Compliance · First post, coming soon
Total THC, explained: why a delta-9 COA stops being enough in late 2026
For years, a hemp lot was legal at the federal level if its delta-9 THC stayed at or under 0.3% on a dry-weight basis. From late 2026 that changes. The new federal definition counts THCA, the compound in raw hemp that becomes delta-9 THC when heated, so the test becomes total THC. This post walks through the formula labs use, delta-9 THC plus 0.877 times THCA, with a worked example showing how a lot that passed last season can fail this one. We explain which products the 0.4 milligram per container cap applies to and which it does not, why bulk flower and biomass are judged on the 0.3% figure, and what buyers should ask a supplier before they sign. We close with a short checklist for growers holding inventory that was tested under the old rule, and the questions to put to their state programme before the deadline arrives.
Testing · First post, coming soon
How to read a hemp COA in five minutes
A Certificate of Analysis is the single most important document in a hemp deal, and the one most often skimmed. This post is a practical guide for buyers and sellers who need to judge one quickly. We go line by line through a typical full-panel COA: the lab's accreditation and licence, the sample and lot identifiers, the date the sample was taken, the cannabinoid table, moisture and the dry-weight basis, and the safety panels for pesticides, heavy metals, microbials and mycotoxins. We show how to calculate total THC when a lab reports only delta-9 THC and THCA, what a limit of quantitation means, and why a result marked 'not detected' is not the same as zero. We also cover the warning signs that a COA does not belong to the lot in front of you, and the simple steps, from sealed retained samples to independent re-tests, that protect both sides of a trade.
Export · First post, coming soon
Shipping US hemp flower to Switzerland: what the receiver needs on file
Switzerland is the most practical first European destination for US hemp flower: hemp under 1.0% THC sits outside its narcotics rules, and a regulated trade in CBD flower already exists. Getting a lot from a US farm to a Swiss warehouse still takes a precise file. This post sets out the documents a Swiss receiver will expect, from the commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin to the pre-shipment COAs, licence chain and plant-health certificate. We explain what the Incoterm DAP means for who pays for what, why the importer of record matters, how bonded storage works, and how arrival testing against retained samples protects both parties. We also flag the questions that only Swiss counsel can answer, including how flower sold for smoking is treated under tobacco-product rules, so that receivers and exporters can prepare for the first conversation rather than discover them at the border.
Markets · First post, coming soon
Flower, biomass or kief: how buyers specify each, and what moves the price
Hemp flower, biomass and kief come from the same plant, but they are bought by different people for different reasons, and a specification that works for one fails for another. This post explains how each product is defined and graded. For flower, that means cultivar, grow type, trim, size, moisture and appearance. For biomass, it means cannabinoid content, the share of flower versus stem and leaf, and how it was dried and stored. For kief, it means potency, purity and a clean safety panel. We go through the factors that move the price of each, including cannabinoid level, total THC headroom under the limit, test history, lot size, consistency across the lot, freshness and freight. We then show how to write a buyer brief that gets accurate quotes the first time, and the common gaps, such as a missing THC ceiling or test list, that slow a deal down.
Europe · First post, coming soon
Germany after the Cannabis Act: where US hemp fits, and where it does not
Germany's Cannabis Act of April 2024 changed the rules for personal cannabis use, and it is often misread as opening a market for hemp flower. It did not. This post explains, in plain terms, what the Act and the EU's 0.3% THC rule for hemp mean for a US supplier. We separate the channels that exist from the ones that do not: processors and extractors, licensed importers serving the medical market, and industrial users, against the restrictions on selling hemp flower to consumers. We look at why Hamburg is the natural port of entry for EU-bound lots, how product landing in Germany differs from product landing in Switzerland, which sits outside the EU customs union, and why a lot that is fine for Switzerland may still need to meet a stricter test for Germany. We finish with the questions German counsel must answer before a first shipment and the documents a German receiver will ask for.
