A federal agency has announced the recipients of an award honoring companies that successfully support military veterans – including a cannabis company that uses hemp as a construction material.
In a notice published Friday in the Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) said it recognized a “select group of veteran-prepared employers for excellence in recruitment, employment, and retention.” American veterans.” ”
Recipients of the HIRE Vets Medallion Award include a company called Mr. Hemp House. According to its website, the company specializes in “carbon-negative, bio-based material” that uses hemp to “provide superior insulation, fire resistance, moisture control, mold prevention and more.”
The company markets hemp-based concrete, which is widely considered an environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional building materials.
VETS named Mr. Hemp House among its 2024 honorees, meaning he will be awarded a “certificate accompanied by a digital image of the medallion for use, including as part of an advertisement, a tender, a business activity or a product.” .
While marijuana remains illegal federally, various federal agencies have embraced its non-intoxicating cousin cannabis, hemp.
For example, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently awarded $8.4 million to a hemp company committed to providing sustainable cannabis-based alternatives for building materials, packaging and auto parts.
DOE sponsored another project in 2021 with the company Hempitecture to develop hemp fiber insulation that is better for the environment and public health than insulation products.
In 2022, the DOE separately awarded Texas A&M University $3.47 million to support a project to 3D print hempcrete products with a focus on creating affordable housing.
As another part of the government's efforts to promote the use of greener building materials, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a nearly $6.2 million grant in July to another nonprofit organization working with hempcrete, the concrete-like material Material, works made from hemp.
Earlier this year, Volkswagen announced that it was working with a German hemp company to produce a cannabis-based leather alternative for its vehicles.
In 2022, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report on the hemp industry boom in Europe, recognizing that the cannabis crop is an increasingly important economic asset that could also help the region meet ambitious climate goals.
As the nation's hemp industry continues to mature, the USDA is making so-called “improvements” to a federal insurance program for hemp crops. The changes, which take effect next year, ease certain crop rotation requirements and eliminate smoke damage as a cause of covered losses.
The USDA has worked to strengthen the hemp industry, including by appointing a number of industry stakeholders this summer to a Federal Trade Advisory Committee designed to support efforts to promote U.S.-grown cannabis globally.
The department also recently announced that it is delaying enforcement of a rule requiring hemp farmers to test their plants only in laboratories registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), citing “setbacks” at the agency would have led to “inadequate” access to such facilities.
This is the third consecutive year that the USDA has delayed enforcing the hemp laboratory testing policy required by the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized the crop at the federal level.
The USDA also awarded $745,000 to the National Industrial Hemp Council (NIHC) to support efforts to promote the industry internationally in emerging markets around the world. In 2020, the USDA awarded NIHC $200,000 under another grant program.
The latest round of funding was awarded at a precarious time for the hemp industry. Although a USDA report noted that the market began to recover in 2023 after suffering significant losses the previous year, it still faces uncertainty as lawmakers in Congress have introduced bills that would ban most consumable cannabinoid products would effectively ban hemp-based – an important sector of the cannabis economy.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) said in a report in June that hemp provisions included in a spending bill passed by committee could also cause “confusion” in the industry due to a lack of clarity about the types of products allowed.
The USDA is also reportedly revoking hemp licenses for farmers who simultaneously grow marijuana under state-approved programs, underscoring another political conflict arising from the ongoing federal ban on some forms of the cannabis plant.
Meanwhile, internally at the USDA, food safety workers are being urged to exercise caution and avoid cannabis products, including federally legal CBD, as the agency sees a “surge” in positive THC tests amid “confusion” as more states enact legalization .
FBI agents highlight stoned Christmas tree in new ad and warn against driving with marijuana restrictions during the holidays
Photo courtesy of Brendan Cleak.
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