In 2022, for the very first time ever, Indianvaidyas presented India Hemp Awards 2022 to honor the excellence in the fields of business and health at India Hemp Expo. Indianvaidyas honored the best in-depth efforts and contribution of the various hemp sectors in the field of business, health, medical and entrepreneurship.

We are thrilled to share that our beloved organization received the Best Hemp Marketplace of the year award in the ceremony. Our sincere, diligent and hardworking marketing team solely deserved the same for their tireless efforts for promoting the hemp products across the world.

Hempistani Trading LLP is a joint venture initiative of three like-minded individuals dedicated on removing the stigma on the entire hemp. Exploring this billion-dollar hemp industry, which can bring prosperity to several other sectors, is the idea of ​​three partners.

By integrating new technologies into traditional processes, Hempistani is driving to expand the possibilities of hemp production and use. Hempistani entrepreneurs are looking forward to providing a reliable market for hemp consumers as they are raising awareness of industrial facility that was available over hundreds of centuries ago.

Our vision is to create a platform to connect the various hemp-based businesses across the world and provide their customers access to the best hemp-based products. We offer an e-commerce platform for products, and comprehensive, and digital marketing solutions to hemp-based businesses.

The India Hemp Expo 2022, a first ever hemp exhibition, kick-started at the Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, Delhi on May 13. Organized by Indianvaidyas.com. This revolutionary event was inaugurated by Dr. Anil Agarwal, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha.
This ground-breaking event showcases a wide variety of Hemp-related products such as hemp food items, cosmetics, textiles & construction materials, hemp medicines and other hemp-based products.

Dr. Anil Agarwal said, “Medical cannabis industry offers plenty of opportunities if well organized and systematic research is completed. With impending legalization and implementation of cannabis medicine, maximum number of people could get effective yet natural treatment at affordable costs.”

Dr. Pradeep Kumar Agrawal, Chairman, Delhi Paramedical Board, politico and first personal assistant of Office of Minister of State (Animal Husbandry & Dairying) Mr Mukesh Shukla, DCP Metro Jitendra Mani Tripathi, renowned social worker Mukta Sharma, leader Vidhushi Upadhyay, and plenty of others.

With the attendance of the many industry giants & experts, Ayurveda doctors, and hemp enthusiasts from across the globe, this unique event is undoubtedly a superb opportunity for the exhibitors to extend their branding and generate business leads in markets globally through professional networking.

Applauding India Hemp Expo as a commendable platform to produce public awareness about the vast potential of cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes, Dr. Pradeep Kumar Agrawal said, “This increasing awareness about cannabis as a life-saving medicine can revolutionize the choice medical system in near future.”

On asking about the legal standing of the govt towards hemp, Mr. Mukesh Shukla said, “As this government has another AIIMS to the country bringing about medical revolution, soon cannabis is predicted to be legalized to confirm its medicinal benefits reach the people.”
He also added, “When government and researchers come together to promote medical cannabis then it’ll make sure that everyone will have access to treatment at a really reasonable cost.”

Talking about medical cannabis efficacy in treating many chronic diseases, DCP Metro Jitendra Mani Tripathi said that the negative perspective about hemp needs to be changed. He added, “With legalized and proper application of this sacred medicinal plant we can restore good health naturally.”

India Hemp Expo 2022 also marked the launch of cannabisvaidyas.com, India’s largest cannabis platform with 100 doctors across the country. The original brainchild of Vaidya Piyush Juneja, a leading Medical Cannabis Practitioner in India.

While addressing the challenges of using medical cannabis and myths around the hemp products Dr Juneja said, “My prime motive behind this event is to create positivity around this valuable herb and let people know about the plethora health benefits of cannabis.”

He also announced the second edition of the India Hemp expo which is going to be a two-day event. It will be held in Mumbai on 24-25^th February in 2023.

While the first day of the Indian Hemp Expo concluded with a hemp award ceremony, the second day of this event started with a serious discussing session between some of the best names in the hemp industry, Ayurveda experts and the audience.

