonated drinks, and other miscellaneous items. Eaze has denied the claims and stated that the lawsuit is an attempt by Herban Industries's parent company, DionyMed, to disrupt Eaze's business and gain a competitive advantage in the market on their own. DionyMed and Eaze used to be partners, but DionyMed opted to stop using Eaze for delivery orders and invest in its own delivery system. Eaze holds that it does not process the payments and that it is still within California's laws.
In Louisiana, an "inhalation bill" has been approved to allow medical marijuana patients in the state to use inhaled cannabis products. The measure was approved 82-0, and it only applies to metered-dose inhalers. Smoking of marijuana products, even for medicinal purposes, is still illegal. As the state's current medical marijuana program is, only medicinal oils, pills, liquids, and topical applications are allowed, yet no actual cannabis products of the sort have gone on sale yet.
The use of medicinal cannabis was legalized in 2015, but regulatory issues have stalled the rolling out of the program for patients. The state Senate originally was thought to be "shelved" in the Senate because of the concerns of adding new delivery methods, but when a senator suggested that only metered-dose inhalers be allowed, the bill regained footing. The Senate voted 31-7 approve the measure, and from there it went to the House, where it was approved and shall be sent to the governor for consideration. Louisiana officials announced in January that marijuana products would be available for testing in the summer, possibly in May barring any unforeseen circumstances.