In the Natural Products Expo East held last Sept. 12 to 15 in Baltimore, about 1,500 brands participated, including 244 first-time exhibitors, according to New Hope Network. The expo included a Hemp & CBD Summit that highlights innovative products in the industry.
Todd Runestad from New Hope Network opened the summit said in his statement, “cannabis has long been America’s number one cash crop, but now we’ve legitimized it, legalized it, sanctified it, commercialized it and it is happening right now,” per Z Living.
The two-hour summit allowed attendees to learn more about the hemp industry, including the opportunities in the sector for everyone— consumers, retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, marketers and growers.
Morris Beegle of Colorado Hemp Company and NoCo Hemp Expo is one of the speakers. He discussed the positive effects of hemp in health and wellness, food, climate and even in the automotive industry.
The other focus of the summit is CBD, also known as cannabidiol. It is a compound found in cannabis plants, either marijuana or hemp. What is special about CBD is that it does not make people high, unlike another cannabis compound, tetrahydrocannabinol or THC.
The Holistic Canna Academy also participated in the event, according to the event’s line up for the Hemp and CBD Summit. Its co-founder Laura Lagano was able to educate retailers when it comes to CBD, so then they would be able to answer questions from consumers.
ShiKai, a company that provides skin, body and hair care products, is also considering expanding its offerings with CBD-infused products, according to its brand highlight in the expo.
A superfood vendor called Nutiva was also highlighted in the expo. Apart from food, the company also offer organic skin care products. The company recently entered the hemp industry by adding a line of hemp products in its inventory.
Holly Johnson of American Herbal Products Association discussed how retailers can interact with CBD suppliers. This segment helped retailers identify the necessary documents they need from CBD suppliers in order to confirm the quality of hemp products they are about to sell.
The Hemp and CBD Summit ended with the Lawyer Up! segment, tackling the different rules and regulations surrounding the hemp industry. The speakers were Jonathan Miller of Frost Brown Todd; Courtney Moran of EARTH Law; Todd Runestad of New Hope Network; and Ashish Talati, Amin Talati & Upadhye. The speakers also discussed the different state and federal regulations toward cannabis, including some concerns that companies face revolving the hemp-derived CBD market.
Events that highlight hemp and CBD such as Natural Products Expo East allow existing and potential companies to be more aware of the industry—the risks, opportunities, innovations, etc. As the previous Farm Bill is about to expire and with the proposed new Farm Bill favoring the legalization of hemp, events like this do not just connect cannabis businesses, but it also encourages more entrepreneurs to explore the industry and innovate products that could boost the industry.
The proposed Farm Bill aims to categorize hemp as an industrial crop, per Nasdaq. This could open up a lot of opportunities for growers, manufacturers and retailers, and it could provide more people access to hemp products.
