In this episode of the Ministry of Hemp podast, our host Matt talked with Ron Fazio COO of Hemp Synergistics. They’ve partnered with Purdue University’s Center for Crime, Forensics, and Security Analysis to develop a new fully portable hemp testing system that allows law enforcement to test THC levels in less than two minutes.

Matt and Ron talk about the current issues with testing hemp for THC levels, the time wasted testing hemp that could be spent on things like rape kits, and how this kind of instant testing could make law enforcement’s job much easier.

In states without legal recreational cannabis, there’s currently no way for police in the field to tell the difference between legal hemp and illegal “marijuana.” As a result, police sometimes arrest truckers shipping legal hemp. While Ministry of Hemp supports full legalization of cannabis, this kind of portable THC testing could mitigate some of the harms of the war on drugs and protect the new hemp industry.

About Ron Fazio & Hemp Synergistics

Ron Fazio founded the nation’s first full-service, accredited crime lab and is the COO of Hemp Synergistics. When his lab experienced a significant increase in THC testing, this backlogged more critical public safety testing needs like rape kits. This inspired him to seek out a new technological solution to portable THC testing.

Hemp Synergistics is a biotechnology company dedicated to making intelligent hemp products. Hemp Synergistics provides industry solutions including remediation services, formulations and manufacturing
of consumer products in the food, nutraceutical and wellness industries.

You’ve got hemp questions? We’ve got hemp answers!

Send us your hemp questions and you might hear them answered on one of our Hemp Q&A episodes. Send your written questions to us on Twitter, Facebook, matt@ministryofhemp.com, or call us and leave a message at 402-819-6417. Keep in mind, this phone number is for hemp questions only and any other inquiries for the Ministry of Hemp should be sent to info@ministryofhemp.com

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THC testing on the go: Complete episode transcript

Below you’ll find the complete transcript of episode 53 of the Ministry of Hemp podcast, “THC Testing On the Go”:

Matt Baum:
I’m Matt Baum and this is the Ministry of Hemp podcast, brought to you by ministryofhemp.com, America’s leading advocate for hemp and hemp education.

Matt Baum:
Today on the show, I’m talking to Ron Fazio. He is the COO of Hemp Synergistics. Ron worked for decades in criminal forensics and just about every aspect of the criminal forensic lab. Well, he’s left to bring his knowledge of how the forensic lab works and along with Purdue’s School of Criminal Forensics, he’s helped to develop three handheld testing units that can measure the THC level of hemp right there on the side of the road.

Matt Baum:
This is huge. This is the kind of thing that can change the way law enforcement deals with hemp interstate commerce even in the strictest of states. I was afraid this one could get real scientific real fast but Ron is a very intelligent guy, and he’s super easy to talk to, and he boils it down so well. I’m really excited for you guys to hear this one. This is my conversation with Ron Fazio.

Meet Ron Fazio

Ron Fazio:
I’m coming from Zelienople, Pennsylvania.

Matt Baum:
That sounds easy to spell.

Ron Fazio:
It is just as easy to spell as you might imagine.

Matt Baum:
I would guess.

Ron Fazio:
We could say Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is probably better.

Matt Baum:
Pittsburgh, outside of Pittsburgh, we’ll say.

Ron Fazio:
Outside of Pittsburgh.

Matt Baum:
Yeah, every knows Pitt, two T’s, Pittsburgh. Everybody knows that one.

Ron Fazio:
With the H.

Matt Baum:
So, Ron, tell me about you a little bit before we get into this new testing, shall we call it a device?

Ron Fazio:
Sure. There’s actually three devices. This is the first of the three. My background has been predominantly in forensics in laboratory testing. So, I’ve worked in the forensic field in multiple states for actually decades. I was able to start and operate a private full service accredited crime lab. We serve predominantly law enforcement agencies, but we also serve defense attorneys and civil attorneys. And we did things from narcotics testing, firearms, crime scene, DWI, the standard kind of normal crime lab test.

Matt Baum:
So how do you go from that background to working in hemp and marijuana testing? How did that happen?

Ron Fazio:
You can’t beat them, join them.

Matt Baum:
Okay, fair enough. I like that answer actually.

Ron Fazio:
Well, the state of Pennsylvania legalized hemp a few years ago, and I was seriously considering applying for at least a dispensary license. And I spent some time with some interesting, very capable people in the industry in Pennsylvania. My background being what it was, I really had some of the most comprehensive, in-depth, yet legal experience in narcotics, specifically marijuana and that really led to my kind of gravitating towards this.

Ron Fazio:
So, at that time, I was working as a senior executive with another organization. I finished my tour with them, and working with Russ Cersosimo and some other people we decided that hemp is, it’s a fantastic industry. It’s growing rapidly. The cannabinoids with the farm bill and the DEA regulation changes made these cannabinoids accessible to pretty much the entirety of the population in the United States, if not the world.

Ron Fazio:
And the bottom line is if people are going to consume cannabinoids, they should be able to get them in a safe and efficacious manner. They should know that the product that they’re taking, if they want no THC, they should be getting a product that has no THC.

Matt Baum:
Preach. Absolutely. That’s what we do here at Ministry of Hemp is push that, definitely.

Ron Fazio:
Yeah. And to do that, you need to have some pretty significant laboratory skills, chromatography in particular and that’s just what I had. So, it’s interesting that my background in testing marijuana as a Schedule I or anywhere from Schedule I to Schedule III narcotic depending on what state you’re in, really led me to where I’m at today. And I love where I’m at.

Working with forensics experts at Perdue University to develop better THC testing

Matt Baum:
So from there, you hooked up with Purdue University Northwest’s newly formed center for crime forensics. How does this happen? You just said, “Hey, I used to work in crime forensics. You guys are working in crime forensics. I’ve got an idea.” You just reached out or-

Ron Fazio:
Well, their director, Dr. Christian Westring and I are colleagues. We worked together in the past. And so, Christian and I remained friends ever since and early on, I talked to Dr. Westring about the possibility of taking an existing forensic test that was in the public domain. Nothing special about it, but modifying it so that it could be used to quantitate or semi-quantitate THC in a field test, simple, easy, yet reliable so that law enforcement could determine the difference between, “Hey, this is hemp,” versus, “Hey, this is really marijuana, and it needs to go to the lab for testing.”

Matt Baum:
I can’t think of a bigger waste of time for law enforcements agencies that are looking at real crime. I read about like how you had said there were things like rape kits that were getting put on the back burner while this long testing was going on so someone could see, is this hemp product hot like over by two or three percentage points which is just ludicrous. When we’re trying to solve rapes or murders, get this crap out of here. It’s just stupid. Is that what sort of pushed this idea forward, your own experience working in these crime labs?

Ron Fazio:
Yeah. So, the test to identify something is being marijuana is very simple. It takes literally minutes. So, a crime lab, any crime lab can knock through hundreds, if not thousands of these in a week. But the test to say, I’m going to measure the amount of THC, and that’s important by weight and therefore, make determination whether it’s industrial hemp or marijuana, turns that test that’s literally a couple of minutes long to a test that takes typically six or more months and cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.

Matt Baum:
So why is that? Why is it so easy for them to say, “Yes, this is definitely marijuana,” but when you want to look at something like industrial hemp, what is the difference in that test that makes it so difficult?

Ron Fazio:
Without getting into the science, it’s just the level of instrumentation, the way that you extract it, the way you prepare your sample and the way that you do the test itself. If a marijuana identification typically be done with some color tests, a very simple microscopy and boom, you’re done. Whereas a quantification, that’s how much THC is in there. You have to weigh it. You have to extract a certain amount. You have to extract a certain procedure. You have to run it on some sort of mass spec. You have to be able to measure those ions, or integrate the curve and be able to come up with the amount, and then that calculate how much it was per the original mass percentage-wise.

Matt Baum:
So the problem lies in the fact not so much that like, is this marijuana or is it not marijuana? We have to ask the additional question, “Okay, it’s not marijuana but how much THC is actually in it?” That’s what the problem was?

Ron Fazio:
Is it hemp or not?

Matt Baum:
Got you. So, how do you-

Ron Fazio:
Because they’re the same plant, industrial hemp and marijuana are exact same plant.

Matt Baum:
Just different levels of THC, that’s all.

Ron Fazio:
Correct.

Making THC testing possible on the go

Matt Baum:
So how do you take a six-month testing regimen like that and smash it down into something … We’ll get to the device in a minute, but just smash it down into a test that you can perform in minutes.

Ron Fazio:
Well, it’s not the same test. It’s a different test, and the question is getting back to what you said before, law enforcement doesn’t want to have to investigate, prosecute or arrest somebody if they don’t have to. They got better things to do.

Matt Baum:
They don’t have time, period.

Ron Fazio:
They don’t have time. It’s just a lot of money and effort. But they don’t have any current tools in the field to say, “You know what, this is almost certainly marijuana.” Or inversely, “This is almost certainly legal hemp.” On top of that, different states have different rules. Some states say 1%, some states say 0.3%. I know the federal rule is 0.3% but the states have come up sometimes with a spare rules.

Ron Fazio:
So a law enforcement agency in Texas may differ than a law enforcement agency in Kentucky. And so there’s not one singular thing that you can do up until this point to say, “Hey, this is more consistent with hemp than it is with marijuana.” So the trick is to make a color test, an existing technology and be able to convert it to a color test almost kind of like when you test the pH in your pool. What is the percentage?

Ron Fazio:
The trick is people can misinterpret colors or shades of colors. And so we had to come up with a way to measure the color that was pretty much objective for anybody that’s looking at it. And we did that with the way that the colors or the light is transmissible through the color, if that makes sense. How much can you see through it?

Matt Baum:
Is this like a chromatology test like you were talking about?

Ron Fazio:
It’s a color test and it’s a color test like you do … The basis of it as a color test like you would measure the chlorine in your pool or the pH of something.

Matt Baum:
Yeah, I’m an aquarium nerd so I know all about that.

Ron Fazio:
Yeah, there you go. It’s more complicated than that, but that is the base chemistry going on. The trick again is how do you turn that into something that if you gave that a speck of color to three different people, you might get three different readings. So, the real trick is we’re able to take, or Purdue more correctly, was able to take that and turn that into an objective reading so that anybody could look at that and get the same result.

Matt Baum:
And what does that look like? Is it like a number based?

Ron Fazio:
It’s a number based. Right now, it’s measured in increments of 0.05% of THC and that will come down, that level of discrimination will actually get better with subsequent devices and I’ll go into the devices in just a minute. But the first iteration is a very simple color test. It’s operated very similarly to what existing field test kits that law enforcement use right now. It takes some sample. They put it in there. They shake it up. They look at the color. They can make some interpretative results.

Matt Baum:
Now, let me stop you and ask you real quick. One of the things that I’ve heard in speaking to other people about testing is that when it comes to hemp, it really depends how you test it as well. If you test some of the fibrous stock, you’re going to be fine. But if you test some of the flower, you could be way over. Or if you test the leaf and the flower, the flower could push the leaf over or vice versa.

Matt Baum:
When you say take a sample and test it, how does that work? What are they sampling?

Ron Fazio:
They would have to take a representative sample. Presumably, most of these are going to be flower hemp. That is the smoke or the aerial portions of the plant. And those have to maintain a certain percentage of cannabinoids based on that jurisdiction’s rules. Again, a jurisdiction makes 0.3%, that’s it. No leeway. They may say 1%. Anything above 1%, we’re going to investigate. Anything under it, we’re going to cut them loose. This is just not worth it.

Ron Fazio:
Most of the tests on smokable plant product has actually shown that THC is less than 0.3%. It’s the extracted products where it becomes very, very likely that it’s going to be way above 0.3%.

Matt Baum:
Right, because they’re boosting it during the extraction process basically.

Ron Fazio:
Concentrating it. Concentrating all the cannabinoids including THC. And without the ability to remove THC, you get more often than that, believe it or not, you get products that are above the legal limit.

How police could use Hemp Synergistics THC testing products

Matt Baum:
Sure. It makes perfect sense. So you’ve got … Let’s start talking about the device here. I’m a police officer. I’ve pulled over a truck. It’s hauling flower hemp and I take a look and go, “That sure smells like marijuana to me. Good thing I’ve got my handy-dandy …” what is it called? I was going to say test [crosstalk 00:14:08]. I’m sorry?

Ron Fazio:
TRU, THC Recognition Unit.

Matt Baum:
I like that. That’s nice. So, if they take out their TRU unit, what am I holding? Does it look like a walkie-talkie? Does it look like a space gun? What does this thing look like?

Ron Fazio:
The first iteration, the simplest one is a liquid test kit. So, you open your box, you pull out a test kit. It has everything that you need inside. There is a sampling device and a way to homogenize and take a consistent amount of sample and without going into details which are exceedingly boring, the way to take-

Matt Baum:
I appreciate that. Thank you.

Ron Fazio:
No problem. You take a little bit of the plant material or whatever material. You put it into another device. You grind it with a special disposable grinder. It packs down into the bottom of the cone and then you pick that out and that is actually a very consistent amount of THC or very consistent amount of product.

Matt Baum:
And everything you’ve just described sounds like exactly what I would do if I were going to smoke it, for example.

Ron Fazio:
There you go. You have to grab it first, put it in a bowl.

Matt Baum:
Same rules, okay.

Ron Fazio:
You take that pellet that you’ve made. You drop it into your test container. It’s a very, very small pellet. It’s probably about the size, if you can imagine a pinhead, but now in the shape of the same diameter of pinhead but it’s a ball, a little ball shaped.

Matt Baum:
We’re talking a tiny amount then?

Ron Fazio:
Tiny amount, very tiny amount. You drop it in there and you give it about two minutes for the color change and then you take that and you hold it up on a reading card. And the reading card is imprinted numbers and then you roll it down or move it down the reading card. And the minute that you can see the numbers, you know what percentage of THC you’re at.

Matt Baum:
This is exactly like the Penn-Plax pH test that I use on my aquarium. I literally move the vial down the color spectrum. Only you don’t have numbers, you can see like oh, that matches the color that I’m looking through. There it is.

Ron Fazio:
Correct. It’s always the same color. The trick is how much opacity, how much is in there, how much color. You won’t be able to see the numbers until boom, until you hit the right amount.

Matt Baum:
So there’s no argument. Even if I’m color blind, I can look and say like, “Okay, I don’t see the number one. I don’t see the number two. I do see the number three.”

Ron Fazio:
Correct.

Matt Baum:
Okay.

Ron Fazio:
Correct. Very simple.

Matt Baum:
It’s a liquid like you said. You’re dropping this in a liquid?

Ron Fazio:
It’s a liquid, and everything can go back into the bag. If it turns out it’s above that jurisdiction’s legal requirement and they’re going to investigate as marijuana, they put everything back in the bag, seal it. That bag can be submitted as evidence along with whatever they seize whether it’s a small little baggie of plant material, whether it’s a tractor trailer.

Ron Fazio:
So if somebody wants to come back later and say, “Okay, what did you do? What did you sample? What did you look at,” right there in a self-sealed container. If not, it can go right in the trash.