Talking about the numerous benefits of medical hemp in treating chronic disease Mr Vikram Bir Singh, Ananta Hemp Works said, “Our main agenda is to bring the most versatile herb hemp, back to the society. By closely working with the Ayurveda doctors’ community we want to bring the healing benefits of medical cannabis to the maximum number of people in India.”

While talking about how hemp can be integrated into our daily lifestyle, Mr. Sumit Sinha, founder of Happy Hemp said, “From roti, kapda to makan you can use hemp and its by-products in every possible way you imagine. With structured efforts by all of us, India’s hemp industry can boom in and emerge as the largest exporter of hemp raw material.”

Rajat Gupta, Co-founder, Noigra said, “Through this initiative, people can connect with us to clear their misconception about hemp and know how useful it is medically and nutritionally. “

Mr. Yogesh Jhamtani, Co-Founder & CEO at Buffalo Extraction Systems discussed the manufacturing difficulties of hemp and said, “India is blessed with favourable climate and landmass that is desired by South American countries to produce hemp. But unfortunately, our country lacks correct production, extracting, processing, and different facilities.”

Applauding the cumulative effort of the entire hemp industry to promote both industrial and medical hemp across the world, Yash Kotak , Co-founder and Director of BOHECO said, “It feels great to see that the entire hemp industry come together at one platform to promote this wonderful herb. We are here trying to grow and commercialize the use of legal hemp and cannabis across the country.”

The first technical session was based on Cannabis Hemp Uses (Nutrition, Cosmetics, Fiber, Pet Care & Industrial Hemp). Followed by the next day of the event, Second Technical Session focussed on Discussion on Manufacturing, Cultivation, Extraction & Legal Aspects of Cannabis & Hemp. Finally the last Technical Session led to Doctor’s Conference on How to Establish Medical Cannabis Practice.

Cannabis use has always been an arena of conflicts. Although for a significant number of years it has proven beneficial in diseases such as migraine, anxiety, and epilepsy and has worked over conditions in which the conventional medication was of no use for years. Cannabis is one of the five sacred plants mentioned by the Atharvaveda. It was referred to as a source of happiness, donator of joy, and bringer of freedom. It is being used since ancient times for either industrial or medicinal purposes. Cannabis has proven as a plant of value. Some of its life-changing benefits are already known and further research over the miracle plant is still going on.

In the most recent development of 2022 around the medical use of Cannabis in India, the center told the Delhi high court that the use of Cannabis is not completely banned in the country. The center mentioned that medical and scientific use is allowed under the law.

This was said to the Delhi High court that refused to advance the hearing of the plea seeking to legalize its use on various grounds including medicinal purposes. Now the question is why was the plea refused?

In January 2022, the central government reply was framed under the ministry of finance by director narcotics which stated that the state government has all the powers under which Cannabis can be regulated for cultivation for manufacturing and for processing purposes.

Now if we speak of the most recent, in the global fight against covid-19, Cannabis, and its use are now back in focus. It is back in focus in the pandemic with a petition by a great legislation movement of India trust which has contended that there are reports to suggest that cannabinoids helped in countering the effect of covid-19.

According to scientists, the latest evidence shows the positive side of using Cannabis to counter the virus, and the experts have called foreign legalization for the use of Cannabis-derived medicines for treatment. Also, the latest anecdotal evidence published in the journal science advances suggests that the people who were prescribed regular high potency doses of pharmaceutical-grade CBD were less likely to contract covid.

CBD induces interferon expressions and upregulates its antiviral signaling pathway and in this way, it is able to. In research, it was shown that it might be a potential treatment for a covid patient. Of course, most of the articles were subjected and conducted on not many groups of patients so this still has a lot of potential and researchers think that Cannabis as a medicine for covid-19 quotes on being a realization. The findings do lead to indicate that Cannabis-derived medicines prescribed by registered practitioners may help and calm the after-effects of COVID and certainly, although it does not mean that smoking a joint will prevent covid.

In recent research studies, it has been proven the data has active compounds which block the process of covid virus infection in our body. It also reduces the cytokines storm which affects the lungs badly. Also, the doctors say that in clinics they saw patients are healing in a faster way with cannabis than they have administered before. While it’s not just cannabis but the best medicines along with them are what makes them heal faster. A prescription is a thing that is required before you decide to purchase them because certain medicines are contraindicated. So it is always advised to visit the doctor prior to starting the Cannabis medicine.

