Unlike other hemp-derived compounds, CBD wax quickly offers relief from pain and anxiety.

The hemp industry has come a long way in just a matter of years. The 2018 Farm Bill certainly did a lot of good as it changed the landscape completely for hemp and the cannabis industry. It helped to push the global popularity of CBD and made the medicinal benefits of the cannabinoid evident for all to see. With the increase in popularity of CBD came more users; more people became open to the idea of medical marijuana as a solution to common ailments. Currently, more states are toeing the line of decriminalization for the use of CBD, while others have already eased regulations thus allowing their citizens to benefit immensely.

With the cannabis world trending in the direction of CBD, strains with high CBD content are taking center stage.

A diverse group of cannabis cultivation and manufacturing experts came together in January to form the Sustainable Cannabis Coalition (SCC). Members of the group will work proactively with their industry peers to promote proven sustainable best practices that can be implemented at scale across the cannabis market.

It’s fascinating how people choose their cannabis products, especially terpenes and flower.

It wasn’t that long ago when the only option was cannabis flower via a local unregulated dealer, and likely only one or two options were available at that.

The “I will take what I can get” strains were the most popular because, well, that was all that was available.

Zoom forward to today, and cannabis is legally available in several markets for medical and/or adult-use purposes, and the options are staggering.

People often categorize particular talents or behaviors as "right-brain" or "left-brain" thinking. Individuals who are right-brained lead with intuition and creativity. People often describe them as free thinkers. On the other hand, left-brained people are thought to be more quantitative, analytical—the data heads. 

While there's some truth to where certain brain functions lie, scientists also know that reasoning and creativity are not mutually exclusive. As a person who has spent the last three decades in advertising, branding, entertainment, and the digital landscape, you might assume I lead with the right side of my brain. But creativity is often inspired by hard data rather than gut feelings. 

Cultivation, one of humanity’s oldest crafts, is undergoing radical transformation. And it has cannabis grows to thank for it.  

The roots of farming go back more than 12,000 years as hunter-gatherers established agrarian communities to centralize food production, sharing the work and harvest.

Naturally, these early societies recognized that certain crops grew in abundance in certain climates and cultivated those crops that allowed their civilizations to thrive. 

With trade, commodity crops grown in one area became highly prized and profitable elsewhere – from the Far East spice trade to finding fresh papaya in a New York City bodega.  

The cannabis industry can’t follow this simple, ancient calculus. 

Topical CBD (cannabidiol) products are becoming increasingly popular – but recent testing indicates some who use them may not be getting what they paid for.

CBD topicals are being used for a number of applications including general cosmetics, moisturising, treating skin irritations and to relieve muscle and joint pain. Research indicates cannabidiol may be effective in treating or managing a number of skin problems.

As an active ingredient it’s important that what’s in the product is reflected by what’s on the label.

A study by researchers at the University of Minnesota show the genetic makeup of high-CBD hemp plants is largely marijuana.

There are two types of cannabis plants. One that creates marijuana, which has psychoactive properties and the other creates hemp, which can be used to make industrial products. The difference between the two plants is the level of the tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, which creates the "high" sensation. Under federal regulations, CBD can only be 0.3% THC.

In the study, recently published in New Phytologist, researchers that breeding high-THC plants with hemp-type plants would create a new plant with high levels of CBD instead. 

If you've ever eaten hemp seeds, worn a hemp bracelet, or used body care products with hemp as an ingredient, you might find it hard to believe that cannabis's non-intoxicating cousin was't legal in the U.S. until 2018, when lawmakers finally made hemp legal as part of the 2018 Farm Bill after more than 80 years of prohibition. Prior to hemp's legalization, and because of arcane FDA rules about the harmless crop, US farmers were not allowed to grow it on US soil. 

The cannabis plant is extremely complex and nuanced.

With a dizzying amount of active ingredients — including over 200 cannabinoids — it’s hard to imagine the majority of the legal market is comprised of products containing THC, CBD, or a combination of those two alone.

But so-called “lesser-known cannabinoids” are beginning to emerge as research and development on the plant itself grows along with the industry. 

Cannabinoids such as CBN, CBG, and THC-A have been making their way into retail in a variety of forms, and interest in the potential of cannabis beyond the current status quo is rising fast.

Could these lesser-known cannabinoids be the future of the marijuana marketplace?

Cannabis & Tech Today aims to find out.