Technology could see use in hemp industry too

Matt Baum:
What about vice versa? If I am shipping this, could I use this testing unit to show police like, “Hey, I’ve got my own right here. Here’s what I’m hauling. Feel free to take your own sample and do yours and we can compare”?

Ron Fazio:
Yeah, the beautiful thing about this is it’s at a price point and usability that anybody in the industry can use, shop owners, anybody in the transportation business, growers. It is not going to replace like for hemp grower the statutory state laws in terms of laboratory testing. But if they want to go in and they want to get a quick check on whether THC is zoning that day, that week. For a few dollars, they can come in and do the test and know real quick where they’re at.

Matt Baum:
And you’re talking about two-minute test, by the way? You’re not sending it anywhere? You’re not [crosstalk 00:21:15] waiting for results to come back? You shake it up and you sit there and you go, “Oh, this zone of the field is a little hot. Let’s back down on whatever or let’s water more,” I don’t even know how it works.

Ron Fazio:
Harvest early …

Matt Baum:
Exactly. I know there’s things they can do.

Ron Fazio:
Yeah, it gives them the ability to manage their crops a little better. Truckers, I know I got a lab report but what trucker knows how to read a lab report? How do they know that lab report actually meets what they’re shipping? It’s easier to forge something like that. So, it gives them a chance for a few dollars to be able to test really quick and just know where they’re at.

Matt Baum:
And what exactly are they testing for? They’re testing for delta-nine-THC? Is that correct?

Ron Fazio:
Correct, delta-nine-THC.

THC testing units need to be small and portable

Matt Baum:
Okay. And it’s simple enough that like you said, a trucker can do it. A traffic cop can do it. It sounds pretty straightforward. Can I ask how is law enforcement reacting to this? Are they in, or do they like this because it simplifies things? Were they hesitant? I mean, you’ve got Purdue behind you which is a good name to have obviously. They are nationwide recognized crime lab. Is anyone rolling this out yet? Is anyone using it in the field?

Ron Fazio:
Yeah. So, we do have … I’m not at liberty to discuss the particular police departments but we do have partner police departments that will be evaluating this in the field. Undoubtedly, we’re going to get things back that need to be changed or modified for wide acceptance. The really big deal about this the first stage of the three products, and all three are developed and validated within the university.

Ron Fazio:
And that’s a really important distinction. This is not a product that was hatched in by private company and made and trust us it works. This is a product that was tested, validated in a university setting and those data will be published in scientific journals so that anybody can go pull them, see what their reliability is, see what their error ranges, see that they’re truly a validated field test.

Matt Baum:
Right. We’re above board. We’re not just trying to sell you something.

Ron Fazio:
Correct.

Matt Baum:
So, tell me about the units themselves. You said there’s three of them right now.

Ron Fazio:
Correct. The second one works on the same principle but it will be a handheld meter, about the size of two or three decks of cards.

Matt Baum:
So this is small. I mean, it’s not like a heavy bulky thing. You can throw this in the car.

Ron Fazio:
Correct. Police cars are … A lot of people don’t … They probably don’t realize this, but police cars are jam-packed in here. They have to carry a lot of stuff to meet any kind of situations. So, everything that we do has to be designed that’s small, it’s rugged. They can get beaten up. It can be repaired or replaced easily.

Matt Baum:
You can have a mobile crime lab rolling around with Bunsen burners or whatnot.

Ron Fazio:
You can have that. That’s right. That’s a good point. So, this one will be … It’s a very small device. It does the same thing but except instead of holding this up to a card, you put a vial in there. You push a button and it gives you a digital reading.

Ron Fazio:
So, you see the number right there on the screen in front of you and they’re able to write that down or do whatever you need to do. Look at that, it says 0.35. Our internal policy is anything less than 0.7, we’re going to cut loose and have a nice day. But look at that, it’s registering at 2.8. It’s way above anything that we’d expect to see or have. Let’s investigate this as a marijuana offense.

Ron Fazio:
The third device is the most technically advanced of all three. And that’s actually a miniature field spectrophotometer. And that actually will attach, almost certainly, we’ll have attached to cellphones or their existing PDAs to provide the interface. So that interface could be just an app that you can download. And you can manage that app right there on your phone like a PDA and the spectrophotometer, I know it sounds really fancy and all that. They’re not that technically challenging.

Matt Baum:
I’ll take your word for it.

Ron Fazio:
They’re in common use. They really are. And cellphone attached spectrophotometers are commercially available. It’s just being able to take one, having it tested reliably that it can appropriately quantify the delta-nine-THC is that’s where the work is at.

Matt Baum:
So, is this third device, that might be something that is a little more geared towards the hemp grower, for example, the farmer, if you will, that needs to get serious readings right there minute by minute right on their phone?

Ron Fazio:
It could be, and absolutely could be. You may have two departments and let’s say three department and within five miles of each other. One department may have a policy, “We absolutely positively want to have the disposable field test because of whatever reasons.” The next department may say, “We want the metal device because we like more of a unit that has a fixed cost and we can send it in for repair and do what we need to do.” And the third department may say, “Now, we really want the spectrophotometer one because we’re really heavy on the use of our cellphones. We manage more on our cellphones. Our department issued cellphones and that’s what we want.”

Ron Fazio:
So, not one of them right now is specifically designed for a particularly consumer in mind. They’re designed based on that department or that person or that organization’s goals and desires.

Matt Baum:
I assume the price point moves up with each device as well? The first one, the disposable [crosstalk 00:27:30]

Ron Fazio:
The price point moves up but the cost per tests moves down.

Matt Baum:
Makes sense.

Ron Fazio:
Yeah. So the cost per test for the manual one, that’s very high. If you’re only going to do two, three, four of these a week, you’d probably just want the disposable field test kit. But if you’re doing hundreds to thousands a week, it becomes more cost advantageous for your department to have the units and therefore, your test costs are much, much less.

Matt Baum:
And if everything is linked on your phone or computer, whatever, you can instantly send that off to whoever needs that information too.

Ron Fazio:
Some departments have that ability on their phones or PDAs, and they can upload that information directly into their CAD or computer-aided dispatch or records management system, RMS. So, yes, they could potentially do that.

Matt Baum:
I know you can’t know, but do you see any pushback that could come from law enforcement on this? To me, this sounds like exactly what they’ve been asking for because there’s been so many incidents. One of the stories we covered was like a truck driving through Arkansas that get pulled over. Everything got pulled off. The trucker was arrested. They sent it away for testing. Two months later, the tests come back. The trucker has been in jail the whole time and they go, “Sorry, you didn’t do anything wrong. And by the way, we got to throw all that away because it’s garbage.”

The future of Hemp Synergistics

Matt Baum:
This sounds exactly like what law enforcement has been asking for. Do you see any pushback coming?

Ron Fazio:
No, I think there’s … Anytime you have a new technology, it sounds too good to be true. There’s going to be a pushback from certain departments especially in my experience, I’ve seen certain not any particular geographic [inaudible 00:29:14] but I’ve always seen it’s been interesting different parts of the country, law enforcement in different parts of the country will have different ways of policing, different goals and different ways of going at this.

Matt Baum:
Of course.

Ron Fazio:
So, I don’t think that this is going to be selling millions and millions from day one. I think that adoption is going to be slow because law enforcement is, they’re going to be a particular to make sure that this can do what it says it can do. And that they can apply it the way they should apply it. And then two, they’re going to have to roll this into their budgets and the procedures and these things take time. It’s just not an overnight proposition.

Ron Fazio:
Last but not the least, this test is not designed to replace a crime lab test. It is designed to keep out the ones that never should go to the crime lab, those that are the hemp ones.

Matt Baum:
And that makes sense. If you can cut it off right there and say, “We have something that’s going to give us a real solid number that we can look at and say, ‘We don’t need to waste our time with this,'” that is what’s really important.

Ron Fazio:
Agreed. And I think that’s where the value is in this product, is keeping those legal hemp products from tying up the resources of law of enforcement because they have better things to do. They really don’t want to arrest people for no reason. They’re charged with enforcing the law and it could be the state, the county, the city council, whomever says, “This is what the people of that jurisdiction say. This is what you need to investigate.” And they can’t say no. They have to do it.

Ron Fazio:
So, if this gives them the tool to be able to still do that but also avoid sending these unnecessary, very expensive time-consuming test to the crime labs, everybody wins, law enforcement, crime labs, everybody.

Matt Baum:
From your history and perspective, just speaking from what you saw, let’s say these rolls out everywhere. What kind of time save and money save is this reflecting for your local crime lab that’s working on something? What percentage of this test that you saw coming in personally were a waste of your time, were testing marijuana or testing hemp?

Ron Fazio:
When I was actually running the crime lab, it didn’t matter if it was hemp or marijuana, it was all legally defined as marijuana. It didn’t matter if they had point 0.5% THC. This has only been something that’s maybe the last 12 months that’s been an issue. While I have seen some ancillary data that many of the state crime labs do not have the resources or pushback on doing these tests themselves, it’s not technically challenging. It’s very time consuming and expensive, and they got a lot to do, and they have fixed budgets.

Ron Fazio:
There are some private crime labs that will do it and their turnaround time is typically measured three or more months, usually double that. And the cost is $602 and up. It’s not uncommon to see one of these … So, imagine how many people-

Matt Baum:
God bless private industry, right?

Ron Fazio:
That’s per sample by the way. So in the case of the truck driver, they would have to take at least 28 samples to identify the entire truck, at least 28. It’s the minimum.

Matt Baum:
That’s 600 bucks a pop.

Ron Fazio:
At least. So, nobody wants to spend that money.

Matt Baum:
No. I’m in the wrong business obviously. This sounds amazing and I don’t know, not knowing … Not being a scientist myself and not working in the field, from what I’ve read and talking to you, this sounds like it is going to change things, like literally change the game when it comes down to “I’m a police officer” or “I am a trucker” or “I am a hemp farmer.” This sounds like every step of the way, you could be saving a lot of time, a lot of money and just covering your own ass when it comes down to it, if you will.

Ron Fazio:
Yeah, though from our perspective, here we are in the hemp business and we’re doing very well. We have an obligation to serve and to take care of all members that are in this field. That became boom, literally almost overnight legal and it flooded the markets. And it’s really unfair to ask that our existing laws and/or policies in each and every jurisdiction is able to just change their policies overnight. It’s not fair to expect.

Ron Fazio:
So, we hear these stories, “And grandmother gets arrested at Disney World,” and, “The trucker gets arrested and his vehicle is impounded.” And as a scientist, my first question is how do I fix that? I should fix it.

Matt Baum:
It is such a colossal waste of time and money.

Ron Fazio:
Colossal, and nobody likes it. There’s not a single person that gets involved in that from the police officer, to the jurisdiction, to the courts, to the crime lab, to the person getting arrested that thought, “You know that was a really good experience. We should do that again.”

Matt Baum:
The company that’s selling it or the company that’s buying it. This is a massive pain that goes all the way back to the farm. It’s just insanity.

Ron Fazio:
Correct, yes, it is. It absolutely is. And if we can take just half of those cases and eliminate the need to go to the lab, that’s thousands of people that didn’t have to go through this. And that’s a true benefit we’re bringing to the market.

Matt Baum:
And not just the people didn’t have to go through it, that’s thousands of traffic stops or tested officers don’t have to worry about and can do their job and take care of real issues.

Ron Fazio:
Correct. They’ve got a lab test in the field that says, “My internal policy, my training in this lab test, so I was able to move in this direction and it’s substantiated by this field test.”

Matt Baum:
Right, and take it out of the officer’s hands. You don’t have to be a scientist. You don’t have to make … And you also don’t have to make a judgment call that may or may not be wrong. “Here you go, you’ve done your job, the little boxes were good, we’re good. Have a nice day.” I think it’s-

Ron Fazio:
“Or it’s hot and I need to take you in.”

Matt Baum:
Right. “And I’m doing the right thing because this is my training and it’s telling me to do so. Sorry about that, I’m going to have to ask you to step out of the car,” or whatever.

Ron Fazio:
When we think about it, for every one person that ends up with what they think, what they thought was hemp, it turns out to be legally defined as marijuana, there’s got to be 10 more, 20 more that don’t. They actually have a legal hemp product. And now it’s those extra 20, those extra 10 that were hopefully going to be able to help.

Matt Baum:
Yeah, without a doubt. Man, Ron, I know you’re a scientist but you’re doing the work of the angels here. And we appreciate it, man. Thank you.

Ron Fazio:
My pleasure.

Final thoughts from Matt

Matt Baum:
Thanks again to Ron for coming on the show. I really enjoyed talking to him. And in subjects like this, when it comes to testing, that seems so simple but can be so complex. And I can’t stress enough that putting a testing device like this in the hands of police, how much it’s going to change shipping hemp, especially through these states that aren’t quite as hemp friendly as some other ones.

Matt Baum:
I’ll have the picture of the device in the show notes for this episode as well. Ron and I went on to talk about the DEA and some classifications that they need to work on that will also help. But I’ll save that one for another podcast. It’s really interesting and I’m excited for you guys to hear that too.

Matt Baum:
That brings us to the end of another Ministry of Hemp podcast. Thanks again to Marissa for hooking up this interview, really cool topic and I love talking about stuff like this. And if you dig what we do here and the hemp education and maybe you’re learning something and you want to help spread the word, head to Patreon/ministryofhemp. There’s also a link on ministryofhemp.com that you can just click on.

Matt Baum:
And any amount that you give makes you a Ministry of Hemp Insider. It gets you access to early articles, to podcast extras, a bunch of other stuff too. And like I said, it helps us spread the good word of hemp education. If you believe that hemp can change the world like I do, become a Ministry of Hemp Insider. It helps so much.

Matt Baum:
Speaking of ministryofhemp.com, don’t just take my word for it. Head over to our site where we’ve got a new CBD review of Receptra Naturals Serious Rest tincture. We’ve also got a really cool story about how more and more pro athletes are using CBD for recovery, energy and focus. The football season is starting this week, so I hope those guys are stocked up.

Matt Baum:
We also have a very cool article about CBG. It’s an introduction to cannabigerol. CBG is very hot right now in the CBD world, so it’s good one to read. Figure out, is this something that can help you that you might want to add your regimen? Check all those articles out over at ministryofhemp.com. And if you need more Ministry of Hemp in your life, you can follow us on all of our social media, @MinistryofHemp, /ministryofhemp. We are everywhere. We’re constantly throwing out cool stories, links to cool people who are doing amazing things in the hemp universe.

Matt Baum:
And if you have questions, call me, 402-819-6417. And leave me your hemp related question after the beep and we will answer it on this show. Speaking of which, next week, we are going to be talking about scams. We talk a lot about what CBD does. We’re going to take a break and talk about what it doesn’t do. That is going to be a fun one.

Matt Baum:
And before I get out of here, I just want to mention. Ministry of Hemp believes that a more accessible world is a better world for everyone, so you can find a full written transcript for this show in the notes as well.