In no way any of this suggests that this would be a replacement for washing hands, using sanitizers, vaccinating, or using masks because these are not medication but the vital things to be included in our daily habits. Also, consulting a certified Cannabis practitioner or an ayurvedic doctor is the best way to procure the medicine and have suitable doses.

If you haven’t heard of the word “hemp” or are confused with its relation to the plant, we’ve simplified it for you here, keep reading to find out!

Cannabis is being used globally to cure severe diseases and numerous conditions. It has the potential to work well with conditions like seizure disorders, epilepsy, and certain syndromes for which conventional medicine has been of no help for the last 34 years. Cannabis is back in focus in the pandemic with the petition by Great Legalisation Movement of India Trust which has contended that there were reports that suggest getting cannabinoids helped in countering the impact of covid-19.

In the recent development in January 2022, the Central Government replied under the ministry by Narcotics that clearly States that the state government has all the power under which Cannabis can be regulated and cultivated for manufacturing and for processing purposes.

The latest evidence published in the journal Science suggests that the people who were prescribed regular high potency dozes off pharmaceutical-grade CBD were less likely to contract Covid. CBD induces interferon expression and upregulates its antiviral signalling pathway and in this way, it might be a potential treatment for covid patients. Researchers suggest that Cannabis as a medicine for covid-19 will soon be realised.

In a recent episode of Shark tank, Jayanti Bhattacharya, an entrepreneur from Bangalore had appeared as a contestant.  Describing her product she began by stating that in 2017 her younger sister suffered from a chronic condition. It was very intense. They tried MRIs and plenty of methods but nothing was of help. Finally, the only thing that helped her sister was Hemp.

Hemp is known as Bhang in our country. It’s been a part of our culture for thousands of years. It’s an energy-providing food. Looking at these benefits in 2019 Jayanti and her sister founded “India Hemp and Co” where they make nutritious hemp products.

There are overall 12 products made by the company. Also, she added that she appeared on the Shark Tank, to clear the plenty of misconceptions people have about hemp and its products. Various qualities and benefits of hemp are: one can have a high protein diet. It has a huge amount of anti-inflammatory. It’s high in fibre and also has got a complete amino acid profile. Taking protein powder as an example, for people who work out, it is ideal for them to consume because it is a completely plant-based protein. 4 tbsp of hemp protein powder gets you 37 grams of proteins!

The sales of hemp products are pretty good but comparatively lesser because of the restrictions faced. For the past 3 months, Google has allowed the company to advertise its products.  Her product is admired as Its nutritional value is generic, it is good for health.

Let’s move to the Q & A session of the episode.

Q: Did you face problems while sourcing it legally?

A: Yes, many because of the misconceptions people had. Now on the 22nd of November 2021, FSSAI has declared it as food. Before this, we were using an Ayush license. There were very limitations with us. Earlier we couldn’t sell it on Flipkart or BigBasket.

Q: Is hemp allowed officially? If yes, then in which form? Intoxicated?

A: Yes, it is officially allowed but it’s not in an intoxicated form.

Q: Is there a difference between hemp brownies and hash brownies?

A: Yes, there is a huge difference. There is a huge cannabis family, you have two strains, you have hemp and you have marijuana. Marijuana contains THC. Hemp doesn’t have that.

Q: What do we call it in Hindi?

A: We call it bhang. That’s a different bhang that comes from the roots of marijuana that gets you high. There’s a difference.

Q: Do the food products contain flax seeds?

A: It’s a product that’s a mixture of seeds. Flax seeds, sesame seeds, and all.

Q: What percentage is hemp in these products?

A: In the trail mix, there is 15 % hemp and in the brownie, there would be 25 % hemp. The taste is a little bitter, but it’s very nutritious.

Q: So the conclusion is, hemp is allowed and it has nothing to do with getting high?

A: Yes, you do not get high when you eat hemp. You get healthy.

Q: Do you make any products for cats too?

