Across the continent, excited new entrants to the cannabis industry are finding new ways to connect with one another, their customers and the people who regulate them.
Events like farmers’ markets, conventions and expos are quickly spreading across the U.S. and helping hemp farmers, manufacturers and retailers to share their experiences and frustrations of the burgeoning market that places CBD products on its forefront.
People of all ages and backgrounds have turned to cannabidiol, or CBD, for their anxiety, chronic pain, and insomnia issues, among others.
One of the reasons CBD is so popular is that it offers many of the same benefits of marijuana, without the mind-altering high associated with that drug.
Industrial hemp and CBD were legalized federally in late 2018, but there are still extant questions about how the industry operates from state to state, and gatherings of hemp entrepreneurs can be useful to iron them out.
2019 was the premiere year of the CBD Expo Midwest, where speakers included experts and business-owners in the hemp industry to discuss the best practices for operating canna-businesses. CBD Expo Midwest happened this summer in Indianapolis. [4]
More recently, the Hemposium in Leonard, North Dakota brought over 100 cannabis business owners to discuss what one entrepreneur called “the wild, wild West” of cannabis. [1]
Regulators, investors, entrepreneurs and interested CBD enthusiasts filled the event, according to the Fargo Forum. [1]
Attendees wanted to know how to best grow their hemp crops, but they also wanted questions about bank loans and regulations on hemp answered.
CBD is legal, but many banks and financial institutions have been standoffish about offering loans and even credit and debit card processing, so events like these are important for breaking down barriers and expanding awareness of these useful, legal products.
In Denver, farmers markets full of hemp and CBD products will soon reach Coloradans interested in farm-to-table products. [2]
Many people know about the benefits of CBD products and their uses, but hemp is also fashioned into textiles that have been used in clothing, plastics and other diverse products for centuries.
In Georgia, the Herald & Review reports that the National Hemp Association is taking advantage of local fairs and gatherings like the Farm Progress Show to spread the word about how deeply many farmers rely on hemp products for their livelihoods, and how those farms and products relate to ordinary people. [3]
Sources
[2] https://www.westword.com/marijuana/hemp-and-cbd-farmers-market-coming-to-denver-11466058