Matt Baum:
All right, that’s it. It’s time for me to go. And I like to end the show the same way every time by saying remember to take care of yourself, take care of others and make good decisions, will you? This is Matt Baum with the Ministry of Hemp signing off.

The post THC Testing Hemp On The Go With Ron Fazio Of Hemp Synergistics appeared first on Ministry of Hemp.

Going even further, our involvement can’t stop with just the protests. In order to build an ethical and sustainable industry, we need to be active participants in undoing the damage that the War on Drugs caused. We need to lobby to defund police forces which grew out of control during this “war.” 

At Ministry of Hemp, we often celebrate the ways hemp crosses political boundaries. Across the political spectrum, people see the potential in hemp and its ability to change the world. However, we believe that this is not a political issue but a human rights issue, and it would be wrong for the hemp industry to remain silent. 

Now that we’ve achieved legal hemp, we must use our platform to be a part of healing the damage caused by centuries of systemic racism, a not insignificant part of which grew out of the sprawling War on Drugs. 

We call on hemp advocates to advocate for Black lives too, and make them a fundamental priority for our industry. And we plan to make this a fundamental priority for the Ministry of Hemp as well, moving forward, as we’ll explain further below.

From one murder to a global movement

A shocking murder sparked an international uprising, but it would be a mistake to say this is just about George Floyd. 

This latest death comes on the back of months of illness, starvation, record-breaking unemployment and a growing threat of eviction facing thousands during the COVID-19 pandemic. The world seems poised on the brink of either great change or great despair. 

But even more importantly to this moment, George Floyd’s murder is just the latest in a string of murders and violence that is uncountable in its damage in lost and ruined lives. To try and put some numbers on it, figures suggest police killed at least 1,001 people last year. Accurate figures are hard to come by because police aren’t required to report fatal encounters in the U.S. According to some calculations, Black people are three and half times more likely to be killed by police than white people. 

This global uprising is a sign that Black people (and everyone else too) are fed up with being treated as if they don’t matter. And they’ve been fed up for a long time. This moment of massive upheaval only seems to come “out of the blue” for those of us who haven’t been paying attention.

The War on Drugs leads to police brutality, mass imprisonment & murder

President Richard Nixon started the modern War on Drugs in the 1960s, and it’s led to escalating police brutality and record-breaking mass incarceration (under both major parties) in the decades since.

Lawmakers intended the “Federal 1033 program,” enabling the police purchase of surplus weaponry and equipment, to fuel “aggressive” enforcement of the drug war. Now, we watch as those tools get used against everyday people in the most alarming of ways.

Not only has the War on Drugs led to many lost lives, it’s also led to a massive growth in prison populations. And it’s created an overgrown Bureau of Prisons capable of fielding its own police force against the people of the U.S. The Drug Enforcement Administration has also been called on to target Black Lives Matter protests. Rarely has the connection between the War on Drugs and oppression been so searingly obvious on our social media feeds.

And let’s not forget Breonna Taylor, whose murder by police also galvanized protesters. She died in a botched police drug raid, in which officers weren’t even at the correct address. The suspect police were looking for was already in custody. Her death can be laid directly at the feet of the War on Drugs, too.

The “War on Drugs” directly enabled the growth of this arsenal. Now, those of us who benefit from the newly legalized cannabis industry need to be a part of the healing. While we celebrate the legalization of hemp, we need to acknowledge that our industry comes from years of knowledge gained during drug prohibition, often by people still imprisoned or locked out of the modern legal industry. We need to do more.

Hearing from the hemp & cannabis industries

Like people all over the world of all kinds, hemp advocates were moved to take part in protests and open their wallets in support. Our inboxes were flooded with pro-Black Lives Matter statements. One CBD brand we’ve partnered with before gave their employees paid time off to participate in the protests, among other contributions. 

We applaud these moves by our industry to be allies to Black people. However, we believe that we have a greater responsibility to do more than others, because of our industry’s historic ties to the War on Drugs. Making real change requires more than a single statement in support of Black Lives Matter, or a single donation, or marching in a single protest. It means a long term commitment to change, to listening, and to educating ourselves about the possibilities of a world that looks very different from the one we live in now. And isn’t envisioning a better world what drew so many of us to hemp in the first place?

Our work is far from over, and working for legalization is not nearly enough. Even despite the spread of legalization, people remain in prison for cannabis possession and sales. Statistics consistently show again and again that all races use cannabis and other substances at the same rate, but police arrest white people less and they face less severe penalties. And when lawmakers legalized hemp, they also locked people with drug felonies (disproportionately people of color) out of becoming producers in our industry.

Making a statement that Black Lives Matter

This isn’t the article we planned on publishing today. Our Editor spent weeks researching and scheduling interviews with advocates for ending the drug war, and with Black entrepreneurs in our industry. 

We want to thank the people we spoke with, especially Raven Faber of EngErotics, Farmer Cee of Green Heffa Farms, and Torie Marshall and James Watts of Cage Free Cannabis. You’ll notice we didn’t quote them here.

Making real change requires more than a single statement, a single donation, or marching in a single protest.

That’s because as we wrote, this article kept sprawling, until it seemed like it could become many thousands of words long. Ultimately, we decided that what we had to do first was simply state our unequivocal support for the people protesting now. To state that we believe Black Lives Matter.

And we know we need to back up those words with a commitment too. At Ministry of Hemp, we commit to continuing to cover the War on Drugs, systemic racism, police brutality, and their intersection with the hemp industry in the coming weeks and months. We also pledge to bring more attention to black-owned brands, black hemp farmers and producers.

This topic is about more than just police brutality. It’s about the school-to-prison pipeline. And about people still facing life-changing consequences for their use of a plant. It’s about making sure there are more black hemp farmers, more black hemp producers, and more diverse voices everywhere. In the end, it’s about making sure Black people have a real stake in our industry, and at every level of our society. 

If that sounds daunting, you aren’t wrong. However, if we want to create an ethical, sustainable world — the kind of world so many hemp advocates say we believe in — we must do it anyway.

Supporting Black lives through hemp

While this will be the first in a series of articles, we wanted to offer some ideas we had now, based on the conversations we had. 

Black Lives Matter to hemp consumers (& everyone else)

We already ask you to educate yourselves about the hemp products you buy, including how they were grown and whether they are pure and safe. Now take it a step further: ask about who has a stake in the companies you buy from. Do they have diverse workers and leadership/ownership? Are they supporting Black communities, along with other vulnerable communities with their money? You can show that Black Lives Matter when you buy hemp and CBD products.

One study showed just 6% of cannabis owners and employees in Denver are African-American.

Source: Marijuana Business Daily, Denver Department of Excise and Licenses

In addition, you can participate in your community, not just in local protests, but in efforts to free drug prisoners, defund police, and support expungement of nonviolent drug crimes from people’s records. You can also contact your legislators to make sure they support efforts like these, and to repeal the hemp “felony ban” which prevents many people with drug felonies from being producers in the hemp industry.

And if you’re lucky enough to have money to spare, open your wallet to support Black lives. Give to bail funds to support protesters as well as organizations that build stronger, safer communities near you.

Black Lives Matter to the hemp industry

One study carried out in June 2020 showed that just 6% of owners and employees in the Denver cannabis industry are African-American. Looking around at the hemp industry, it’s easy to imagine similar statistics repeated throughout. Is that the industry we really want?

Ensuring that Black people and other victims of the War on Drugs can access our industry should be one of our top priorities. Since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill which legalized hemp, we’ve seen a great deal of lobbying to fix the “problems” the bill left behind, but those have mostly focused on topics like banking and regulation. 

The industry’s devoted very little ongoing attention or lobbying towards the “felony ban,” perhaps because our industry is largely white and therefore less likely to be affected by the ban, because of racial disparities in the War on Drugs. This has to change. We hope every major industry advocacy group makes ending the felony ban a priority in the coming year. 

The problems of systemic racism are much deeper — after all, that’s the very definition of systemic. It’s our job to ensure Black people have a stake in our industry at every level. We need to be cultivating black farmers by not just making the training available, but also helping them access resources they need. And we can’t treat the Black members as “tokens” we parade on our stages at our events from time to time as a way to shore up the appearance of diversity. We need to listen to their ideas, voices, and vision for our industry.

More than just hemp legalization

We can’t simply bask in the safety of our newly legal industry: we need to take a more active role in ending the War on Drugs and healing the damage it’s caused.

That’s the only way to do right by the people who suffered for so long and fought to get us here.

We’ll be doing what we can to hold the industry, and ourselves, accountable through our coverage.

The post Black Lives Matter & Hemp: Hemp Must Take A Stand For Justice appeared first on Ministry of Hemp.

CBD oil is an incredibly popular supplement these days, with thousands of Americans trying it to ease symptoms like chronic pain, anxiety, and insomnia. A recent survey by Gallup suggested 14% of Americans have tried CBD. Whether you try a tincture or oil, edibles like gummies, or apply a topical directly to your pain and stiffness, there’s all kinds of ways to take CBD. There’s even a growing number of CBD beauty products, which take advantage of CBD’s ability to reduce inflammation.

At the same time, the cost of CBD can be prohibitive. While there’s a range of prices available, some of the lowest cost products, such as the dubious CBD on Amazon, aren’t really CBD oil at all. Quality and purity make a big difference in the effectiveness of this supplement. Quality products cost more money.

That’s where these CBD assistance programs come in. This article isn’t about short term coupons or special sales. To find these, subscribe to your favorite CBD brands’ newsletters. Rather, these programs are designed to help special populations of people, like military veterans, disabled people, or police and first responders, regularly access healing CBD at more affordable prices.

Read on to find out more about the cost of CBD, and to find our favorite CBD assistance programs from our favorite CBD brands.

Why is CBD so expensive?

There’s no denying that CBD is a premium supplement. And it’s true some of the high cost does relate to the hype around this product.

But at the same time, creating a quality CBD product isn’t simple. When we looked at the high cost of CBD, we discovered that the costs begin long before the products get packaged, even before the hemp gets planted. CBD brands face state fees and an often expensive permitting process. Plus, maintaining compliance with the law takes a lot of time, making it a full time job for one or more people at most larger brands.

After the expenses of planting and maintaining hemp comes the harvest. Hemp can be labor intensive and, in many places, there’s still not much infrastructure to help process hemp into CBD. Harvested plants might need to be shipped elsewhere for harvesting, then sometimes shipped again to be made into their final form.

In addition, reputable CBD brands, like the ones that partner with Ministry of Hemp, perform extensive testing of their products to ensure their purity and strength. Most brands test their products both in-house, then send each batch of CBD to a third-party for additional tests.

While all of these steps are necessary, they undoubtedly add to the cost of the final CBD products.

Best CBD Assistance Programs & CBD Discounts

Below, you’ll find our favorite CBD assistance programs from the best CBD brands.

There’s hundreds of CBD products out there, so there’s no way for this to be a comprehensive list of every discount available. We selected the brands we’re most familiar with, then polled them to learn more about their assistance programs.

We’ve grouped each of the CBD assistance programs into categories below, based on the population of people that qualify. Some brands are listed more than once, across categories. Broad categories we identified include the disabled, teachers and students, first responders (including police), low income people, seniors, and military veterans or active duty military service members. We also collected a few other qualifying groups in their own category, at the end. Brands are listed alphabetically within each category.

Click below to go to each category, or scroll down to see all the programs.

• Disability
• Educators & students
• First responders
• Low income households
• Seniors
• Veterans & active duty military service members
• Other groups

Even if you don’t qualify, we encourage you to support these CBD brands so that they can keep offering discounts to others in need.

If you feel your brand’s CBD assistance program should be listed below, please contact kit@ministryofhemp.com.

CBD discounts for Disability

Ambary Gardens

• Who is eligible? Anyone receiving long term disability assistance
• How much of a discount? 30%
• How do you qualify? Apply on Helping Hand Program page.
• Buy Ambary Gardens

Ananda Hemp

• Who is eligible?  Anyone receiving long term disability assistance
• How much of a discount? 30%
• How do you qualify? Sign up during checkout.
• Buy Ananda Hemp

Bluebird Botanicals

• Who is eligible? Anyone receiving long term disability assistance
• How much of a discount? Contact for info
• How do you qualify? Contact assistance@bluebird-botanicals.com, more info online.
• Buy Bluebird Botanicals

PhytoLogica

• Who is eligible? Anyone with a documented long term disability
• How much of a discount? 40%
• How do you qualify? Contact support@phytologica.com, more info online. 
• Buy PhytoLogica

Lazarus Naturals

• Who is eligible? Anyone with a documented long term disability
• How much of a discount? 60%
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Other notes: Sales of discounted products limited to $250/month, after discount
• Buy Lazarus Naturals

LifePatent

• Who is eligible? Anyone with a disability or chronic pain condition
• How much of a discount? 15% or more
• How do you qualify? Contact customerservice@lifepatent.com  
• Other notes: Higher discounts available for participating in product research.
• Buy LifePatent

Medterra

• Who is eligible? Anyone receiving long term disability assistance 
• How much of a discount? 25%
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Other notes: Limited to orders of $250 or less.
• Buy Medterra

Nuleaf Naturals

• Who is eligible? Anyone receiving long term disability assistance 
• How much of a discount? 30%
• How do you qualify? Contact contact@nuleafnaturals.com, more info online. 
• Buy Nuleaf Naturals

Pure Relief

• Who is eligible? Anyone receiving long term disability assistance 
• How much of a discount? 20% off full price items
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Buy Pure Relief

CBD assistance programs for educators & students

American Hemp Oil

• Who is eligible? Teachers and students (ages 18+)
• How much of a discount? 15%
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Buy American Hemp Oil

Pure American Hemp Oil

• Who is eligible? Teachers (considered a “first responder”)
• How much of a discount? 25%
• How do you qualify? Contact ian@paho.us, more info online.
• Other notes: Discount can also be used for resale of products.
• Buy Pure American Hemp Oil

Nuleaf Naturals

• Who is eligible? Teachers and students
• How much of a discount? 30%
• How do you qualify? Contact contact@nuleafnaturals.com, more info online. 
• Buy Nuleaf Naturals

CBD discounts for first responders

American Hemp Oil

• Who is eligible? Qualifying first responders
• How much of a discount? 15%
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Buy American Hemp Oil

Anavii Market

• Who is eligible? Qualifying first responders
• How much of a discount? 15%
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Other notes: Only available on certain brands. 
• Buy from Anavii Market

CBDfx

• Who is eligible? Qualifying first responders
• How much of a discount? 20%
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Buy CBDfx

Nuleaf Naturals

• Who is eligible? Qualifying first responders
• How much of a discount? 30%
• How do you qualify? Contact contact@nuleafnaturals.com, more info online. 
• Buy Nuleaf Naturals

Pure American Hemp Oil

• Who is eligible? Qualifying first responders
• How much of a discount? 25%
• How do you qualify? Contact ian@paho.us, more info online.
• Other notes: Discount can also be used for resale of products.
• Buy Pure American Hemp Oil

Discounts for low income households

Ambary Gardens

• Who is eligible? Low income households
• How much of a discount? 30%
• How do you qualify? Apply on Helping Hand Program page.
• Buy Ambary Gardens

Ananda Hemp

• Who is eligible? Low income households
• How much of a discount? 30%
• How do you qualify? Sign up during checkout.
• Buy Ananda Hemp

Bluebird Botanicals

• Who is eligible? Low income households
• How much of a discount? Contact for info
• How do you qualify? Contact assistance@bluebird-botanicals.com, more info online.
• Buy Bluebird Botanicals

LifePatent

• Who is eligible? Low income households
• How much of a discount? 15% or more
• How do you qualify? Contact customerservice@lifepatent.com  
• Other notes: Higher discounts available for participating in product research.
• Buy LifePatent

Nuleaf Naturals

• Who is eligible? Low income households 
• How much of a discount? 30%
• How do you qualify? Contact contact@nuleafnaturals.com, more info online. 
• Buy Nuleaf Naturals

PhytoLogica

• Who is eligible? Low income households
• How much of a discount? 40%
• How do you qualify? Contact support@phytologica.com, more info online. 
• Buy PhytoLogica

Pure Relief

• Who is eligible? Low income households
• How much of a discount? 20% off full price items
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Buy Pure Relief

CBD assistance programs for seniors

LifePatent

• Who is eligible? Seniors
• How much of a discount? 15% or more
• How do you qualify? Contact customerservice@lifepatent.com  
• Other notes: Higher discounts available for participating in product research.
• Buy LifePatent

RE Botanicals

• Who is eligible? Seniors
• How much of a discount? 15%
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Buy RE Botanicals

CBD discounts for veterans & active duty military service members

Note: Active duty personnel should check with their branch policies before using CBD.