A: Yes, we have cat oil.

Shark Tank concluded by presenting her with an offer of 20 lacs for 10% equity, which is a 2 crore evaluation, And 30 lacs are debt with a 12% interest rate. Also was advised that all this needs much hard work in terms of selling as a pharma company. It consists of concept selling. Although the non-negotiable offer wasn’t accepted by Jayanti, the entire discussion about hemp was a myth buster and eye-opener for many audiences.

The other medicines that are available in the market or that we consume have a lot of side effects but cannabis itself has no side effects and it works magically. Cannabis like other medicines is a foreign product to the body but it doesn’t produce any effect that can harm you, unlike chemical medicines. It already has made a huge impact on the life of a lot of people. It resolves the problem that 90% of people have nowadays like anxiety, stress, chronic pain, inflammation, and sleeplessness.

FSSAI – Food Safety and Security Authority of India on 15^th November 2021, recognised to hemp seeds, hemp seed oil and seed-based flour as food and food ingredients, indicating the development of a huge market with some 1.4 billion consumers.

The notification regularises hemp seeds, hemp seed oil, and hemp seed flour to be sold as food, or used as an ingredient in a food for sale. A number of parameters such as the total levels of THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids along with directions for proper labelling of hemp seeds and seed products are also a part of this notification.

New Regulations: Key Features

• Only hemp seeds from plants that have less than 0.3% THC are allowed to be incorporated into food products;
• THC content in food seeds may not exceed 5mg/kg and THC content in the oil extracted from such seeds is capped at 10mg/kg;
• Beverages made from hemp seeds must not contain more than 0.2mg/kg THC;
• Hemp-seed flour is defined as a “solid product after seeds are milled to a powder with or without extraction of oil.” Such products cannot exceed 5mg/kg of THC;
• CBD levels in hemp seed or seed-based food products cannot surpass 75 mg/kg;
• Product labels are not allowed to imply any psychoactive effects, nor include any nutrition or health claims about CBD, “any image/representation of the cannabis plant (including the leaf) other than the seeds, nor the words ‘cannabis’, ‘marijuana’ or words of similar meaning.”

Meanwhile…

About 10,000 residents of 35 villages of Ralegada Gram Panchayats assembled at Dhuliput to put forth their 19-point demand despite knowing well that they could be penalised under stringent provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, for growing cannabis.

“We are not getting actual price for our agricultural produce. Most of the villagers of Ralegada and other neighbouring gram panchayats depend on cannabis cultivation. The money earned from cannabis cultivation helps us send our wards to distant places for education,” Kamulu Hantal, a resident of Ralegada, said.

“We are informed that the Government is out to destroy all hemp plants. This will snatch a robust source of income. We urge the Government to facilitate marketing for our agricultural produce. We will not stop growing cannabis cultivation if our demand is not met,” he said.

The agitating villagers demanded inclusion of all households under the National Food Security Act and the Prime Minister Awas Yojna, settlement of land under the Forest Right Act and minimum support price for their agricultural produce.

The cannabis seizure in Odisha has grown by six times in past nine years. In 2013, a total 241 quintals were seized from smugglers. In 2021, the State police have already achieved a record haul of 1,504 quintals by October. Last year, 1,384 quintals were seized. The neighbouring Andhra Pradesh comes second with seizure of 978 quintals in 2020.

The report, released this month, provides a wide array of data points detailing how legalization has affected law enforcement and marijuana use among Colorado residents. For example, the report notes that between 2012, when Colorado voters passed the amendment legalizing the sale and possession of marijuana, and 2019, “marijuana-related court filings declined 55 percent between 2012 and 2019, from 9,925 to 4,489.” 

The report also found a notable spike in cannabis use among adults––perhaps not a surprise given the greater accessibility after the change in law. “In 2019, 19.0 percent of adults reported marijuana use in the past 30 days,” the report stated, “compared to 13.4 percent in 2014, a significant increase.”

