Neenah Packaging, a provider of premium packaging papers and custom packaging solutions, has introduced a new line of hemp fiber papers into its premium folding board portfolio. Brand Manager Michelle Turner notes, “The market for CBD products is exploding, and we received a number of inquiries looking for papers that have hemp in them to support the CBD market and the CBD-based beauty products that are packaged. These are typically small packages with a high market value that fit perfectly into our premium folding board line.”

Marijuana, or cannabis sativa with more than 0.3% THC content (THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, being the psychoactive component of cannabis) is still technically illegal according to federal law but has varying degrees of legality in 33 states. Only 10 states have legalized marijuana for both recreational and medical use. Federally, it is still considered a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance.

Another component extracted from the cannabis sativa plant is cannabidiol, commonly referred to as CBD. According to Christopher Lackner of Mile High Labs in Colorado, a producer of CBD ingredients, “Hemp and marijuana are actually the same plant, but there are a number of different varietals of that plant—think of a red rose and a white rose with the red rose being hemp and the white rose being marijuana. The ‘red rose’ varietal that has less than 0.3% THC is known as industrial hemp, is legal following the passage of the Farm Bill in 2018, and is the plant from which we source our products.”