Ambary Gardens

• Who is eligible? Veterans
• How much of a discount? 30%
• How do you qualify? Apply on Helping Hand Program page, more info online.
• Buy Ambary Gardens

American Hemp Oil

• Who is eligible? Active duty or veterans
• How much of a discount? 15%
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Buy American Hemp Oil

Ananda Hemp

• Who is eligible? Active duty or veterans
• How much of a discount? 30%
• How do you qualify? Sign up during checkout.
• Buy Ananda Hemp

Anavii Market

• Who is eligible? Active duty or veterans
• How much of a discount? 15%
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Other notes: Only available on certain brands. 
• Buy from Anavii Market

Bluebird Botanicals

• Who is eligible? Veterans
• How much of a discount? Contact for info
• How do you qualify? Contact assistance@bluebird-botanicals.com, more info online.
• Buy Bluebird Botanicals

CBDfx

• Who is eligible? Active duty, veterans and dependants 
• How much of a discount? 20%
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Buy CBDfx

Charlotte’s Web

• Who is eligible? Veterans
• How much of a discount? 15% off selected products
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Buy Charlotte’s Web

Every Day Optimal

• Who is eligible? Active duty or veterans
• How much of a discount? 10%
• How do you qualify? Email cs@everydayoptimalcbd.com with your military ID
• Buy Every Day Optimal

Joy Organics

• Who is eligible? Active duty or veterans
• How much of a discount? 25%
• How do you qualify? Email support@joyorganics.com with your military ID
• Buy Joy Organics

Lazarus Naturals

• Who is eligible? Veterans
• How much of a discount? 60%
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Other notes: Sales of discounted products limited to $250/month, after discount
• Buy Lazarus Naturals

Laura’s Mercantile

• Who is eligible? Active duty or veterans
• How much of a discount? 15%
• How do you qualify? Email support@laurasmercantile.com with your military ID
• Buy Laura’s Mercantile

LifePatent

• Who is eligible? Active duty or veterans
• How much of a discount? 15% or more
• How do you qualify? Contact customerservice@lifepatent.com  
• Other notes: Higher discounts available for participating in product research. Vets may qualify for additional help on a case-by-case basis.
• Buy LifePatent

Medterra

• Who is eligible? Active duty or veterans
• How much of a discount? 25%
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Other notes: Limited to orders of $250 or less.
• Buy Medterra

Nuleaf Naturals

• Who is eligible? Veterans
• How much of a discount? 30%
• How do you qualify? Contact contact@nuleafnaturals.com, more info online. 
• Buy Nuleaf Naturals

PhytoLogica

• Who is eligible? Active duty or veterans
• How much of a discount? 40%
• How do you qualify? Contact support@phytologica.com, more info online. 
• Buy PhytoLogica

Populum

• Who is eligible? Veterans
• How much of a discount? 25%
• How do you qualify? Apply on veterans program page, more info online.
• Buy Populum

Pure American Hemp Oil

• Who is eligible? Veterans
• How much of a discount? 25%
• How do you qualify? Contact ian@paho.us, more info online.
• Other notes: Discount can also be used for resale of products.
• Buy Pure American Hemp Oil

Pure Relief

• Who is eligible? Active duty or veterans
• How much of a discount? 20% off full price items
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Buy Pure Relief

RE Botanicals

• Who is eligible? Active duty, veterans and spouses of servicemembers 
• How much of a discount? 15%
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Buy RE Botanicals

Savage CBD

• Who is eligible? Active duty or veterans
• How much of a discount? Contact for info
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Buy Savage CBD

Other groups eligible for CBD assistance programs

Anavii Market

• Who is eligible? Government employees or public sector workers with a government email address
• How much of a discount? 15%
• How do you qualify? Apply online.
• Other notes: Only available on certain brands. 
• Buy from Anavii Market

Nuleaf Naturals

• Who is eligible? Nonprofit organizations
• How much of a discount? 30%
• How do you qualify? Contact contact@nuleafnaturals.com, more info online. 
• Buy Nuleaf Naturals

Populum

• Who is eligible? Owners of rescued pets.
• How much of a discount? 25% off pet CBD products
• How do you qualify? Apply on Rescued Pets CBD Program page, more info online.
• Buy Populum

The post CBD Assistance Programs: CBD Discounts For Veterans, First Responders, Disability & More appeared first on Ministry of Hemp.

Our host Matt sits down with veteran and ex-narcotics officer Ian Erickson to discuss how CBD is helping vets and first responders. Erickson explains why he left the police force to start his own CBD company. Find Ian’s hemp products, and more information on their discount program for veterans and first responders, at Pure American Hemp Oil.

Here is the link to the article about why you should not buy CBD on Amazon.com that Matt talks about at the beginning of the show. Looking for good CBD? Try our Top CBD brands page.

We want to hear from you too. Send us your questions and you might hear them answered on future shows like this one! Send us your written questions to us on Twitter, Facebook, email matt@ministryofhemp.com, or call us and leave a message at 402-819-6417. Keep in mind that phone number is for hemp questions only and any other inquiries for Ministry of Hemp should be sent to info@ministryofhemp.com.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Ministry of Hemp Podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app. If you really want to help us out, we’d love for you to rate or review the show.

Thanks again for listening! Contact sales@ministryofhemp.com if you’re interested in sponsoring our podcast or other content on our website.

More resources: CBD for veterans

Here are some more articles about how CBD can help veterans and first responders:

• First CBD And PTSD Study Reveals Promising Potential For More Research
• How CBD Oil Could Help Ease Your Anxiety
• Why CBD Oil Could Help Ease Your Chronic Pain

CBD For Veterans & First Responders: Episode transcript

Below you’ll find a complete written transcript of this episode. Thanks again for listening!

Matt Baum: 00:05 Welcome to another episode of the Ministry of Hemp Podcast. My name is Matt Baum. I am your host, and I want to thank everybody that’s been supporting the show so far, and listening, and leaving us feedback, giving us calls on our voicemail. That number is 402-819-6417, and we love to hear from you, and we’ve been doing these shows. My buddy Kit who is the editor in chief of MinistryofHemp.com and I answer your hemp and CBD related questions, and so far you guys have had some really good ones.

Matt Baum: 00:38 Today on the show, I talk to Ian Erickson from Pure American Hemp Oil. Ian is a veteran, and he’s an ex cop, and he’s one of the most interesting guys that I have talked to in this business. I really haven’t thought about it until we get into it, but who needs CBD and the relief that it can bring more than first responders that have been injured on the job. He’s an amazing guy. He’s built like a truck. He’s not what I expected at all. He’s got a mohawk with dreads, and he looks like a UFC fighter. I loved him. He was so much fun to talk to, and I can’t wait for you guys to hear this interview.

CBD on Amazon

Matt Baum: 01:16 Before we do that though, I want to talk about Amazon.com, and I want to talk about them because we get into it a little bit in this interview.

Matt Baum: 01:29 I am by no means anti-Amazon.com. I have an Amazon credit card that I desperately need to pay off. Don’t mention that to my wife. She doesn’t always listen to the show so … But we talk about CBD on Amazon, and Alibaba, and Pinterest, and some of these other sites where we’ve seen a lot of CBD lately. Now, I’m going to have a link to an article that Kit just wrote for MinistryofHemp.com about hemp on Amazon, and why you shouldn’t buy it there. And basically, it comes down to the fact that selling CBD on Amazon is against their policies. They do not allow it. They don’t allow anything with CBD as an ingredient. Yet you can find a ton of different CBD oils on Amazon making all manner of false claims, and the reason that they are there is because it seems to be because they are making false claims.

Matt Baum: 02:32 They have ridiculous dosages in them like 20,000 milligrams, 30,000 milligrams. They’re way too good to be true, and most of them are made from hemp seed oil. And if you listen to this show at all, then you know hemp seed oil, while it’s great for cooking, it does not have CBD in it. It just doesn’t. The only way you’re going to get that is from oils that are derived from hemp flower. From companies like Pure American CBD who we’re talking to today. I’m going to have a link in the show notes to this article that Kit put out. It is fantastic and it spells it all out. In a nutshell, you cannot buy CBD from Alibaba or from Amazon right now. You just can’t do it because they’re not selling the real thing. And selling this fake stuff, all it does is further that whole CBD is snake oil claim and CBD doesn’t work for me.

Matt Baum: 03:27 The real stuff is out there. You just have to go to the right place to find it, and Ministry of Hemp is an excellent place to do that. You can check our top brands section. I’ll have a link to that in the show notes as well. We know these guys. They have excellent lab results, and we trust them. And that’s what you have to look for, a trusted brand that presents their lab results, that’s not making ridiculous claims. I cannot stress how important it is to look where this stuff is coming from, and look at who is selling it, and look what the claims they’re making are. If they’re telling you that they can cure every disease on the planet, and you can get it for 10, 20 bucks, they’re lying. It’s that simple. It’s too good to be true, and we don’t need that right now. What we need is more education, and what we need is more guys like Ian Erickson who are doing it and doing it the right way. Let’s get to my discussion with Ian right now.

Ian Erickson on discovering CBD after a car crash

Ian Erickson: 04:25 My name is Ian Erickson, and I’m the co-creator and owner of Pure American Hemp Oil which is a CBD brand of a full product line of CBD products. It’s a better known company and we do a lot of other work as well. So, within the community.

Matt Baum: 04:42 So, Ian, where did you come from? How did you happen upon hemp?

Ian Erickson: 04:46 Well, it’s kind of actually a crazy story. I actually got a crashed into by a car.

Matt Baum: 04:51 Okay.

Ian Erickson: 04:52 Wasn’t expecting to t-boned-

Matt Baum: 04:54 Nobody is. That’s the thing about being t-boned, right?

Ian Erickson: 04:57 Yeah, I was totally unexpected, and it was even more unexpected because it happened when I was on duty as a police officer.

Matt Baum: 05:03 Oh, Jesus.

Ian Erickson: 05:04 So, yeah. So, it’s kind of a weird intro to how I got into hemp because I never heard about CBD or anything up until that point. Had really bad pain in my left wrist. I already had it reconstructed before. The screw came out of my wrist with the impact on my door.

Matt Baum: 05:21 Like literally out of your wrist?

Ian Erickson: 05:24 Yeah. It was anchored in. I had a screw in my wrist, and it was in place to keep my wrist intact and keep it good, and then when the impact happened on my door, I had my arm in the door as I was driving, I was doing a u-turn at the time, and so at that time that impact caused the wrist to reinjure itself and just to have the screw come loose. So, it required reconstruction on that. And I also have a couple other ailments. I got a reconstructed spine. I had a double spine fusion, a disc removal, [inaudible 00:05:54] an ankle surgery, an angle removal [crosstalk 00:05:57]-

Matt Baum: 05:58 Were you like a rodeo clown or a stunt man or something before you were a cop?

Ian Erickson: 06:02 No. It was when I was in Iraq when I was in the Marine Corps, so [crosstalk 00:06:04]-

Matt Baum: 06:04 Okay. Well, that’ll do it, too. That’ll absolutely-

Ian Erickson: 06:06 Yeah, definitely. A couple roadside bombs, you know? [inaudible 00:06:08] No big deal.

Matt Baum: 06:09 Sure. Sure.

Ian Erickson: 06:09 I walked away so I’m good. I can’t complain.

Matt Baum: 06:11 There you go.

Ian Erickson: 06:12 But that’s where all that stuff happened. But the short version of it is it was a bunch of pain. I was taken out of the field. I couldn’t go back to the field to do work until I had surgery, and the surgery was unsuccessful. So, I heard about hemp oil, CBD oil that didn’t have any THC, and there was kind of a gray area at the time. Nobody knew exactly what’s going on with it legality wise. We had the 2014 farm bill, and so I was like, well, you know what? It’s not illegal, and everybody says it works great. I’m going to give it a try. And it was great. It worked amazing.

Ian Erickson: 06:51 And I was like, this is something … I already had a couple other businesses that I had on the side that I was running, and I was like this is something that I’d really like to get into because I think that it can help a lot of people, especially in the first responder community and the military veterans.

Matt Baum: 07:05 Absolutely. Absolutely.

CBD for police: Breaking the stigma

Ian Erickson: 07:06 And so, having that backstory and kind of being in that community for as long as I’ve been for the last 15 years in both military and law enforcement, I really wanted to kind of break the stigma of CBD, and hemp, and all that, and cannabis related products, and see if there was a way to kind of bridge the gap in the two communities, and bring a product in that could be beneficial, and not have the stigma attached to it. So, that’s [crosstalk 00:07:29]-

Matt Baum: 07:28 Do you think there still is a stigma? When you approach other cops or people in the service, [crosstalk 00:07:34] are they still like, “No way, man.”

Ian Erickson: 07:36 Oh, yeah. If people aren’t educated, they’ll just say whatever. I’ve been called a couple of different things since I got into this [inaudible 00:07:43], and I would just kind of laugh it off and I’m like, whatever, man. I got thick skin. I could really care less. But there is that stigma of, one, deathly afraid that they don’t know what they’re getting, and it could [inaudible 00:07:55] false positive. Departments don’t care. If you get a positive reading for THC, you’re gone and that’s done. So, no pension, no retirement, no nothing. So, nobody wants to risk that.