The report provided insight into how Coloradans are consuming their weed. “Those reporting smoking marijuana flower decreased from 87.2 percent of users in 2016 to 76.1 percent in 2019. This compares to increases in eating/drinking (35.2 percent in 2016 to 43.0 percent in 2019), vaping (22.9 percent in 2016 to 32.0 percent in 2019), and dabbing (16.8 percent in 2016 to 19.6 percent in 2019),” according to the report.

The report pulled data from the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey⁠—based on a sample size of 46,537 high school and 6,983 middle school students in 2019⁠—as well as the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, based on a sample of 447 respondents in 2018-19, to analyze the impact on youth. The findings showed very little change.

“[Healthy Kids Colorado Survey] results indicate no significant change in past 30-day use of marijuana between 2013 (19.7 percent) and 2019 (20.6 percent),” the study stated. “Also, in 2019, the use rates were not different from the national 30-day use rates reported by the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. In 2019, 20.6 percent of Colorado high school students reported using marijuana in the past 30 days compared to 21.7 percent of high school students nationally that reported this behavior.”

Juvenile arrests for marijuana decreased by 37 percent between 2012 and 2019, according to the report. The report also pointed to “a significant rate increase of marijuana-related emergency department visits during the era of medical commercialization, from 617.7 in 2011 to 1039.5 in 2014.”

Earlier this month, Senate Democrats announced details of a bill that would regulate cannabis on the federal level.  

The Colorado Division of Criminal Justice, which is under the state’s Department of Public Safety, did include a caveat in its report, saying the “information presented here should be interpreted with caution.”

“The majority of the data sources vary considerably in terms of what exists historically and the reliability of some sources has improved over time,” the report stated. “Consequently, it is difficult to draw conclusions about the potential effects of marijuana legalization and commercialization on public safety, public health or youth outcomes, and this may always be the case due to the lack of historical data. Furthermore, the measurement of available data elements can be affected by the very context of marijuana legalization.”

The strains in question are called ST1, TT1, UUA1 and RD1. The Medicinal Plant Research Institute under the Department of Medical Sciences had been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to plant the cannabis varietals after many parts of the plant were decriminalised last year.

Mr Anutin said the strains’ registrations are currently awaiting certification by the Agriculture Department, saying the process is expected to finish in August.

Each variety contains different ratios of the psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiols (CBD), which are known to have medical benefits.

Research into the strains’ benefits and uses will be conducted by the department, in conjunction with Rajamangala University of Technology Isan Sakonnakhon Campus and Kasetsart University Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Campus, the deputy prime minister said.

“It will generate economic benefits for the country, as well as boost farmers’ potential to compete in the global market, which will help reduce trade deficit with other countries,” he said.

In addition to the National Heritage registration, Mr Anutin said the Department of Medical Sciences discovered the cannabis roots can help restore function in lungs which had been damaged by Covid-19 infection. Mr Anutin said he fully supports research into the matter, saying it will be a huge advantage for Thai medical professionals if they can offer a cannabis-based treatment for patients diagnosed with Covid-19.

The commission regulates combat sports in the state, and is thus the regulatory authority that sets the rules for marquee Ultimate Fighting Championship and boxing bouts taking place in Las Vegas, where UFC is headquartered.

For many years, the commission had taken a hard line on cannabis—banning the substance in and out of competition—which in turn jeopardized the careers of fighters who said they used cannabis to help relieve the toils of training and fighting.

The NSAC’s substance-abuse policy took its weirdest turn in 2015, when both Nick Diaz and Anderson Silva, the two combatants in UFC 183 in January of that year.

Both fighters failed post-bout drug tests—Diaz for cannabis, and Silva for anabolic steroids. But while Silva was banned for one year, Diaz received a five-year ban. He has not fought since. He has, on the other hand, very openly continued to smoke cannabis.

As USA Today’s Nolan King reported Wednesday afternoon, going forward, a fighter in Nevada will only be penalized for marijuana use if they are “impaired” on fight night based on visual checks.

The commission will continue to test for marijuana for at least the next six months—as part of the commission’s inquiry into head trauma—but won’t punish fighters who use marijuana in training.

Positive cannabis tests are not considered necessarily indicative of intoxication or even recent use. Cannabis metabolites are fat soluble and can stay in the body for many days or weeks after use.

