What Does the Future of Hemp Look Like for 2020?
In a little over a week, we will be heading into a new decade, it feels like yesterday when we were ringing in the new millennium. A lot has changed in the cannabis industry in just the past two years alone. The Farm Bill passed in 2018-making Hemp federally legal and no longer considered a Schedule 1 drug. CBD brands have exploded-you can find CBD in everything from chocolate to beverages to even apparel. As we head into 2020, we wanted to know: What Does the Future of Hemp Look Like for 2020? Svn Space reached out to industry experts and professionals in this field to see what they thought.
“I predict CBD will be revered like other powerful skincare ingredients (peptides, hyaluronic acid) because of its ability to heal and nourish skin due to its active potency and high levels of antioxidants and nutrients.
I believe we will see an increase in consumer awareness and passion for CBD. Education is hugely important to this category. Consumers are gaining deeper knowledge about CBD benefits and are asking the right questions.
Lastly, I think other minor cannabinoids like CBG and CBN will start to gain momentum for their wellness benefits like stress and sleep.”
-Casey Georgeson, Founder, and CEO, SAINT JANE
“I am very hopeful that 2020 will be the year that brings the FDA’s formal recognition and regulation of hemp-derived CBD. The industry is booming, but the FDA’s negative public guidance casts a cloud, and the agency’s inaction only rewards bad actors in the industry. In the coming months, I am cautiously optimistic that the FDA, likely under Congressional pressure, will take steps to remove that cloud and begin to regulate the legal sale of CBD products.”
-Jonathan Miller, General Counsel, U.S. Hemp Roundtable
“We will continue to see Hemp appear throughout the home, in fashion, beauty, and wellness. In beauty, as key ingredients both Hemp seed oil for moisturizing properties and Hemp-derived CBD dealing with inflammation. In fashion, companies (like Patagonia) will focus on sustainability and the benefits of Hemp fabric over cotton. In food, as Hemp seeds are rich in fatty acids and high in protein, this will become a food staple like avocados. In wellness, focusing on other cannabinoids that are paired with other important ingredients to create more plant-based medicine.”
-Grace Saari, Co-Founder, Svn Space
“2020 will be the year that the focus for hemp shifts from CBD to the other lesser-known properties’ hemp has to offer. With the list of uses growing from 25,000 to 50,000 over the past few decades, companies are already creating innovative ways to use the miracle plant. Flooring, plastics, inks, dyes, conductive materials, fuels, and cosmetics are already being made from hemp, so it is only a matter of time until hemp starts to replace many of the conventional products in our everyday lives.”
-Michael Savarie, Sustainability Enterprise Catalyst, Hemp Black
“The future of hemp is shiny and bright! In 2020 I predict that we will finally and fully separate hemp from its intoxicating botanical cousin, marijuana, and thus see the plant for what it is: a non-intoxicating therapeutic wellness tool here to help all of us. I see (and hope for) legitimate FDA regulations that ensure the safety, purity and potency of products, so companies are no longer forced to act as regulators and to ensure we do not undermine the plant's vast therapeutic potential. I also see hemp continuing to solve the epidemic of our time: stress. It's no wonder that there's so much hype and interest in this plant, as it finally gives us permission to talk about the universal problem: chronic stress. With hemp cannabinoids as powerhouse endocannabinoid supporters, allowing us to reach equilibrium and homeostasis with more ease, we can all feel more balanced, healed, and hopefully, whole.”
-Jessica Assaf, Chief Education Officer, Prima
“The theme of hemp in 2020 is bringing chaos into order. California must submit its Industrial Hemp Plan to the USDA by May. If all goes well, it could be approved by the fall. Last year, AB 228, a bill designed to regulate industrial hemp products was held in the appropriations committee. Early next year, we expect to see another version of the bill. We are seeing the hemp market explore other cannabinoids such as CBN and CBG, and we look forward to all the truly industrial hemp applications, such as hemp as a plastic-alternative emerging in 2020.”
- Joanna Hossack, Attorney with Clark Neubert LLP
“As detailed in New Frontier Data’s U.S. Hemp Market 2019 State Rankings Report, in 2019, licensed hemp cultivation acreage more than tripled (to 480,334 acres from 112,163 acres in 2018), though the new industry was largely unprepared to handle such growth.
So, while there is expansive demand for hemp and hemp-derived products, the critical lack of processors capable of keeping up with supply (whether due to a lack of hemp-processing equipment, or the need for a mature supply chain) remains to be addressed. In the coming year, the introduction of new processors and established markets will remain vital to the pace and overall health of the industry.”