Matt Baum: 08:06 Seriously, all of that goes away just with one positive THC test? And that’s for police?

Ian Erickson: 08:12 Yeah, yeah.

Matt Baum: 08:12 That’s insanity.

Ian Erickson: 08:14 It is. It’s totally insane. It’s total insanity. And then, other cops can do other things and that doesn’t happen. They get to retire.

Matt Baum: 08:21 Right.

Ian Erickson: 08:22 But it’s all up to the discretion of the actual departments’ policy, and then the chief of police, and the politics of the day, and all that type of stuff. So, it’s just so much shaky ground there that people don’t want to risk it. So, it’s unfortunate. Even now, I’ve had people that I know that are cops use it, they love it, they think it’s great. The department supports them which is great. And then, there’s some others that are like, “Well, it’s at your own risk. We’re not going to tell you you can’t use a legal product now that we have the 2018 farm bill, it’s totally good. But we’re going to put out an internal memo to everybody and say, well, we can’t verify what’s in it. We can’t verify what’s [inaudible 00:08:59], and so if you take that risk, that’s on you, and then we’re going to decide from there.”

Education and the HempMaps app

Ian Erickson: 09:04 So, it’s unfortunate, but it still exists. And so, promoting education like you guys do Ministry of Hemp is really, really important, especially since it is kind of wild west right now. There is no regulation going on. It’s very minor, and so getting more education out there to people to make the right decisions on what they’re getting product wise is I think really essential. So, that’s why we developed an app called Hempmaps. Kind of a little play on Weedmaps. We kind of took some of their thunder a little bit.

Matt Baum: 09:33 Sure. Hey, if it works. Come on.

Ian Erickson: 09:36 Yeah. We’re like, “Hey, you know what? Weedmaps works. Maybe Hempmaps will work, too.”

Matt Baum: 09:41 That’s what the whole internet does. It’s like rappers. They all borrow a little bit of everybody’s glow, you know?

Ian Erickson: 09:45 Just a little bit. We’ll just take a little bit from here and a little bit from there. We can’t market or buy ads, so I’m like, well, you know what? We can use Hempmaps as an educational tool.

Matt Baum: 09:55 So, what does Hempmaps do?

Ian Erickson: 09:55 What’s that?

Matt Baum: 09:55 What does Hempmaps do?

Ian Erickson: 09:59 So, it’s an app. You find in the app stores. It’s in the Apple store and it’s in the Android store. It’s basically it has our brand on there, Pure American Hemp Oil. It gets information about ours. We’re actually looking for a blog right now to RSS feed into it to do live updates for educational purposes for information on a daily basis. It can funnel through the app. And then, we also built in a QR code scanner. So, on that QR code scanner, you could take any of our products, flip them upside down, scan the bottom of the QR code on one of our products, your lab will pop up, and the amount of CBD will pop up-

Matt Baum: 10:33 That is awesome.

Ian Erickson: 10:33 … and then if you have a zero THC product, it’ll show zero THC.

Matt Baum: 10:37 That is awesome.

Ian Erickson: 10:38 So, you can see exactly. So, that’s our quality control that we do with Pure American Hemp Oil. And then also on there we have an app, and then we drop a pin for all of our resellers. So, if you’re a reseller of Pure American Hemp Oil, we throw you a little free marketing, drop a pin on you, and say, “Hey, you can find Pure American Hemp Oil at this retailer.” And then, you get walk-in traffic, or if we have an actual sales rep that’s going around, you can contact that rep in your area.

Matt Baum: 11:00 That’s brilliant.

Ian Erickson: 11:00 We have one in California, and Montana, and yeah. So, a lot of irons in the fire at the moment. So, it’s kind of like, okay, let’s do Hempmaps today, let’s do Pure American Hemp Oil today. Okay, we got to change the website. It’s kind of crazy time. We’ve been doing this for over two years now.

First responders and veterans using CBD

Matt Baum: 11:14 Wow. So, let me ask, how do you connect with … Well, you said also you’re a vet, and you also have connected with several vets. How have you connected with them, and what was their initial response to stuff like this?

Ian Erickson: 11:26 It’s been overwhelmingly positive so far. There’s always skepticism. You’re going to run into that. Especially when you’re dealing with type-A personalities, and military, and veterans-

Matt Baum: 11:34 Macho men, right?

Ian Erickson: 11:35 Yeah, it’s that machismo like, “Oh, that shit ain’t going to work. Yeah, it doesn’t have any THC in it.”

Matt Baum: 11:41 “I don’t need your hippie crap.”

Ian Erickson: 11:42 Yeah. “We don’t need that. [inaudible 00:11:44] need Motrin.” But-

Matt Baum: 11:42 Motrin.

Ian Erickson: 11:47 Once you actually cut through the noise, and you’re like, “Hey dude, listen, just try it out.” In the very beginning, I was giving out way more free product than I should have. You got to make some money so you can keep going, but I was like, hey, my buddy needs help, all right dude here. And so, the response was great. Everybody loved it. They’re like, “I’m really excited to try it.” And they’re telling other people about it, and they’re buying into it. So, I created it’s called the Veteran and First Responder Program, and that includes teachers also because I consider them first responders [crosstalk 00:12:13]-

Matt Baum: 12:13 Absolutely. Yeah.

Ian Erickson: 12:15 And so, we offer 25% off across the board and free shipping to all those categories of people. And so, when they log in, they get a special login, we tag them access, and then they can order from us at a discount year-round. There’s no gimmicky … like I’ve seen a couple ads out there for some other brands [inaudible 00:12:31] name, but they’re like, “Oh, it’s Memorial Day weekend. We’ll give 5% to this charity.” We don’t operate like that. We do 25% to everybody all year long, and that every single sale that we make on our website, Pure American Hemp Oil, a portion of that automatically goes to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and our official charity of Pure American Hemp Oil, and we have a ticker shows how much we’ve donated since June when we signed up with them to be their official CBD brand. And so, they immediately get swiped over from each sale, and we support that charity as well. So, that’s why we kind of keep our circle tight, keep our overhead low so we can actually do things that matter.

Matt Baum: 13:08 Yeah, and you’re dealing with a group of guys like you who have so many different injuries, weird injuries they sustained, and constant chronic pain who typically fall into opioid use. And this is a great way to keep somebody from crawling to hydrocodone or something. Certainly.

Ian Erickson: 13:24 Absolutely, and that’s what I … I just don’t understand the hypocrisy that we face now is everybody’s, either you go to the VA or you go to somewhere, and they’re like, “Oh yeah, you’re in this serious amount of pain from this huge injury, and I can totally relate to that because I’ve taken the same types of pain relief medications after the surgeries that I’ve had.” And then they get hooked on it, and then it’s so hard to get off of it. And it’s destructive. It’s so destructive. But it’s being funded and given to these guys like candy, but there’s so much stigma and push back just to get to the point we are now with CBD. It’s just it’s ridiculous.

Matt Baum: 13:55 Yeah. It’s [inaudible 00:13:56].

Ian Erickson: 13:56 The same goes for marijuana. I won’t get on the whole marijuana thing, but I have absolutely zero problem with marijuana and cannabis. I think it should be legal in all 50 states, and it’s a great tool for a lot of veterans out there [crosstalk 00:14:06]-

Matt Baum: 14:05 Totally agree. Especially when it comes to stress and when it comes to emotional issues and whatnot. Without a doubt. I would rather a guy is, especially a veteran, is using CBD oil and possibly marijuana to deal with issues like that rather than drugs, like pills and booze.

Ian Erickson: 14:24 Pain killers and booze, and that’s what it always goes to. And so, it’s sad that we can’t get to a point, and I used to be a narcotics cop. I came from both spectrums of this. I kind of have a holistic view of the whole thing, and it’s just it’s too bad that instead of looking at it as people suffering, people needing help, and giving them a viable option that it’s so much healthier for them than the option they’re being given, it becomes a political thing instead of just helping people where we need to.

Matt Baum: 14:51 Get them in, hand them pills, and get them out the door.

Ian Erickson: 14:54 Exactly. It’s just turning people over, and then … That’s all politics and I could really care less about politics, but I just hope someday we can actually make a positive impact, and we can do what it set out to be. And I think that having that community, especially the veteran community and being a part of that, and having that be a driving force towards making good changes for all people, I think it’d be a great thing.

Matt Baum: 15:15 Without a doubt.

Ian Erickson: 15:15 And it looks like happening, too.

On being a former cop

Matt Baum: 15:17 What do the guys in your department, your narc departments say when you told them, “Hey, you know what? I think I’m done with this cop thing. I am going to go work at CBD. I’m going to go work in hemp.”

Ian Erickson: 15:26 Oh God, it was funny. Well, I started out in LA, so I was with LAPD, and then I came to Texas and I was with another department here. So, I was working narcotics in LA. And so, when I talk to my buddies there, they’re like, “Let me get this straight, dude. You have dreadlocks now.” I’m like, “Yeah.”

Matt Baum: 15:44 You can’t see him, but he has a mohawk presently.

Ian Erickson: 15:49 “You have a CBD oil brand, and you drive a Tesla. What is wrong with you? What did Austin do to you?” I’m like, “Don’t worry, man. I still go shooting on the weekends. Don’t worry.”

Matt Baum: 15:57 Okay. There’s something in the water though. Austin’ll get everybody eventually, you know?

Ian Erickson: 16:00 It is. I swear, it’s like you can’t not change a little bit when you come to Austin.

Matt Baum: 16:05 Right, right.

Ian Erickson: 16:06 No, but everybody’s been super supportive. Honestly, the overwhelming majority of narcotics cops and cops in general, the guys actually on the ground doing the work, don’t have a problem with cannabis.

Matt Baum: 16:19 Well, it’s a waste of their time.

Ian Erickson: 16:20 I can’t speak for everybody, and I won’t, but from my experience it’s a waste of time, yes.

Matt Baum: 16:28 Yeah.

Ian Erickson: 16:30 You’re wasting taxpayer funds because you’re taking somebody for an offense, most of the time low-level marijuana possession, misdemeanor, and you’re putting them through the system which costs money [inaudible 00:16:40] that. And then, they’re literally out before you finish turning in your paperwork, and submitting all your evidence, and everything else. Instead of actually seeing that and being like, “You know what? We’re spending more money, of taxpayer money, to go through this endless cycle, and it’s not doing anything. We’re not stopping any of this, and …” I always say this to people and it blows their minds, I’m like, “I’ve been in a lot of fights with a lot of drunks being a cop. A lot of people at bar closes and everything else that just bar fights, just crazy stuff. People on PCP and some really hard, nasty drugs. [inaudible 00:17:13]. What happened to my wrist? The guy was on PCP and that’s what messed up my wrist the first time back in California. Never fought a stoner kid. It was just [inaudible 00:17:21] some weed. Honestly. [crosstalk 00:17:23] like, “Okay, man.” I’m like, you know what? I feel bad. I’m like, “Damn it. Now I feel kind of bad, dude.” I’m like, “All right. Well, let’s go.”

Matt Baum: 17:30 “Whatever, bro. This sucks.”

Ian Erickson: 17:34 “Whatever dude.” I’m like [inaudible 00:17:34]. It was always the funny thing, we’d always … You don’t want to know if the kid’s got weed because you’re going to be spending hours on paperwork, and taking away from real [crosstalk 00:17:42]-

Matt Baum: 17:42 Don’t tell me. Just don’t tell me.

Ian Erickson: 17:43 It’s like, “Dude, you know what?” It’s like this is the test. It’s like, “Do you have any weapons on you?” They’re like, “No, man, but I got some weed.” I’m like, “Fuck!”

Matt Baum: 17:53 That’s not what I asked. I didn’t ask that.

Ian Erickson: 17:54 Dude, [inaudible 00:17:54]. I gave you a chance. I like talking on the cop angle too with all this stuff because it was such a part of my life for so many years, but being able to actually try to be … Because I know what it was like growing up in California as a kid. You just don’t like cops, and especially the climate now is people don’t like cops because they don’t think [inaudible 00:18:14] and they don’t get it or whatever. There’s plenty of people out there that are just not like that. And if they could had the chance, they’d be smoking like whatever.

Matt Baum: 18:23 Of course. And they’d probably mellow out more, you know?

Ian Erickson: 18:25 They don’t care, and they’re good dudes, yeah.

Ian Erickson: 18:27 Exactly. [inaudible 00:18:27] It’s honestly, it’s the DA’s, it’s the politicians, and it’s the high end brass that they really kind of give everybody a bad name on the [inaudible 00:18:34] thinking they’re not the ones that have to actually interact with people.

Matt Baum: 18:37 Exactly.

Ian Erickson: 18:37 If I can humanize that a little bit more and kind of bring [inaudible 00:18:40] I like to do that, too.

CBD in the military

Matt Baum: 18:43 Well, it’s awful because the people that need this the most, the people that would truly be helped by this the most are still not allowed to use it.

Ian Erickson: 18:48 No, and I was so disappointed when I got … Actually I got a call or an email from a buddy who’s overseas, and he’s like, “Hey, we just got an internal memo that all Marines and Navy personnel are not allowed to use CBD products at all.” I’m like, “Are you kidding me right now?” I’m like, “What are you talking about?” And I’m like, “Send me that.” So, he’s sent it to me, and I read it, and I was like … And it was a directive, strict directive saying that any hemp derived products, even though they are legal, are not to be consumed by military personnel, active duty military personnel for the exact same reason. They said that, “We can’t verify this, and there’s not anything in place yet.” And I get those arguments, I understand, but then maybe put in some guidelines. Maybe bring in somebody who knows what the fuck they’re talking about, and say, “Okay, how do you verify this is good stuff?” And then create a list, and give them a resource like only do this. The thing that they’re afraid of, and I understand this, they’re afraid of people popping for marijuana, and then blaming it on CBD.

Ian Erickson: 19:48 That’s what the departments are worried about, and that’s what our [inaudible 00:19:51]. So now, everybody’s scrambling to get the CBD or the THC testing in kids to see the level of THC. So, whoever develops that is going to make a billion dollars.

Matt Baum: 19:59 Oh, yeah. Overnight.

Ian Erickson: 20:00 Yeah. Literally a ton.

Pure American Hemp Oil, a veteran-owned CBD brand

Matt Baum: 20:00 It’s going to be nuts. It’s going to be nuts. So, let’s talk about your product real quick. So, what is it you guys do? What do you offer? What set you aside? Let’s talk about that.

Ian Erickson: 20:11 Yeah. No, absolutely. So, how we source our material, first off is it’s going to be … We have a farm in Tennessee, and we only contract with them. They only use organic farming methods.

Matt Baum: 20:22 So, it’s single farm?

Ian Erickson: 20:24 Yes. Single farm. So, we literally manufacture from that farm, and it goes from soil into the seed to bottle within the same area within five miles. Our products, they contain zero THC. We test. We make sure that they’re a broad spec product. And we have a full line of products. So, we have our oils, so we have four different oils. We go from a strength to 300 milligrams all the way up to 2,500 milligrams.

