hot for hemp in h-town

Budding CBD and hemp convention fires up in Houston this fall

CBD is a booming business.

CBD American Shaman

Look out, California and Colorado. The recent passing of Texas’ House Bill 1325 means that the Lone Star State is now poised to be the largest hemp-producing state in the nation.

To wit: Texas already boasts more than 1,500 licenses and more than 1,100 lot permits already issued, making the state a major hemp hub.

So it’s fitting that a budding new convention centered on all things hemp and CBD and hemp will head to Houston. The Lucky Leaf Expo will run November 5-6 at NRG Center, organizers announced.

Attendees can look forward to more than 120 exhibitors, more than 40 speakers, panels, and more. “Cooking with Cannabis” demos promise to be an interesting draw.

Planners also plan to fire up a pre-show Cannabis Business Crash Course.

Tickets can be purchased online and at the convention center during the event.

“We have a diverse array of exhibitors in every channel of the CBD/hemp industry that specialize in the sale of seeds, CPAs, attorneys, accountants, processors, manufacturers, soft gel companies, to help get you started for your business,” Chad Sloan of Lucky Leaf Expo noted in a statement.

As Forbes pointed out last year, after being legalized in 2018, hemp is already one of America’s top ten agricultural crops. CBD is now a $2 billion industry: Its medical applications are booming; food products also promise to be huge.

marijuana health

accessibility brings empowerment

Autonomous cab company cruises into Houston with wheelchair-accessible rides

Courtesy of Cruise

The six month program is available is more than 90 Houston-area ZIP codes.

A California company with autonomous cabs has announced a new pilot program in partnership with a provider of wheelchairs and mobility solutions.

Cruise has teamed up with Numotion for a six-month wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) pilot program in Houston, offering free transportation for qualifying Numotion customers, according to the companies. The program will operate in over 90 Houston-area ZIP codes.

“Numotion is excited to partner with Cruise to offer a seamless and convenient solution for wheelchair users in the Houston area. By providing transportation to and from repair appointments, we're alleviating a significant stressor and providing a way for our customers to receive their service and repair faster,” says Mike Swinford, CEO of Numotion, in a news release. “We're constantly striving to innovate and improve the lives of our customers, and this collaboration demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing beneficial customer experiences."

Cruise entered the Texas market last year, with Houston services launching in October 2023 before the company put all operations on pause following a California crash. This is the first Texas announcement for Cruise since the pause.

"Accessibility is core to our mission at Cruise. This pilot program with Numotion is doing more than providing accessible rides – it’s about empowering people in the community with greater mobility and independence, while also building learnings to better our service in the future," says Craig Glidden, president and chief administrative officer at Cruise about the new pilot.

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The story originally was published on our sister site, InnovationMap.