
Image via YouTube / HempTV
The U.S. Hemp Roundtable is a nonprofit alliance of companies and organizations dedicated to moving hemp and cannabidiol (CBD) products forward. Providing hemp and CBD education to elected officials and policy makers, as well as to the general public, is a large component of their mission. US Hemp TV (hempsupporter.com/media), a feature on the organization’s website, is a one-stop shop for educational webinars, legislative updates and interviews with elected representatives.
The latest episode of US HempTV, “Hemp Hindsight 2020,” reviews how the difficult year that was 2020 affected the hemp industry and offers projections for 2021. U.S. Hemp Roundtable general counsel, Jonathan Miller, touched on issues such as racial injustice in the hemp industry; conflicts between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in regard to hemp sampling and testing; banking; regulation; and the Department of Defense’s current ban on CBD use among active and reserve military service members. They also cover H.R. 8179, a bipartisan bill that would permit hemp and hemp-derived CBD to be used in dietary supplements. Miller expressed optimism that the aforementioned issues can be addressed and will move forward under the new Biden administration.
The “Cultivating Entrepreneurship in the Hemp Industry” webinar, an informative session for small and minority-owned businesses that took place in December, is available for viewing on US Hemp TV. Guest panelists covered topics such as economic supply and demand, overcoming financial barriers, farming and business plans.
Viewers can also watch interviews with Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR), sponsors of H.R. 8179. The pair discuss how passage of H.R. 8179 can promote transparency and create uniform labeling. They also touch on the bipartisan appeal of hemp, and how hemp-derived products are a safe, viable alternative to synthetic drugs.
Talks, podcasts and a hemp history discussion round out US Hemp TV. The web page also features links to articles covering CBD in food, legal issues, regulatory updates and quality control.