Researchers warn that different policy priorities between industry stakeholders may complicate the task as lawmakers prepare to consider possible changes to hemp laws in the Farm Bill.
The Congressional Research Service published a primer on hemp and the large-scale agricultural legislation on Wednesday. In it, they outlined the state of the cannabis industry since hemp became legal under the 2018 Farm Bill. They also gave a preview of how lawmakers, industry and advocacy groups hope to shape the next version.
The analysis states that stakeholders who want to influence policymaking regarding the crop “cover a wide range of national and regional groups, each with their own policy goals and priority,” These priorities are often tied to primary products that they represent and/or produce or may even be based on which part of the plant is used.
For example, groups that represent businesses that grow hemp for fiber might not always be in agreement on every issue with those who represent companies that make CBD oil.
CRS listed a variety of hemp-specific groups that have established themselves in the cannabis policy discussion in Congress. These include Hemp Industries Association, Vote Hemp and U.S. Hemp Roundtable.
reports that “These groups have different priorities which can complicate U.S. Hemp policymaking.” These groups’ interests often include the use of hemp in industrial products, food ingredients, and dietary supplements.
CRS reported that the two organizations could share a desire to “relax” some USDA regulatory requirements. Grower groups and state regulators have argued these are too restrictive and unpractical.
As an example, stakeholders and advocates, as well as lawmakers, seem to be in agreement that the Farm Bill’s requirement that hemp testing take place at labs registered by the Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, should be removed, since this restriction has caused some bottlenecks.
CRS also referred to several hemp bills filed in this session, which lawmakers could consider incorporating into the broader agricultural law. The CRS report also mentioned several hemp bills that have been filed this session that lawmakers may consider folding in to the broader agricultural legislation.
A bipartisan bill filed in March aims to end what critics call a “discriminatory federal policy ” that prohibits people with previous felony drug convictions, from owning or running legal hemp businesses.
Reduce regulations for farmers who grow industrial hemp but not for extraction purposes.
Other hemp stakeholders and lawmakers are most interested in finding a legal pathway that allows for the marketing of hemp products such as CBD oil in food and dietary supplements. Food and Drug Administration has the regulatory authority over this issue. However, at the start of the year the FDA said that it did not have a way to achieve it and offered to work with Congress to find a solution.
Sens. In July, Ron Wyden (DOR), Rand Paul(R-KY), Jeff Merkley(DOR) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer(DOR) filed legislation that would eliminate regulatory barriers FDA claims prevent it from allowing CBD Marketing.
CRS continues to state in its new report that the majority of hemp advocates are interested in expanding support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Program for hemp and hemp-based products.
The report states that “this includes efforts to expand genetic research and management practices, as well as targeted support to develop processing capability of hemp fibers to be used in insulation, building materials, and plastics.”
Recent reports could also lead to additional reforms, since it has come to light that USDA is revoking hemp licenses from businesses who hold dual state licenses.
Despite the economic conditions, however, a recent report found that a data-google-interstitial=”false” href=”https://www.marijuanamoment.net/sales-of hemp derived cannabinoids like cbd are outpacing legal marijuana and are on par with craft beer –report findings/” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank>the hemp market in 2022 was larger than all state marijuana A recent report, however, found that despite the economic conditions, in 2022, the hemp market was larger than the state marijuana markets and roughly equaled the sales of craft beer nationwide.
While internal at USDA, food workers are encouraged to avoid cannabis products including federally legalized CBD. The agency has observed an “uptick in positive THC test results amid confusion” as more States legalize.
Supreme Court weighs whether hemp legalization affects gun possession minimums for men with marijuana convictions
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