HOPE Act is back • Gallup: who is consuming the most cannabis in America • USDA’s National Hemp Report shows growth • & more …

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This week, Sen. Jacky Rosen introduced the Harnessing Opportunity by Pursuing Expungement (HOPE) Act, which would streamline expungements in states that legalize through the creation of a federal grant program. 

It’s no surprise that HOPE has been reintroduced as the SAFER Banking Act push starts up againn. As Cannabis Wire reported back in September, when SAFER cleared the Senate Banking Committee, Sen. Chuck Schumer made it clear that he wanted to add HOPE to the banking bill.

“While cannabis has been regulated in our state since 2017, many Nevadans are still dealing with the effects of past low-level marijuana offenses. Having a record for something that is now legal in our state threatens Nevadans’ ability to get a job, apply for housing, and contribute to our state’s economy,” Rosen said in a statement.

“That’s why I’m introducing this bipartisan bill to help expunge and seal certain marijuana convictions in states like Nevada where it has been legalized or decriminalized. I’ll continue working across the aisle to support commonsense cannabis reform that helps small businesses in our state.” 

A new Gallup analysis shows that 9% of Americans report consuming cannabis at least 10 days a month. 

Other data points that caught our eye: 

• The most frequent consumers have a high school education (13%) and earn $24,000 or less (16%). These rates are three times higher than earners who have a $180,000 annual salary.  

• Consumption remains higher among younger adults and men. 

• Geographically, the highest rates of cannabis consumption are from the Middle Atlantic region, which includes (NJ, NJ, PA) and the East North Central region (WI, MI, IL, IN and OH). 

• Lowest rates of consumption reflect our country’s patchwork of cannabis laws: areas like Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama have the lowest rates. 

The poll is one part of the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index and included a survey of 6,386 U.S. adults between late November and early December 2023. 

The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released its National Hemp Report for 2023, and it contains data from a survey that was sent to more than 6,000 hemp producers in January. 

The value of all hemp grown in the US in 2023 grew to $291 million, up 18% from $238 million in 2022. 

Looking specifically at “floral hemp,” which USDA defines as “hemp used for the extraction of essential oils from plant resin, such as cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabinol (CBN), or other phytocannabinoids,” as well as “smokable hemp,” the numbers were up, too, from growth to value. 

“United States floral hemp production grown in the open for 2023 was estimated at 8.03 million pounds, up 18 percent from 2022. Area harvested for floral hemp in the open in the United States was estimated at 7,383 acres, up 4 percent from last season. The average yield for 2023 floral hemp in the open was estimated at 1,088 pounds per acre, up 134 pounds from last year. The value of floral hemp grown in the open totaled $241 million, up 35 percent from 2022,” the report notes.

If you want to look at some state-specific data, you can check out the full report here.