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80 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com a low (0.3 percent) level on a dry weight basis. In contrast, cannabis is a flowering plant with three different species—Indica, Sativa, and Ruderalis. It is harvested for its flowers and buds, which can contain up to 20 percent THC. There are 100 different cannabinoids in hemp and cannabis, but the two most studied are THC and CBD. Human bodies have an endocannabinoid system that keeps our vital routines in balance, regulating sleep, stimulating appetite, less- ening pain, and so on. CBD reacts with that system, and reportedly helps with nausea, inf lammation, anxiety, and depression. Since the Farm Bill was passed in December 2018, there has been a rush to put CBD in cosmetics, health and beauty aids, and food. There are even reports that a major fast food chain in planning to test a CBD- infused hamburger. Estimates place the cannabis and CBD industry at $14.6 billion in 2019, a 30 percent increase over 2018. Much of this growth is due to the proliferation of CBD products. According to Arcview, sales will jump to $22.6 billion by 2021. A study by Nielsen reports that 34 percent of U.S. consumers are interested in consuming cannabis, with 21–34-year-olds being the most likely to buy. S ome have called it the Wild West of food. Ever since hemp and its related compounds, especially CBD, were declared legal in the 2018 Farm Bill, makers and retailers have been eager to add these prod- ucts to their specialty food repertoire. Yet a tangle of fed- eral and state governmental agencies with a wide range of regulations have made it all super confusing. While edibles are allowed in the nine states that permit rec- reational marijuana and are also available in the 34 states that have legalized medical marijuana, CBD laws are much more ambiguous and confusing. Whereas the 2018 Farm Bill exempted indus- trial hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, cannabis remains a Schedule 1 controlled substance under federal law, like heroin. A Botany Lesson Industrial hemp and cannabis are part of the same family but from different plants. Industrial hemp is an agricultural product grown primarily for fiber and seeds. It does also produce THC, although at BY RON TANNER CBD and Cannabis in Specialty Foods: What You Need to Know article bug specialtyfood.com ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE 80 specialty food maker regulatory update