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Last week saw President Donald Trump sign off on the long-debated Farm Bill. The document effectively legalized hemp production in the United States – opening the doors on an entire new and exciting industry.

Pundits have rallied for legalization of hemp for years, citing its wide-ranging potential as an extremely versatile commodity. We at EdiblesPress feel like the everyone should be aware of just how big this exciting new market is. Today, we will show you 5 examples of how you may get to see hemp used in the near future.

1) Alloys: Henry Ford built a car in 1942 with an alloy that included 10% hemp. Despite the widespread myth, the car was not entirely made out of hemp – but was already used as part of strong alloys in the early days of the automotive industry.

2) Fiber: Hemp can be used for ultra-durable fibers. Fiberboard, twine, insulation, and rope are some of the products that can come from it.

3) Paper: The cellulose content in hemp is 70%. This makes it ideal for paper products such as newsprint, paper, and cardboard.

4) Nutrition: the protein and oil contents of its seeds make it ideal for human consumption.

5) Oils: Besides consumption, hempseed’s oil content make it ideal for a number of uses. Methanol, pharmaceuticals, and heating oil are but a small fraction of them.

A first proposal for marijuana edibles will reach Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin’s office soon.

The state’s Board of Health approved the document on Tuesday. Among the provisions, labelling differences and testing are some of the most notorious ones.

More specifically, the intended labelling will have to disclose the THC concentration present in products. Quarterly tests for chemical residue, metals, mould and bacteria in products are also included in the legislation.

The Health Department worked with the attorney general’s office to ensure that the guidelines remain compliant with the office’s requirements, despite the initial backlash with which the initial document was received by the public. The prohibition of smoking and requirement of hiring a pharmacist per dispensary were the main sticking points against the original inception of the bill.

Despite murky regulatory waters, Canadian marijuana companies are teaming up with established food, beverage and even cosmetic manufacturers. By doing so, they’re priming themselves to be in an advantageous position if, and when, the federal government follows suit with what it did with cannabis in its natural state – and new cannabis-derived products are regulated and legalized.

Alliances such as Newstrike Brands Ltd.’s brand-new one with specialty food producer Neal Brothers should be filling the headlines in the upcoming months, as the country braces for what’s being labelled the “second wave” of legalization. Neal Brothers is known for its non-GMO, organic, gluten-free line of chips and dips.

“You can trust we will have a minimum of 12 to 18 SKUs of edibles ready by November or December 2019, whenever it becomes legal,” said Neal brothers co-founder Peter Nea. “The innovations we are working on have not been seen anywhere. I’m pretty sure we are going to start out with a high gourmet chocolate, and then maybe chips that are organic or gluten-free, whatever people want.”

A BNN Bloomberg independent survey reveals that several cannabis company CEOs don‘t consume the products they‘re pushing.

The survey pooled 29 US and Canadian cannabis CEOs out of companies of all sizes. From that total, 17 execs confirmed they consume pot recreationally or for medical purposes – while 6 said that they don‘t use the plant at all. 6 chiefs declined to answer – despite the surveyor‘s assurance of that their answers would be kept anonymous.

While it is admittedly a sample size, it does reveal that a considerable percentage of chief executives don‘t use the products they‘re promoting, or at least are unwilling to admit if they use their own product or not.

“What I have come to understand is that cannabis consumers are an extremely diverse group,” said Sebastien St-Louis, CEO of of Quebec-based Hexo Corp.,

“We have to move away from stereotypes and start recognizing that the responsible use of cannabis is part of many people’s lives – from young professionals to older adults,” he added.