Mississippi farmers or those interested in becoming farmers can start applying for hemp grower licenses.

The Daily Leader reports the license application period began Saturday and runs through Oct. 31 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Industrial hemp has been promoted as a new cash crop for struggling farmers.

Hemp is a member of the cannabis plant family but contains only traces of the THC chemical compound that causes a high for marijuana users. Hemp is used for textiles, fuels, clothing, body lotion, paper, rope and chemical absorbents, among other products.

Congress paved the way for state hemp programs in the 2018 Farm Bill, which removed industrial hemp from the list of federally controlled substances.

State leaders in Mississippi are urging voters to carefully consider two medical marijuana measures on the November ballot, characterizing the less restrictive of the two proposals as dangerous. Republican state Rep. Jill Ford, Ed Langton, the chairman of the Mississippi Board of Health, and Madison County Sheriff Randy Tucker said that Initiative 65, which was placed on the general election ballot via a citizen petition, would lead to an increase in drug abuse and allow cannabis dispensaries to open near schools and churches.

Despite it being a crazy year, Americans can't lose sight of the fact that Election Day is a little over three months away. At stake are 435 seats in the House of Representatives, roughly a third of all seats in the Senate, and, of course, the Oval Office.

But it's an equally important election at the state level. No matter what happens federally, it's unlikely that marijuana's scheduling will be changed anytime soon. This means state-level cannabis legalizations will continue to play a major role in growing the U.S. pot industry.

Marijuana often demonstrates the ability to win over even the most conservative of individuals. That said, winning over the hearts and minds of America’s vast regions isn’t complete until cannabis endears itself to the nation’s most conservative citizens and lawmakers in the southeast. 

Recent activity indicates that it may just be happening.

Commonly known as the Deep South, the region is the Bible Belt’s shiny, conservative buckle. It’s where conservative viewpoints almost always win out. There, progressive agendas like cannabis reform often face an uphill battle that rivals that of Sisyphus. 

According to a new study published by the Journal of Dietary Supplements, many cannabinoid (CBD)-infused products that are purchased over-the-counter contain far lower percentages of cannabidiol than advertised on the products’ labeling. The study, titled Content versus label claims in cannabidiol (CBD) products obtained from commercial outlets in the state of Mississippi, was first reported on by NORML.

For the study researchers lab-tested 25 commercially available hemp/CBD oil products: All of these products are legally available, but none are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The year 2020 was destined to be a banner year for marijuana producers and dispensaries. That is, until COVID-19 reared its ugly head. 

If you’re wondering how COVID-19 is affecting marijuana legislation, you’re not the only one. The reality is that the coronavirus pandemic has, unfortunately, hampered some marijuana legalization efforts in the short term, but it shouldn’t have any long-lasting effects. 

Marijuana legalization initiatives are still taking place in US states despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus outbreak has taken a toll on the global markets and the economy. Countries and the World Health Organization are trying to contain the virus. Meanwhile, legalization efforts continue in US states. Mississippi has been trying to put a legalization initiative on the November ballot. However, lawmakers have a new strategy to make marijuana legalization difficult in the state.

Mississippi voters may have not one, but two medical marijuana proposals to decide on come November.

Members of the state’s House of Representatives passed a resolution on Tuesday to place another measure on this year’s ballot as an alternative to Initiative 65, which qualified for the ballot in January.

National Institute of Health (NIH) spends an estimated $150 million per year on marijuana research. All of which is sourced from one farm at the University of Mississippi.

Even though marijuana stocks had a miserable 2019, cannabis momentum marches on in North America. For instance, by no later than April 30, we should see Mexico officially become the third country in the world to legalize adult-use weed. That follows the country's Supreme Court ruling mandating that Congress come up with rules to regulate a retail cannabis market in Mexico.