With roughly 20 percent of the country’s hemp being produced in New York state and with hemp being legal on the federal level, the legal aid society of Saratoga Springs is planning to help people who are possibly involved in the industry.
The Legal Aid Society of Saratoga Springs helps people who have legal issues that involve significant legal rights, civil or criminal legal matters for which people cannot afford legal representation. Legal Aid Society of Saratoga Springs helps clients prepare for their concerns as they relate to family law, criminal, the New York State Office of Court Administration, Human Resource Administration, United States Department of Justice, Social Security Administration and the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.
The formation of the Legal Aid Society of Saratoga Springs occurred in 1964 as an alternative for people who cannot afford legal representation because of financial challenges.
The Legal Aid Society of Saratoga Springs helps individuals with a prescription, those in recovery, social services, facing criminal charges, family matters, housing issues, or justice courts.
In the current environment with the legalization of hemp and the birth of the hemp industry, the Hemp Industry Association (HIA) and LeafWire recently conducted a national survey to gauge the hemp industry’s responses to the marijuana legalization campaign of November 2018 on the local level. When asked how legal weed affects their businesses, the survey results from cannabis professionals were varied.
Some 5.6 percent of cannabis professionals agreed with a statement made that “legal weed means more business for me,” while 9.4 percent agreed with “legal weed doesn’t affect me.” Some 7.7 percent asserted that “legal weed means more competition for me.”
The survey revealed that 35.7 percent of cannabis professionals said that “illegal weed gives me the green light/i.e. I will work in illegal markets” and another 3.1 percent said “i.e. I won’t work with anyone growing illegal marijuana.”
But perhaps the survey was inaccurate. There may or may not be people who reject the “legal weed trend.” They do business in whatever way they can without considering legality. Legal aid societies like the Legal Aid Society of Saratoga Springs offer some perspective in these matters, such as the need for permits or the need to hire attorneys to represent business owners.
Businesses across the U.S. hemp business survey report further corroborate that hemp farmers have legal matters to worry about, but they are optimistic about what they accomplish because more states are loosening hemp-related regulations or moving to allow hemp to become legal.
The 2019 national average per acre for hemp farming in the U.S., as reported in the 2019, National Hemp Report is $1,263 in gross profits for farmers, or approximately $2.32 per hour before expenses.
When it comes to “what’s next” for the hemp industry, the data analytics firm Headset released a market report that shows how hemp “is here to stay. This will change the future cannabis regulations.”
“Why can’t the cannabis industry embrace hemp?” is the question posed by the industry publication Greenhouse Research, after Headset’s recent market analysis and data collection.
The new Headset market data shows how the hemp CBD market is expected to reach US$22 billion by 2022, and Hemp CBD SKU counts and revenue trends also show that more hemp CBD products are coming onto the marketplace.
In January of 2019, according to Headset data, marijuana-derived CBD products in the four legal recreational cannabis markets were up 33 percent in revenue year over year from previous months, pointing to the next major cannabis market trend.
Exciting times are ahead, especially when it comes to the state of hemp laws in Saratoga Springs and the surrounding area. The Legal Aid Society of Saratoga Springs is the go-to legal aid for hemp professionals, farmers, investors, and entrepreneurs in Saratoga Springs.
For more information on legal aid services, you can visit Nolo.