For this reason, UFC in January lifted its own ban on cannabis use in the sport, but without Nevada athletic officials following suit, fighters still had to pass a test.

At least part of the NAC’s decision rests on what appears to be a faulty understanding of World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) policies.

WADA classifies cannabis as both a substance of abuse dangerous to athletes, and as a performance-enhancing drug. US Olympic gold medal hopeful Sha’Carri Richardson, who tested positive for cannabis use last month, is the most famous recent example of an athlete banned from competition under WADA rules.

According to King, NAC executive director Bob Bennett said in a conference call on Wednesday that Nevada will no longer ban cannabis because it’s not a performance enhancer.

“I think our goal is to test for performance-enhancing drugs to ensure a level playing field,” he said, as per King. “The fact that it is not a performance-enhancing drug, I do not believe we should test for it any longer.”

Bennett’s confusion aside, contemporary researchers in cannabis toxicology and physiology don’t believe there’s enough evidence to classify cannabis as either performance enhancing or abusive, and have called for more research.

The policy was updated last month to remove the ban, with some restrictions. A marijuana app must be geo-restricted to jurisdictions where cannabis is legal, and the program must be “submitted by a legal entity that provides the services, and not by an individual developer.”

Here’s what the previous policy said: 

“Apps that encourage consumption of tobacco and vape products, illegal drugs, or excessive amounts of alcohol are not permitted on the App Store. Apps that encourage minors to consume any of these substances will be rejected. Facilitating the sale of controlled substances (except for licensed pharmacies), marijuana, or tobacco is not allowed.

The new policy, which was updated on June 7, reads: 

“Apps that encourage consumption of tobacco and vape products, illegal drugs, or excessive amounts of alcohol are not permitted on the App Store. Apps that encourage minors to consume any of these substances will be rejected. Facilitating the sale of controlled substances (except for licensed pharmacies and licensed or otherwise legal cannabis dispensaries), or tobacco is not allowed.”

…

“Apps that provide services in highly-regulated fields (such as banking and financial services, healthcare, gambling, legal cannabis use, and air travel) or that require sensitive user information should be submitted by a legal entity that provides the services, and not by an individual developer. Apps that facilitate the legal sale of cannabis must be geo-restricted to the corresponding legal jurisdiction.”

TechCrunch first reported on the new guidelines, and WeedWeek later flagged the marijuana-specific guidance.

In contrast, Google’s Android app hub updated its policy in 2019 to explicitly prohibit programs that connect users with cannabis, no matter whether it is legal in the jurisdiction where the user lives.

“We don’t allow apps that facilitate the sale of marijuana or marijuana products, regardless of legality,” it says, adding that some examples of violations would be “allowing users to order marijuana through an in-app shopping cart feature” or “assisting users in arranging delivery or pick up of marijuana.”

It also says that “facilitating the sale of products containing THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), including products such as CBD oils containing THC” is against its policies.

Chris Vaughn, CEO of the California delivery service Emjay, told WeedWeek that he believes Apple’s decision was informed by the continuing legalization movement in states like New York, as well as Amazon’s recent announcement that it will no longer be drug testing workers for cannabis in addition to lobbying for a federal legalization bill. He added that he thinks Google will “follow quickly” to update its own policies.

Apple’s App Store was responsible for $643 billion in billings and sales last year. That came out to a rise of 24 percent year over year.

According to the tech giant, the number of small developers has boosted by 40 percent since 2015. They now make up over nine out of 10 developers on the App Store.

A recent study considers a small business to be one with under one million downloads and under $1 million in earnings throughout all apps in any year.

In an 8-3 decision, the court ruled that adults would be able to apply for permits to cultivate and consume their own cannabis. Smoking in public and in front of children is banned.

The ruling does not mention the commercialisation of cannabis.

The decision came after a legalisation bill stalled in Congress.

“Today is a historic day for liberties,” Supreme Court president Arturo Zaldívar said.

Meanwhile in France..

In a recent months its “wellness” derivative, CBD, has become something of a green Eldorado. So where exactly is the line between therapeutic, medical and recreational use? France24 takes a closer look.