“Hemp 2020 will be the year of research, education and product innovation. We are scratching the surface on why and how hemp is beneficial for human wellness. With a shared objective of creating a more cannabis-friendly world, the industry will be focused on supporting medical researchers to better establish product safety and trust. We will also see businesses working more closely together - from sharing important scientific findings, to helping society understand the true potential of the plant. CBD is just the tip of the iceberg, with more than 100 other cannabinoids that we know of. The 2020 white space in consumer markets will be innovations in the use of minor cannabinoids. This progress will drive tailored and more effective products for different needs, and ultimately elevate the cultural conversation beyond CBD.”
-Michael Kamins, Co-Founder & Partner, OpenNest. Co-Founder & Partner, Trailblazers
“We will surpass the gimmicky “put CBD in everything” phase as it becomes a normal, run of the mill mainstay in medicine cabinets and on kitchen shelves in households across the country— putting the “normal” in normalizing hemp. The trendiness may fizzle, leaving CBD exactly where it should be: next to your ibuprofen and essential oils. Yet another common, effective, trusted healthcare and personal care item.
- The diet world will do more with protein-rich, omega-3-dense hemp seeds, using it as a plant-based protein source. I’m actually so excited to see how hemp — not CBD but hemp! — will present itself in the diet trends of the ‘20s.
- The conversation around hemp continues to alleviate stigma and shame around previously taboo health choices, which in turn furthers the dissolution of mental health stigma, allowing people to release shame around their own (extremely normal) chemical imbalances and illnesses.
- Trustworthy, safe, and ethical CBD brands will continue to discern themselves from fly-by-the-night CBD “brands” and help to curtail down the proliferation of scammy companies.”
-Dominique Michelle Astorino, wellness and fitness editor, Svn Space contributor
"Given the FDA’s recent statement that we simply don’t know enough about the science, safety, and quality of products containing cannabis-derived compounds, particularly CBD, I believe 2020 will be the year of research. We have an unprecedented opportunity to learn from existing user populations and identify the types of cannabis products used to address various indications, as well as details on dose, frequency, timing of use, and delivery methods most associated with therapeutic benefit. Such observational studies will also provide an opportunity to explore risks, including effects of long-term use in adults, any impact on brain development in children as well as interactions with drugs or other botanicals.”
-Pelin Thorogood, President, and Co-Founder, Wholistic Research and Education Foundation
“The Jan Brady of Cannabinoids: Meet CBD's Other Siblings - CBG, CBC, and CBN
In 2020, we will see the rise of the minor cannabinoids. As more research and anecdotal stories emerge shedding light on the possible different and or superior benefits of cannabinoids like CBG and CBC. Pretty soon, I imagine we may find that certain genetics/strains with its own unique recipe of terpenes, cannabinoids, flavonoids, and antioxidants may provide the key to all kinds of therapies.”
-Kimberly Dillon, Frigg, Founder
“As more states like Illinois approve recreational use, the laws and regulations will also follow suit. The confusion that permeates this entire industry will begin to define the lanes and laws for expanded retail opportunities. For The Plant Lore Agency of which I am the founder, we need more clarity along these lines to ensure that retailers can be better informed about the laws, thus allowing them to grow their businesses with confidence and foresight.
We must educate all those who form the various spokes of the wheel to pave the way for this industry to roll smoothly forward. This means efficacy and education must link together. From the brands who offer their products for sale to the retailer who sells these products, to the editors who write about these brands through to the consumer who votes with their dollars. All of these must work in tandem to ensure the chain of supply and demand is held to the highest standards ensuring quality over quantity.
Stricter guidelines will be enforced which will narrow the playing field as brands that do not meet these higher standards will fall away.
The wheels are turning in a forward direction.”
-Barbara Kramer, Founder, The Plant Lore Agency
“The future of hemp in 2020 looks like research. The NIH announced they'll be spending over 3 million dollars on CBD research in 2020. I think we can expect that we'll learn a lot more about how the compound interacts with the human body. And as public perception on cannabis and THC continues to shift, I think we'll see a lot more demand from the public to allow scientists to study cannabis as a whole.”
-Gretchen Lidicker, Author of CBD Oil: Everyday Secrets, Svn Space contributor
"Cannabis is here, and here to stay. While I love all the innovation behind the use of cannabinoids, I am most excited to dive into the textile use of cannabis. Specifically, transitioning Cannuka away from the use of plastic components to hemp-bioplastics. The technology is getting closer to making this a reality and my hope is by the end of 2020 we will have at least some of our components being made from cannabis/hemp!"
-Michael Bumgarner, Founder, Cannuka
“In the CBD space, we are going to see more condition-specific formulas with CBD as one of many ingredients that form a synergistic effect in the body. Just being CBD only will not be enough for consumers, as offerings for targeted formulas addressing specific needs gain dominance.”
-Jessica Mulligan, Co-Founder, Winged