Matt Baum: 20:49 Oh, wow.

Ian Erickson: 20:50 Yeah. We don’t go higher than 2,500 because we see that there’s a little bit of a risk to get some THC in there if you go further with a broad spectrum with that. All of our oils, it’s all natural ingredients. We don’t add any fillers. We don’t do the hybrid thing like a lot of companies are out there doing right now with the hemp seed oil blend with the CBD. None of that. It’s pure CBD. It tests out at high CBD ratings, and we make sure it’s third party tested, and it shows in our labs we have a high concentration of CBD in ours.

Ian Erickson: 21:19 We actually test a little bit higher than what we’re showing as far as the amount of milligrams for the entire bottle. So, you get a little bit more than what you’re paying for. We’d rather have over than under when people are choosing our product.

Matt Baum: 21:30 Absolutely. Absolutely.

Ian Erickson: 21:33 And our delivery method is MCT oil. So, there’s a lot out there that [crosstalk 00:21:37]-

Matt Baum: 21:37 Now real quick, when you say MCT oil, what is MCT oil?

Ian Erickson: 21:42 So, MCT oil is the oil that we actually cut with and we have it as the delivery method for the CBD itself. So, it breaks down, and as the cutting agent is used as the organic MCT oil.

Matt Baum: 21:53 Okay. So, it’s just the actual oil.

Ian Erickson: 21:57 Yes. Just the actual oil itself for the actual delivery agent to go into the bloodstream, we use MCT oil. So, you can find it in stores, you can find it on Now Foods is a brand that has it as well. But there’s a lot of benefits to having MCT oil that’s derived from coconut. And that’s just kind of what we’ve seen is the best way to bring the product into consumption for human beings.

Matt Baum: 22:22 Right. A lot of fatty acids in coconut oil, and that CBD sticks to the fat, and the fat carries it right in, right?

Ian Erickson: 22:29 Yeah, absolutely. And we’ve had a little bit of pushback from some people, and they say that, “Well, if you don’t have THC in it, it won’t activate.” Now, and I’ve always wanted to talk to people about that because I’d love to see this study where that shows that because-

Matt Baum: 22:42 I just did. I’ve talked to a few people about this, too, and there’s very pro and very con on that, but nobody has any real data to support either side.

Ian Erickson: 22:51 No. I don’t understand where they get this from, so like I would love … If any of your listeners here have it, please, I’d love to see this because-

Matt Baum: 22:57 Same here.

Ian Erickson: 22:58 … we don’t have THC in our products. The CBD activates. We test it. We make sure that it’s actually activated [inaudible 00:23:06] full product, too. They’re not just samples. And people use it, and they have amazing results, and they love our products. So, I just don’t understand where this notion comes from. If you don’t have the 0.3% of non-psychoactive, nothing THC in your product that it somehow activates.

Matt Baum: 23:22 Yeah. It’s not flipping a switch or anything. It seems kind of silly to me, too.

Ian Erickson: 23:24 Yeah. It’s like it’s not doing that. That’s not how it works. So, I think that’s kind of a gimmicky thing.

Matt Baum: 23:26 I will say on some products you can call them if say this is a broad spectrum because it doesn’t have THC in it, I agree with that. You probably can’t call it a full spectrum because there is no THC. So, if you think you’re getting some kind of benefit from that 0.03, no. Not in that one you’re not.

Ian Erickson: 23:43 And sometimes with the topical side of the house, if you do a full spec in topical, you can rate it at zero if you test it and it comes back at zero. If it’s a non-amount and it doesn’t rate, then it could be considered zero at that point. Even doing it at that.

Matt Baum: 23:59 What kind of extraction you guys doing?

Ian Erickson: 24:01 It’s a CO2 extraction.

Matt Baum: 24:03 CO2? Okay.

Ian Erickson: 24:04 Yeah.

Matt Baum: 24:05 [crosstalk 00:24:05] Is that how you assure there’s no THC, or is it have more to do with the plant that you’re starting with?

More on fake CBD on Amazon and Alibaba

Ian Erickson: 24:13 It’s more of what the extraction then the plants. We only harvest from industrial hemp, and it’s only American made. It’s not imported. Obviously, like I said, it’s from a farm locally that who we contract with. So, we have our quality control now. We want it to stay as an American product because the history of hemp, it was a very big and prevalent thing in America. And so, we’re wanting to kind of bring that back and keep it as an American product because, again, you can go on Alibaba, all these other places, and see all this crap, and you have no idea what you’re getting.

Matt Baum: 24:44 Oh yeah. Amazon. Amazon’s another one. It’s terrible.

Ian Erickson: 24:47 They’re just importing it. Yeah. Amazon and I have a bad relationship. Before I knew that they were very anti-CBD, when I first started this brand, I’m like, oh yeah, I see all this hemp oil and all this CBD stuff on Amazon. Let’s put it on there and really kind of get a lot of exposure. And they came back and they kept on denying us and shoving us down. I’m like, “what is going on, guys?” And they’re like, “Your product has CBD. We do not allow CBD.” I’m like, “You have products on here right now that say CBD, and I know for a fact that they’re lying and they have hemp seed oil, and they give you the labs say hemp seed oil-“

Matt Baum: 25:22 That is why Amazon lets them do it. They literally are encouraging people to sell the fake stuff.

Ian Erickson: 25:27 They let people [inaudible 00:25:28] and lie on Amazon.

Matt Baum: 25:29 Yeah. They want the fake enough because they can’t get in trouble in their mind.

Ian Erickson: 25:33 It’s so frustrating because, and this is what I always tell people, I’m like, “We want to be a player in this for longterm. We want to be a brand that has stay power, that’s recognized,” and I always kind of equate it to the energy drink craze. Energy drinks first came out, you got all these crazy brands coming out, do all this crazy stuff, and then you’re kind of left with three. You’ve got Rockstar, Red Bull, and Monster. We want to be one of three left behind after all the crazies that are trying to rip everybody off and screw people over are gone, and are found out to be fraudulent the way that they are.

Ian Erickson: 26:02 Unfortunately, Amazon’s giving them the vehicle to be fraudulent, and I think that puts their consumers at risk. So, I would just tell anybody, be very cautious about what you’re buying on Amazon because you don’t know where it’s coming from, it’s not being tested, and it’s not CBD. Even if it is and they’re somehow sneaking it in there, it’s not the kind that you want to get.

Matt Baum: 26:21 Yep. You get the seeds. No good for you. Seeds and stalks don’t do it. So, where do we go to find your product? Where do we get it?

Final thoughts on Pure American Hemp Oil

Ian Erickson: 26:27 So, you can find our product on PureAmericanHempOil.com. We’re redoing the website right now because, like other CBD brands, we’ve had issues with our processing as of recently.

Matt Baum: 26:38 Go figure. No. I hadn’t heard of that. Interesting.

Ian Erickson: 26:43 I know. Weird. I got approached by Square, the good people at Square, and they have a beta program that we’re a part of now. But that required us to completely redo our website. So, we are in the process of doing that, but we are still live and on PureAmericanHempOil.com.

Matt Baum: 26:54 That’s great. Square literally just approved this last week, didn’t they?

Ian Erickson: 26:58 Yeah. Yeah, they did.

Matt Baum: 26:58 This is brand new.

Ian Erickson: 27:00 Yeah. If Square’s listening, your rates are a little high so please work on those, but-

Matt Baum: 27:07 The opinions shared here have nothing to do with MinistryofHemp.com.

Ian Erickson: 27:07 We welcome with you with open arms. We appreciate it, and we’re not going to raise our prices just because our credit card processing fees [inaudible 00:27:13]. We still want to keep our prices where they’re at because I want people to be able to actually buy the products, and it really does help when you actually have a good price point for it.

Ian Erickson: 27:22 So, other than the oils, we have four different capsules. We have a sleep formula with melatonin.

Matt Baum: 27:29 Oh, I’d love to try that.

Ian Erickson: 27:30 It’s great.

Matt Baum: 27:30 I would definitely try that.

Ian Erickson: 27:33 It knocks you out. It’s so good. Because I don’t sleep well because I have ADD 24/7.

Matt Baum: 27:36 You and me both.

Ian Erickson: 27:37 This is one company. I run three other ones. So, this is just one thing I got to [inaudible 00:27:41]. When you’re independent, I didn’t really finish up how I got out of being a cop, I was given the option, “Hey, sit at a desk. Because the surgery didn’t go well, you’re not going to go back to the field, or leave.” And I wasn’t vested, and I didn’t have enough time to retire here because I didn’t have over 10 years here in Texas. So, I’m like, you know what? I have a couple things in the works, and I’m going to give this one a go and kind of work for myself on it.

Matt Baum: 28:06 Fair enough.

Ian Erickson: 28:08 So, yeah. So, the sleep formula with the melatonin’s great. We have a energy formula actually with caffeine for the mornings.

Matt Baum: 28:15 Oh, really?

Ian Erickson: 28:16 Yeah. We cut the CBD in half because you don’t want a ton of CBD in the morning from my experience because it makes me a little tired and groggy. So, having caffeine with it is a good pick me up in the morning. And then, we just have plain CBD with our MCT, and then we have an anti-inflammatory one with curcumin in it.

Matt Baum: 28:33 Oh, wow.

Ian Erickson: 28:34 We add that to it, and that’s our fourth capsule version that we have. And then, we have gummies. We have 300 milligram gummies which are really, really good. These are … You can see them right here.

Matt Baum: 28:45 Oh, yeah.

Ian Erickson: 28:45 Those are 300 milligram gummies. They’re 10 milligrams each and they’re good throughout the day. You have something come up, you got to give a speech, you’re a little jittery, a little nervous, a little anxious about something, get a little bit of pain, you can pop a gummy. It doesn’t give you an over amount of CBD throughout the day. Just a little bit to kind of knock that edge off, and kind of reset you and get back to normal.

Ian Erickson: 29:04 Then, we have topicals. We got, let’s see, right now we have four different topicals. We just launched a pain roller, and our pain roller is 600 milligrams for the entire roller. So, it’s like a roll-on. Kind of like a Biofreeze [inaudible 00:29:18]. Same concept, same everything else, but you have 600 milligrams of CBD for the entire bottle.

Matt Baum: 29:24 Very cool.

Ian Erickson: 29:25 We’re then running two other pump top topicals, 150 milligram and a 300 milligram, and those are [inaudible 00:29:32].

Matt Baum: 29:31 Wow. You guys are doing everything. This is crazy.

Ian Erickson: 29:36 Yeah, we do. Yeah. We have a full product line. Yeah. I wasn’t messing around. I was like we’re going to be all-in on this and we’re not going to do it wrong.

Matt Baum: 29:41 Sure enough. Yeah.

Ian Erickson: 29:42 And then, we have our pain balm. So, it’s just a little box and it comes in a jar, and that’s 120 milligrams just in a balm. Great lip balm. Great application in a balm for that. And then, let’s see. Am I missing any other products?

CBD for dogs

Ian Erickson: 29:58 Oh yeah. We got a pet line. My dog Bane, he’s our Pitbull. Love him.

Matt Baum: 30:05 Great name.

Ian Erickson: 30:06 I’m like, “Dude, you’re now going in business with me buddy. So, you can’t [inaudible 00:30:09] all day.”

Matt Baum: 30:09 There you go. Sure, sure.

Ian Erickson: 30:12 We have Bane’s Bites, and those are a beef chews for dogs. Work great. They’re two milligrams of CBD per bites. They’re just kind of intermediate throughout the day or if something comes up, car ride.

Matt Baum: 30:21 Oh, cool.

Ian Erickson: 30:21 And then, we have Bane’s Drops. We have a 250 milligram and 100 milligram drops for food, and those are bacon flavored. So, it goes sprinkled on their food. He gets the 200 milligram full dropper, 250 milligram once a day and he does great with that. He’s got [crosstalk 00:30:39]-

Matt Baum: 30:38 I’ve got a Pug that’s actually on CBD as well, so-

Ian Erickson: 30:41 Yeah?

Matt Baum: 30:41 Yeah.

Ian Erickson: 30:42 Awesome.

Matt Baum: 30:42 She’s got a spine thing and it’s helped a lot. She’s paralyzed, I mean she can’t walk, but she’s not shaking because she’s not in pain anymore. So, we’re giving her CBD. It’s been amazing.

Ian Erickson: 30:52 Great. That’s awesome.

Matt Baum: 30:53 Yeah.

Ian Erickson: 30:54 I’ll send you some to try out.

Matt Baum: 30:55 Yeah. Please. I want to try those dog … the chews. Definitely. Those would be great.

Ian Erickson: 30:59 Chews too? Okay, awesome. Yeah. We got chews, we got the drops, and then we also even did a balm, a pain balm-

Matt Baum: 31:05 Oh, really?

Ian Erickson: 31:05 … for dog because I noticed that in the summertime, especially in Texas, you can’t walk your dog past a certain point. It’s too hot. They burn their paws on the asphalt. It’s horrible for them. And even in the mornings when I walk Bane, he gets a little bit not burnt, but he’s just a little uncomfortable. So, it’s a nose and paw balm. It kind of goes into their paw, can heal up their paw. If they’re a little sick, you can rub some on their nose, and that’s been known to help as well. So, try to stay away from all the gimmicky stuff. But these are the products that I think really do help.

CBD agave nectar

Ian Erickson: 31:35 And then, our last product that we have, we’re coming out with a bath balm product that should be out in a couple of weeks once we finished up the boxes for those. But the last ones that we have that are available right now is actually I combined another product, another company that I have which is a Bower Agave. It’s an agave nectar company that I started with a friend of mine a few years ago-

Matt Baum: 32:00 Because if you’re going to do CBD, you may as well do agave.

Ian Erickson: 32:01 Yeah. You might as well do it, right? And I’m like I see everybody out there right now, and I was just thinking, I was like I see all these people with their honey and syrup, and all this other stuff, and I’m like I could definitely formulate CBD agave, and have the first one on the market. And I got plenty.

Matt Baum: 32:16 Why not? Definitely.

Ian Erickson: 32:17 I’m like let’s do it. So, we just manufactured and got it done. It’s two different versions. It’s light and raw agave, and the raw agave you use it for things that are not sweet that you want to make sweet. So, you do it for baking and stuff like that. The light agave you use it to enhance the flavor of things that are already sweet.

Matt Baum: 32:37 Like a margarita for example.

Ian Erickson: 32:39 [crosstalk 00:32:39] 500 milligrams of CBD per bottle, and then you get 20 milligrams of CBD per serving which is one tablespoon.

Matt Baum: 32:45 Not bad.

Ian Erickson: 32:46 It’s a good amount.

Matt Baum: 32:48 Yeah.

Ian Erickson: 32:49 So, I was actually making something I referred to as, and I trademarked but unfortunately we didn’t finish up the trademark on it yet because we haven’t put it out there. It’s just a [Valerita 00:32:58]. So, it’s a tequila margarita type of concoction, but I used it with the CBD agave instead of regular agave. Good. So good. So, having that CBD craft cocktail, or having it with your coffee in the morning just a little bit. It works great.

