In Qujing in the southwest province of Yunnan in China, marijuana is classified as a dangerous narcotic. Unlike in Canada where prohibition was reversed in October 2018, cannabis possession in China is strictly punished. Nevertheless, China is attempting to outproduce the world in cannabis products such as CBD according to a report from High Green News in November 13.
The Chinese government has encouraged farmers to grow fields of hemp in recent years. Hemp is a plant found in the same genus as Cannabis Indica and Sativa, but hemp is nonintoxicating with levels of .03 THC and lower. Aside from containing CBD, hemp is the strongest natural fibre in the world. This useful plant has been used in clothing and for traditional medicine. China is one of the world’s largest hemp producers, producing nonintoxicating cannabidiol, or CBD, a loosely regulated chemical also found in Sativas and Indicas – varieties of cannabis with high THC levels which are illegal in China. CBD from hemp has became a highly desired agricultural product worldwide and is found in merchandise as diverse as bath bombs and pet foods.
Canada is actually one of the largest producers of hemp products. Last year, Saskatchewan's industrial hemp industry seemed to be on the cusp of major growth according to a provincial crop specialist, but now things could change with hemp’s downward ratings in recent market reports. In Top Crop Manager, Dale Risula, a crop specialist with the provincial government, said there was a revived interest in hemp in February 2018 because of marijuana’s impending legalization. Regulations surrounding hemp production were about to change in Canada, such as allowing for the sale of the plant’s leaves and flowers.
Before legalization, Saskatchewan led the way in 2017 for being the province with the highest number of industrial hemp licences and registrations at 518. Saskatchewan also had the most hectarage for cultivation of industrial hemp at 22,654.41. In second, came Alberta at 18,083.01 hectares, followed by Manitoba with 11,716.99.
But as other nations such as China have gotten into the act of producing hemp for CBD, the prices have radically decreased for the multipurposed isolate according to information provided by New Frontier Data. In 2015, the price for CBD isolate was chalked at $30,000 a kilogram. Now CBD is selling at almost half the price and falling in 2019, as hemp production surges around the world. Note that CBD Isolate is defined as containing 99 per cent CBD.
