Mark Gillilan: The THC-Free Bet and the November 12 Hemp Rule

Mark Gillilan started Kyoto Botanicals in 2020 as a THC-free CBD company, years before federal law moved the same way. On this episode of Unscripted Cannabis, host Mr. Gudwudz (Just Jay) asks him why he built it that way from day one, and what the federal hemp rule taking effect November 12, 2026 means for everyone who didn't. Mark got his start in hemp wellness about ten years ago at Charlotte's Web, and today Kyoto Botanicals makes broad-spectrum CBD and functional mushroom products.

The full written recap is at Mark Gillilan: THC-Free by Design, and there's a closer look at the new rule in November 12 and the 0.4 milligram rule.

In this episode

• The afternoon Mark spent mixing full-spectrum extract in his kitchen and realized he was high, and why the 0.3% THC limit hides the number that matters: "It's the milligrams." A 25 milligram full-spectrum gummy can carry a milligram of THC, and a high-dose tincture four to six per serving.
• What broad spectrum and "no-detect" lab results actually mean, plus his honest warning for anyone whose job depends on a drug test.
• Functional mushrooms (lion's mane, reishi, cordyceps, chaga, nothing psilocybin), why Kyoto dual-extracts them with alcohol and water to get past the chitin, and Mark's routine: mushrooms for "quiet focus" by day, CBD for sleep at night.
• The November 12 federal hemp rule and its 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container, the numbers Mark has seen suggesting about 95% of the CBD industry falls outside it, and Tennessee, where Kyoto no longer ships.
• How the industry got here: "It's like water, it's gonna find the weak spots." Delta 8, heavy-loaded products, and what the rule could mean for the farmers who converted tobacco acres to hemp.
• Building a brand from the inside out, and why Kyoto leans on education through its blog, YouTube channel and local markets.

Find Mark and his products at kyotobotanicals.com, and more conversations at Unscripted Cannabis.