Matt Baum: 33:16 I did a show where we sat down with a bartender that made a bunch of craft cocktails with CBD oil [crosstalk 00:33:21], but CBD agave, that’s an even better idea, man. It’s just perfect.

Ian Erickson: 33:24 You can make an old fashioned if you want an old fashioned with CBD. There’s so much more you can do with it. Especially even with baking, people want to make treats or whatever with it, they can actually dose with this, and they don’t have to use sugar because they’re going to get the same desired sweetness effect with less using the agave, but then you’re also going to have the power of having the CBD in it as well. So, I’m like how can I not do this? I have to do this.

Matt Baum: 33:51 Yeah. It’s brilliant.

Ian Erickson: 33:54 So, I’m like let’s do that. Why not? Let’s just add something else to do. We don’t have to sleep tonight. Forget it. Let’s go.

Matt Baum: 34:00 I don’t want to take up anymore of your time because you’re an insanely busy man, but thank you so much.

A few words from Matt

Matt Baum: 34:03 Again, huge thanks to Ian. He was so cool and I love talking to him. If you are a veteran, or a first responder, or a teacher that is thinking about trying CBD to deal with pain or to deal with stress, check out PureAmericanHemp.Com. They have a 25% off program just for you. And personally, I think that’s amazing. We are living in a country with a massive opioid crisis and finally someone is bringing these drug companies that have pushed these drugs on to a very vulnerable populace to court, and I can only hope that the decision falls in all of the victims favors. When you can make a choice to do something like CBD that is non-addictive, that is truthfully helpful, I urge you to make it. Please. And again, be sure to look for quality brands that are not only responsible for growing their own hemp, growing it the right way, but they present their lab results, and they are not selling you a miracle cure.

Matt Baum: 35:06 Right now, hemp needs facts, it needs education, and it needs companies that are doing it the right way. So please, if you’re going to make a purchase, make an educated one, and let MinistryofHemp.com help you with that. Check out our top brand links where you’ll find a whole list of companies that are doing it and doing it the right way.

Matt Baum: 35:28 Thanks again to everybody that has rated this show on iTunes. It helps so much to put this information in front of other people that are looking for it. Thank you to that has called us at 402-819-6417 and left a message. I look forward to doing another question and answer show. They’re so much fun and I love talking to you guys. Seriously. You can also email me directly matt@ministryofhemp.com, and you can find our phone number and that email address in the show notes along with a complete written transcript of the show for those of you who are hearing impaired right here in the show notes.

Matt Baum: 36:07 Like I said, we’ve got a bunch of great listener questions. We’ll be doing another hemp Q&A on the next show. After that, I think we’re going to be talking about why banks and electronic payment processors are so hesitant to process hemp payments. It’s going to be a great show and I hope you stick around for it. For now, I’m Matt Baum, your host. Please take care of yourself, take care of others, and make good decisions, will you? This is the Ministry of Hemp signing off.

The post CBD For Veterans & First Responders: Interview with Ian Erickson of Pure American Hemp Oil appeared first on Ministry of Hemp.

The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp, marking a major achievement for hemp advocates and the industry. Under the law, states can make their own laws around hemp and CBD. However, they aren’t supposed to interfere with interstate commerce or Native American groups using hemp.

Due to a lack of awareness, even these rules are inconsistently applied. Prohibition is still having its effects on the nation. And some innocent people are suffering from it.

In some cases, one unintended consequence of hemp legalization is less police enforcement of laws around psychoactive cannabis (“marijuana”). Some police in Texas and Florida say they’re no longer prosecuting low level cannabis crimes because they can’t differentiate legal hemp from illegal marijuana.

But in other cases, police are still cracking down on a few stores for selling CBD, and more rarely, CBD consumers. Many states are struggling to develop their own set of regulations even as CBD stores pop up all over.

It’s important to note that thousands of people use CBD every day, safely and without legal consequences. According to a recent Gallup poll, 14% of Americans have tried CBD products. You can buy CBD online and get it shipped anywhere in the U.S. and it’s even sold in many natural grocery stores and some drugstores.

Still, we wanted to look at some recent notable exceptions to see what they can teach us about the state of hemp in America.

Truckers in Idaho arrested over hemp

“Local law enforcement shouldn’t be allowed to test [hemp] in the field because there is so much variance between the tests.”

Cannabis attorney Frank Robison, on the Ministry of Hemp podcast

The law has no ability to protect you if authorities can’t tell the difference between hemp and marijuana. Of course, you may eventually be able to get out of a nasty predicament. But sometimes at the cost of an arrest, fines, and potential jail time.

At the end of January, two truck drivers working with the Big Sky Scientific, LLC were transporting hemp through Idaho. At a weigh station, law enforcement picked up the smell of “marijuana” and, after taking a look, seized the product and took the truck driver into custody.

We talked with lawyer David E. Landau of DuaneMorris, the firm currently battling the issue, on the prospect of events as such happening to anyone.

“We now have to advise clients, if you’re shipping hemp, stay out of Idaho and several other states,” Landau proclaimed. “And it just raises questions about what triggers the perpetuation of the act.”

USDA responds to trucker arrests

These and similar incidents are severe enough that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a legal opinion on May 28. They emphasized that the 2018 Farm Bill prohibits interference with interstate commerce of hemp and hemp products. This is regardless of whether you can sell, process, or grow hemp within that state.

Unfortunately, this legal opinion alone can’t decide the Big Sky Scientific case, or prevent other truckers from facing similar consequences.

The arrests provoked a backlash both from truckers and Idaho lawmakers, some of whom hope to pass new laws to prevent future occurrences. In the meantime, some police officials are still threatening to arrest truckers for transporting hemp through the state.

Uncertainty over hemp’s legality remains in Nebraska

After opening a vitamin supplement shop almost two years ago, Jacob Johanson saw the medical potential in CBD and quickly expanded his offerings. 

“I was under the assumption that we were good to go after the Scottsbluff case had been thrown out and after the signing of the Farm Bill 2018,” Johanson told the Ministry of Hemp, referring to another police raid in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

When he put up a Facebook post promoting his products, police informed him cannabidiol is still illegal in Nebraska. He quickly took down the post along with the products he had put on the shelf.

“The local police performed an undercover sting on my shop later that week,” Johanson explained. “The undercover cop informed me that he is a detective and they just performed a sting to ensure I was no longer selling CBD.”

“Once I stopped selling CBD my customers insisted that CBD is a necessity and was the only thing that helped them with pain,” he continued. “I empathize with my customers and wished I could do more for them but informed them that, due to the local police, I am no longer able to sell CBD.”

Selective enforcement of hemp prohibition

“I was then informed by my customers that other businesses were, in fact, selling CBD and that is where they went once it was no longer available at my location.”

Johanson took actions as any other person in an extremely competitive business would. He began selling CBD again a few months later. But he only sold to customers he knew or those who were referred by people he knew.

“It has no doubt been one of the more challenging times in my life.”

Jacob Johanson, Nebraska small business owner

“To be honest, I was scared for the future of my business,” Johanson told us. “We are a vitamin, supplement and training shop. Not strictly CBD. So, I also had to take into consideration the rest of my business.”

Word got out and Johanson ended up selling a tincture and salve to an undercover cop. Police charged Johanson with possession and sales of a controlled substance. Fortunately, he wasn’t arrested, his assets weren’t seized, and his shop wasn’t closed down. Needless to say, this was a relief, though a bit of a surprise.

“This process has been very scary for me because I’ve looked into lawyers and the fees for one of them was going to be $15,000-$25,000,” Johanson said.

“That is a big hit for a small business owner like myself. Needless to say it has been a very stressful time. Not knowing what is going to happen to your business, your loved ones, and your life in general. It has no doubt been one of the more challenging times in my life.”

The unfortunate truth is Johanson is one of several who CBD vendors hit with challenging times. Other stores, like Cajun Cannabis in Lafayette, Louisiana, also faced police actions.

Arthritis patient arrested with hemp CBD outside Disney World

A similar story took place outside Disney World in Orlando, Florida in May. Police arrested Heather Burkhalter, a great-grandmother with arthritis, for having CBD oil on her.

One interesting feature of Burkhalter’s story: she was carrying a CBD isolate, meaning the product didn’t even have the tiny amounts of THC allowed under federal law. Furthermore, she even took precautions to carry around a note from her doctor.

However, that didn’t stop her arrest which led to a felony charge, 12 hours in jail, and a bond of $2,000. Her arrest was based on a THC test that came back positive even though the CBD product claimed to have none.

Police field tests are notoriously inaccurate, which is one factor leading some jurisdictions to stop prosecuting for small amounts of cannabis altogether. They simply don’t have the equipment, or the people power, to test every sample accurately.

Police eventually dropped Burkhalter’s charges. Still, these situations as such are more than just a hassle. They can hurt someones livelihood. And these incidents of people getting arrested over hemp challenge our right to access natural, legal plant-based supplements like CBD.

Moving forward with legal hemp

Michael Bronstein, president of American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp, had some advice to share.

“I’m most concerned as to whether or not there’s clarity in the pathway going forward,” he said. “That there are practices that are adhered to.”

“The past of CBD is not likely to be the same as what the future of CBD is,” Bronstein explained.

The hemp industry nervously but eagerly awaits upcoming regulations from the FDA over the use of CBD in nutritional supplements. Some things are clear, especially after recent crackdowns on some CBD companies.

“People also have to be cautious about making medical claims,” said Landau.

“To say CBD is a treatment for anything is also prohibited under FDA rules. Unless you’ve been approved for a drug, like Epidiolex for example, you can’t make claims like CBD products relieve anxiety, back pain, headaches … none of those claims are appropriate right now.”

Still, with so much money already invested in hemp, Landau expects to see a clear path forward. “This is an important American business that we see developing here.”

Even organizations like the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative, Republican-led legislative think tank, seem to think it’s important to support hemp. ALEC discussed bills to support hemp growing and cannabis banking at their August meeting in Austin, Texas.

We define the future of hemp

If you’re thinking about becoming a CBD business owner, Landau declared you’re going to need to “get a good lawyer!”

While we suspect arrests of CBD consumers and raids on legal CBD stores will soon be a thing of the past, regulations around hemp will remain complex. Maintaining compliance with laws and regulations is already a full-time job at many CBD companies, adding to the cost of CBD products.

As for the truckers, hemp advocates hope paperwork showing they’re carrying legally grown hemp will be sufficient to avoid arrests. In a recent episode of the Ministry of Hemp podcast, cannabis attorney Frank Robison suggested this was an easier option than expecting police to operate complex testing equipment in the field. He explained:

“So long as they have appropriate documentation from the state that complies with the states, state law and regulations indicating that the hemp trust shipment is compliant … local law enforcement shouldn’t be allowed to test it in the field because there is so much variance between the tests.”

We can’t forget the massive potential of the hemp and CBD industry. And it’s people like you and I — business owners, consumers, and farmers — who are defining this industry. As hemp advocates, we can help by educating our communities and lawmakers about this plant and everything made from it.

2018 was a big year for the hemp and CBD community. Still, we have a ways to go to reach the future some lawmakers still don’t realize we deserve.

Kit O’Connell and Matt Baum contributed reporting to this article.

The post If Hemp Is Legal, Why Are People Getting Arrested For Hemp? appeared first on Ministry of Hemp.

Earlier this year, we wrote about the UK’s first CBD restaurant.

The Canna Kitchen opened in late 2018 in Brighton. It was an instant success with local diners and received acres of press coverage in major publications all over the world. Since then, things have taken a dramatic turn.

According to news reports, on Wednesday, May 8th, the venue was raided by the police. They seized a substantial amount of herbal cannabis. There were no arrests, though one man was interviewed under police caution.

We wanted to get to the bottom of what happened, and also find out how the UK’s hemp industry reacted.

FROM A SUCCESSFUL START TO A RAID BY THE POLICE

The next day, the restaurant released a statement through its Facebook page. The owners thanked people for their support and explained they were closing while they take legal advice.

“The products that we sell are no different to those which are sold by many, many companies all over the UK.”

Sam Evolution, Founder of The Canna Kitchen

The owners of Canna Kitchen say the product seized at the premises is industrial hemp which is legally imported. They affirmed that all their products for sale are legal. “Our products are defined as industrial hemp, and are clearly and transparently imported as such, with all taxes and duties paid,” they said. They added that their products are “in line with UK legal guidelines for pharmaceutical definitions.”

Explaining the ramifications for the UK CBD industry, they went on to say “If trace elements of THC render these products illegal, then by default all CBD products must be illegal in the UK. This would mean that many large high street chains are currently breaking the law.”

To find out more about what this means for CBD and hemp in the UK, we spoke to a number of figures in the UK CBD industry. However, the majority were unwilling to speak on the record about such a delicate subject.

WHAT DO OTHERS IN THE UK CBD INDUSTRY THINK?

One of the few people to agree to comment was Guy Coxall. A leading figure in UK cannabis and hemp circles, Coxall is the compliance director at CTA UK, a non-profit dedicated to supporting CBD, cannabis and hemp businesses. While you might expect him to be critical of the police in this case, his response was quite the opposite.

“Having assessed the media coverage around Canna Kitchen, it seems that they have irresponsibly flouted the laws on multiple levels,” he said. Some reasons he listed included “importing whole flower, suspected use of isolates in food and medical claims.”

Coxall also criticized The Canna Kitchen’s response to the raids.

“The worst offence, in my opinion, is that once caught, they tried to cover their own backs by implying that the entire CBD industry is illegal,” he said. “When there are approximately 1.2 million people in the UK who regularly use CBD products, their attitude of ‘If we go down then we will take everyone else’ is disturbing and shocking.”

He opts for a conciliatory approach with the authorities, in a bid to keep things above board and strictly within the law.

“Those of us who work hard for this industry, strive to keep CBD products available by working alongside the regulatory bodies. The whole industry needs to unite and self-regulate to ensure its future. For the past few years we have been winning a good fight but irresponsible companies such as Canna Kitchen make this increasingly more difficult.”

UK CBD INDUSTRY DIVIDED OVER CANNA KITCHEN RAIDS

“They tried to cover their own backs by implying that the entire CBD industry is illegal.”

Guy Coxall, UK hemp advocate

In response, Sam Evolution, the founder of Canna Kitchen, stated that all their actions were firmly within the law.

“We received police and trading standards approval on all the products we sell. Products which are legally imported into the country have been signed off by customs with full clearance after duties and VAT have been paid,” he said.

He refutes many of Guy Coxall’s points. “We have never used CBD isolate in any of our food, and we don’t stock it,” said Evolution.

“We’re very careful not to make any medical claims about our products and services, due to the fact that we are not trained medical professionals. The products that we sell are no different to those which are sold by many, many companies all over the UK.”

THE UK CBD INDUSTRY IS IN A DELICATE STATE

Ian Fox, who runs the CBD Coffee Lounge in Manchester, was also willing to go on the record. Fox’s thriving cafe-shop business sells CBD products, hot drinks, and CBD-infused edibles. While disheartened about the news, like Coxall, he took a dim view of Canna Kitchen’s actions.

“It’s very dismaying to hear this news about Canna Kitchen, but it doesn’t come as a surprise,” said Fox. “I was talking to some friends today who are CBD suppliers, and they were angry at the actions of the owner of Canna Kitchen, for potentially jeopardising the trade for everyone else, through what could be deemed to be reckless actions.”

With his own business, Fox takes a more cautious approach, aware that while the UK CBD industry is in its infancy pushing the boundaries could lead to increased scrutiny.

“I’ve always been concerned right from the very beginning that we could get a visit,” he said. “So I’m still not selling CBD flower and I’m also reluctant to do more edibles at the moment.”

Fox also pointed out that Canna Kitchen had been advertising a ‘THC night’ on their website. When asked about this, Evolution explained that in this instance ‘THC’ is an acronym for ‘The Herbal Chef,’ AKA Chris Sayeh, who flew over to host a five course CBD-infused dining experience. However, events and promotions like this could be seen as blurring the lines between the illegal and legal elements of hemp — something industry representatives such as Coxall regard as reckless.

DID CANNA KITCHEN DO ANYTHING WRONG?

On the other hand, it could be argued that Canna Kitchen have done nothing overtly wrong, apart from engaging in some creative marketing. And if this raises awareness of CBD among the public, demystifying the properties of hemp, is that such a bad thing?

One thing’s for sure, it’s a thorny issue, causing divisions across the industry. The legal case against Evolution and Canna Kitchen is ongoing. It threatens to have major implications for the UK CBD industry so we’ll be keeping a close eye on the outcome.

Of course, this case doesn’t exist in isolation, and the current upheaval in UK politics could play a part too.

As Ian Fox points out, “A lot of us in the industry are hoping that there’ll be a change of government soon and that could potentially bring about much-awaited change and bring an end to these draconian laws.”

Wishful thinking? With the current state of the UK government, and the unstoppable rise of the worldwide CBD and cannabis industry, anything’s possible.

Correction 6/12/2019: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that there was an arrest during the raid on The Canna Kitchen. There were no arrests.

The post The Canna Kitchen Raided: Why Did UK Police Raid CBD Eatery? appeared first on Ministry of Hemp.

https://twitter.com/ShieldPatriot/status/1088511291851976706

Four people face felony charges after Oklahoma police seized hemp bound from Kentucky to Colorado.

The four are charged with drug trafficking after cops found 18,000 pounds of hemp in the back of their tractor-trailer. Police from Pawhuska, Oklahoma pulled the shippers over at 3:00am on January 9, claiming they ran a red light. When police stuck their noses in the vehicle, they smelled a strong odor which greatly resembled psychoactive cannabis (“marijuana”), leading to the charges.

The truck was transporting hemp from Kentucky to Colorado on behalf of Panacea Life Sciences, a CBD brand. As readers of our site know, the 2018 Farm Bill made hemp legal nationwide when it became law in December. The new law specifically protects interstate commerce. Therefore, the drivers were following the law.

However, two of the four still remain in jail as police insist that they don’t know whether the truck contained legal hemp or illegal marijuana. The four accused all pled not guilty at their initial hearing.

LAW ENFORCEMENT’S BIG FLAW

The Farm Bill makes it clear that there shouldn’t be any legal battle at all. Hemp is legal and these men were in total compliance with the law. Yet, as we’re witnessing, law enforcement continues to insist these men deserve to face charges.

We talked with James “Jamie” Baumgartner, the president of Panacea Life Sciences about the incident.

“To be honest, I personally tend to trust law enforcement,” Baumgartner proclaimed. “But I don’t know if they really know what they’re doing here.”

One source of Baumgartner’s uncertainty: the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sent the hemp to a laboratory to do a binary test. The purpose was to discover whether or not there would be THC in the product.

“Of course, it’s going to test positive cause there is 0.3 percent THC in the product,” Baumgartner explained.

Under the law, hemp is fully legal as long as it contains less than 0.3 percent THC. He continued:

“Then they did another binary test that they [DEA] claim is definitive to show it’s marijuana, by taking a look at the product under a microscope. Which is the first time I’ve ever heard of that.”

Obviously, the latter test can’t confirm anything considering the fact that hemp and marijuana look nearly identical — they’re two forms of the same plant! As Baumgartner puts it, the only way to really tell the difference between the two is through, “a cannabinoid profile.”

Until the cannabis is properly tested, the four men will remain in custody. There’s only one major issue, as Baumgartner states:

“[Oklahoma law enforcement] wants to send it through Washington D.C. to be tested. But with the government shutdown, that laboratory is not operational right now.”

FIGHTING BACK AFTER OKLAHOMA POLICE SEIZE HEMP SHIPMENT

Baumgartner is pushing for the material to be tested properly even with the complication of a government shutdown. He and his team at Panacea have argued with police that they should, “find a neutral laboratory.”

“We’ve suggested they use the Colorado Department of Agriculture … to determine the THC content of the material.”

Unfortunately, there’s been little “open dialogue in terms of resolving the situation.”

Rather, law enforcement is taking matters into their own hands and, as mentioned above, it doesn’t seem like they quite know what’s going on.

Baumgartner told us he has never run into problems with the law before. Caught off guard by this unexpected seizure, he’s frustrated that police haven’t responded to his concerns. This is especially overwhelming considering some of these men have families who don’t know what’s going to happen.

Furthermore, Baumgartner predicted the bust could cost Panacea $1 million. Of course, he hopes that once Oklahoma law enforcement realizes the plants are hemp and therefore legal, there’s a good chance they’ll get the shipment back. However, then Panacea must worry about any damages which may have come about through this whole process.

“If we can verify that it has not been damaged then we rock’n’roll with it,” Baumgartner said. “If it has been damaged so that we cannot use it, then we’ll seek recourse through civil litigation.”

THE ANTI-HEMP STIGMA CONTINUES

Obviously, the stigma against hemp is far from gone. The fact that this whole mess is even happening might seem absurd to many within the hemp industry and community. However, when it comes to the general public, they still don’t see the difference between hemp and “marijuana.” 

“When I take a look at this whole situation, our number one priority is to make sure these individuals are not charged and are able to go back to their families and their lives, “Baumgartner said.

“Number two is to get our hemp back. And I’m really hoping we have a positive end to this story.”

He added:

“I hope we have a better understanding of rules and regulations. About how to handle hemp shipments in the future. I mean the last thing I really wanted to do was offer an interview for your publication about this problem. I’d rather be talking about the beneficial health properties of hemp.”

Panacea Life Sciences’ staff asked us to share this GoFundMe fundraiser for the arrested hemp drivers, and encouraged our readers to contribute. 

The post Four People Face Felony Charges After Oklahoma Police Seize Hemp Shipment appeared first on Ministry of Hemp.

“We are thankful the development,” said attorney Maren Chaloupka in an emailed statement. Chaloupka, from the Scottsbluff-based firm Chaloupka, Holyoke, Snyder, Chaloupka & Longoria, represented the Beguin’s in the case, thanks to the financial assistance of CBD vendors Medterra. Chaloupka told us:

“The Beguins want to provide a homeopathic alternative that is drug-free, to help customers avoid addictive pharmaceuticals. We hope that the Nebraska Legislature will clarify that products that don’t contain THC and don’t get the user high are not illegal, and that the small businesses offering those products are not criminals.”

Update DECEMBER 26, 2018: A second Nebraska CBD shop, located in Bellevue, Nebraska, just south of Omaha, is now under threat from authorities. Though the American Shaman store operated without issue for the past 3 months, police gave owners 2 weeks to close down or face legal action. We’ll continue to update this article as this situation develops.

Last week, police raided a Nebraska CBD shop and arrested the owners.

KB Natural Alternatives, a CBD store in the small city of Scottsbluff, was only open for a day when about a dozen officers arrived to shut them down, according to owners Heather Beguin and her son Dreyson. Now, the pair face felony drug charges. Police accuse them of possessing a controlled substance with the intent to sell it to the public.

The arrests occurred just days before the December 20, 2018 passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which fully removed hemp and all hemp-derived substances like CBD from the Controlled Substances Act.

The Beguins’ store sold products by Medterra, a well-known CBD company that creates products from legal industrial hemp. Medterra’s products are rigorously tested to show that they don’t contain illegal amounts of THC, the active ingredient in psychoactive cannabis (“marijuana”) which makes people feel high.

In an email, Medterra leadership told us they’re standing by the Beguins and will cover the pair’s legal expenses.

“As a company, Medterra stands behind the legality of our products and our partners right to sell it,” wrote Jay Hartenbach, Medterra’s CEO. “The CBD industry is one of compassion and we fully intend to support our partners as they help us raise awareness to those in need.”

Despite this welcome assistance, the Beguins are still struggling with the emotional, physical, financial and legal consequences of their arrests.

“I know and believe in what we’re doing, but this has set me and my body back after I worked so hard to recover,” said a distraught-sounding Heather, when we spoke by phone.

SHOP OWNER DISCOVERED CBD AFTER CAR WRECK

Heather discovered the benefits of CBD in the painful aftermath of a July 2018 car accident. As a recovering opiate addict, she wanted to avoid using the pain medication doctors prescribed after the wreck.

“I wasn’t really thrilled about putting [opiates] back into my body because of the risk that maybe I still like that feeling.”

Trying to “tough it out” through the pain only slowed her healing, however. Dreyson, who was living in Florida at the time, suggested CBD.

“If you can’t rest, you can’t heal,” she recalled Dreyson telling her. After she found that topical CBD helped ease her lingering pain and inflammation, she wanted to find a way to share CBD with others. Soon, Dreyson moved back home to Scottsbluff to help her open KB Natural Alternatives.

NEBRASKA CBD SHOP ARRESTS HIGHLIGHT COMPLEXITIES OF US HEMP LAWS

Scottsbluff is a city of about 15,000 people, about 450 miles west of Omaha. At the same time as police were handcuffing the Beguins in Nebraska, people were freely smoking legal recreational cannabis just over two hours away in Colorado without fear of legal reprisal. In Austin, Texas, where this reporter lives, you can buy similar CBD oil supplements at Whole Foods’ flagship store.

This isn’t the first time that police launched a crackdown on a local CBD business selling otherwise legal products. During the summer of 2017, state police raided 57 stores selling CBD products in Indiana. In March of this year, Indiana passed a new state law clarifying that CBD oil supplements are legal.

 “I just hope our public officials learn from the other states that hemp is clearly different from marijuana.”

The timing of the Nebraska CBD shop arrests makes the severe treatment faced by the Beguins even more shocking. On December 13, a full week before the President signed the Farm Bill, the Alabama state Attorney General announced they would back down from threats to prosecute CBD vendors. Today, Michigan legislators passed a pair of bills supporting hemp, one of which clearly affirms the legality of CBD oil products.

In an interview with local news, Gunhee Park, an Omaha hemp entrepreneur, called the arrests “sad” and suggested Nebraska police and politicians should follow other states’ examples.

“I just hope our public officials learn from the other states that hemp is clearly different from marijuana,” Park told KETV anchor David Earl.

(Ministry of Hemp launched in 2014 with the help of Park’s Libertas Ventures LLC.)

POLICE RAID LEAVES NEBRASKA CBD SHOP OWNERS TRAUMATIZED

The Beguins knew opening KB Natural Alternatives posed a legal risk, but neither expected police to respond with arrests or felony charges. Heather said she even knows of people in Scottsbluff selling CBD online.

Before opening, Heather and Dreyson visited the local police chief. The pair brought along a sample of Medterra’s CBD products and lab tests proving that Medterra is free from illegal THC. Though the chief insisted CBD is illegal in Nebraska, he refused when Heather offered to leave the products behind. Now, the pair are facing felony charges for possessing the same supplements.

KB Natural Alternatives opened on December 13. The following afternoon, police arrived in force, arresting both owners. Police even detained and interrogated Heather’s friend that was visiting the shop. Officers refused to show the Beguin’s a search warrant, then spent hours coming through the shop.

Heather was bonded out of jail after just a few hours, because her mother and Heather’s youngest son unexpectedly dropped by the store to find police there instead of Heather and Dreyson. The younger son had a “bad feeling” that led them to check on his mother.

“We’re a very connected family,” Heather said. “We’re very close.”

The family couldn’t afford to do the same for Dreyson, so he spent the weekend in jail. He wasn’t released until late afternoon on Monday.

Dreyson and Heather were clearly shaken by their experience. Both sounded near tears at various points during our phone conversation. Though Dreyson said spending the weekend in jail was hard, he sounded more upset about seeing his mother arrested.

Even after just one day of business, other Scottsbluff residents worry about losing access to CBD.

“I have customers calling me crying, texting me,” Heather said.

MEDTERRA OFFERS LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO NEBRASKA CBD SHOP OWNERS

We interviewed Heather and Dreyson Beguin on Wednesday, December 19. By Thursday, Medterra had been in touch to offer their support.

“We started this company to create products that help our friends and family, Medterra cofounder J.P. Larsen told us. “Our core value of helping people will always be our number one priority.”

Hartenbach told us he was helping the Beguin family find an attorney, and that Medterra would cover their attorney fees. Larsen seemed confident that they would win the case. Both legal precedent and the newly passed Farm Bill are on their side.

“We feel way more confident now, just the humiliation is taking a toll.”

“The Beguins took every step possible to ensure that they were selling Federally-compliant and quality CBD products,” Larsen wrote. “We hope that this case, such as many others, will be dismissed once the proper facts are conveyed.”

Reached today by Facebook messenger, Heather said she feels relieved.

“We feel way more confident now, just the humiliation is taking a toll.”

WILL NEBRASKA EMBRACE A HEMPY FUTURE, OR REMAIN STUCK IN THE PAST?

Nebraska officials seem unmoved by the landmark hemp legalization signed into law this week, at least according to Suzanne Gage, spokesperson for Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson.

“Unless amended by the Nebraska Legislature, all CBD products in Nebraska are still illegal under the Nebraska Uniformed Controlled Substance Act,” Gage told KETV. “The recently passed Farm Bill did not alter existing Nebraska law on this issue at this point in time.”

Statements like these make Gunhee Park afraid that his state is going to miss out on a billion dollar industry, along with hemp’s numerous other benefits.

“For our state to so staunchly say no, especially being an agricultural state, is confounding.”

Although Medterra is stepping up to support the Beguins, they’ll still have numerous additional expenses to deal with in the aftermath of their arrests and the closure of their business.

A close friend, Melinda Walsh, established a GoFundMe fundraiser to support Heather and Dreyson Beguin. Ministry of Hemp donated, and we encourage our readers and others in the hemp industry to help out if they can.

Both Heather and Dreyson will return to court later this month for preliminary court hearings. We’ll continue to update this story as it develops.

The post UPDATE: Drug Charges Against Nebraska CBD Shop Owners Dropped appeared first on Ministry of Hemp.