{"id":56185,"date":"2022-07-28T06:04:40","date_gmt":"2022-07-28T14:04:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/07\/28\/congressional-lawmakers-hold-hearing-on-hemp-as-work-begins-on-2023-farm-bill\/"},"modified":"2022-07-28T08:45:32","modified_gmt":"2022-07-28T16:45:32","slug":"congressional-lawmakers-hold-hearing-on-hemp-as-work-begins-on-2023-farm-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/07\/28\/congressional-lawmakers-hold-hearing-on-hemp-as-work-begins-on-2023-farm-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Congressional Lawmakers Hold Hearing On Hemp As Work Begins On 2023 Farm Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

A congressional panel held a hearing on Thursday that touched on a wide range of hemp issues, with lawmakers and witnesses\u2014including two state agriculture commissioners and industry representatives\u2014highlighting reforms they would like to see made as part of the 2023 Farm Bill.<\/p>\n

The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research has jurisdiction over areas of specific, limited hemp policy matters, but members took the opportunity to discuss broader issues such as proposals to allow marketing of products containing derivatives like CBD, increase the THC limit for legal crops and eliminate Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) lab testing requirements.<\/p>\n

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Unburdening the hemp industry is simple:<\/p>\n

\"⬆\" Raise the allowable THC threshold
\"❌\" Remove DEA lab testing restrictions
\"🛑\" Stop the discriminatory license ban<\/p>\n

These are commonsense solutions in my Hemp Advancement Act @HouseAgDems<\/a> will hear about + more in today\u2019s 10am hearing pic.twitter.com\/1VTFeUCu2y<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Congresswoman Chellie Pingree \"🇺🇸\" \"🇺🇦\" (@chelliepingree) July 28, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Hemp was federally legalized as part of the 2018 Farm Bill, but while that bipartisan achievement was welcome news for advocates and industry stakeholders, opening up what\u2019s become a massive market in the U.S., many have pointed out challenges with the implementation of the current law by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that they say can be fixed with future legislative reforms.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile markets for hemp products such as fiber, grain and flower are developing, they are still volatile and uncertain,\u201d Chair Stacey Plaskett (D-USVI) said in her opening remarks. \u201cTo support farmers and producers in the ongoing development of this emerging sector, it\u2019s crucial that USDA continue to work to support and expand hemp production and the hemp industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hemp is grown for use in the production of a wide range of products. There are three leading markets for hemp: fiber, seed, and oil. However, these markets are still volatile and underdeveloped.<\/p>\n

\u2014 House Agriculture Committee (@HouseAgDems) July 28, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cAs we look towards the next Farm Bill, we can continue to address ongoing issues and provide our farmers, producers, processors and agricultural researchers with the resources they need,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Watch the committee discuss<\/a> hemp the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hemp program in the video below:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Ranking Member Jim Baird (R-IN) said that \u201cwhile we are certain to hear about successes in the hemp industry, it\u2019s important to note that we have many challenges.\u201d He also said it would have been useful to have representatives of USDA and FDA present at the hearing and expressed hope that federal officials would appear before the panel in the future.<\/p>\n

Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), ranking member of the full Agriculture Committee, echoed that latter point, expressing frustration that USDA and FDA were \u201cmissing in action\u201d at the hearing despite the central role they play in hemp regulatory matters.<\/p>\n

The subcommittee announced last week that it would hold a hemp-related hearing<\/a>, though the initial notice offered little detail about what members would be specifically discussing.<\/p>\n

The conversation that unfolded largely focused on policies that could be incorporated into the 2023 Farm Bill. Another key area of interest for stakeholders is the marketing of hemp-derived CBD, but that would likely fall under the jurisdiction of a different committee dealing with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).<\/p>\n

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Changes enacted in the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills removed long-standing Federal restrictions on the cultivation of hemp and it is now an agricultural crop regulated by USDA.<\/p>\n

\u2014 House Agriculture Committee (@HouseAgDems) July 28, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Kate Greenberg, commissioner of the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA), said that hemp \u201chas the potential to create new economic opportunities for farmers who are dealing with a changing climate and increasingly arid land.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur young farmers and ranchers are constantly seeking new ways to support their bottom line and the environment at the same time,\u201d she said. \u201cThe hemp industry has the potential to advance CDA\u2019s priorities if we listen to our producers and implement sensible regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of those priorities include lowering fees for hemp sampling and testing, removing background check barriers and ending \u201cduplicative\u201d acreage reporting rules, she said.<\/p>\n

The top regulator at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) said that, like other states, Kentucky \u201cobserved a rapid expansion of acreages from 2015 through 2019, followed by an equally rapid decline beginning with the 2020 growing season.\u201d<\/p>\n

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I am pleased to testify to the United States House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research on behalf of Kentucky hemp farmers and producers. pic.twitter.com\/9i9aAceg9o<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Commissioner Ryan Quarles (@KYAgCommish) July 28, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cOne reason for this decline was that production in the previous years, particularly the 2019 growing season, far outpaced demand,\u201d KDA Commissioner Ryan Quarles said in his testimony. \u201cMany farmers ended that year with a hemp harvest for which there was no buyer, even those who started the year with a signed contract. There remains a surplus of harvested hemp from that year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quarles also made policy recommendations to the panel, including removing the DEA lab testing requirement for hemp and increasing the lawful THC limit for the crop from 0.3 percent THC by dry weight to one percent.<\/p>\n

But while there\u2019s widespread support for raising the THC limit, the commissioner also recommended that all THC isomers be included in that analysis, including delta-8 THC. That proposal may well prove controversial for some stakeholders, as market demand for the intoxicating cannabinoid that\u2019s synthesized from hemp-derived CBD has boomed in recent years.<\/p>\n

Marcus Grignon, executive director of Hempstead Project Heart and a tribal representative, also made recommendations to the panel that he said would \u201cstrengthen the hemp production provisions from the 2018 Farm Bill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBank regulations need revision to ease current restrictions for hemp operations. It is difficult to find a bank that will take business accounts connected to hemp production and processing, not to mention insurance companies,\u201d he said, adding that \u201cthere needs to be a USDA stamp of approval for hemp being shipped between the various jurisdictions in the United States. This will help with any issues that arise with interstate commerce.\u201d<\/p>\n

The chairman of the full Agriculture Committee, Rep. David Scott (D-GA) said in February that he felt the next iteration of the Farm Bill should go even further than hemp and include provisions dealing with marijuana\u2014specifically policies to remove cannabis industry barriers for Black entrepreneurs and small businesses.<\/p>\n

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As the Chair of the House Agriculture Committee, I am committed to addressing the issue of cannabis in our next Farm Bill. We need to eliminate barriers for small businesses and Black entrepreneurs to start legal cannabis companies under state law. https:\/\/t.co\/7P2yKFNYXr<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 David Scott (@Electdavidscott) March 5, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Subcommittee member Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME), for her part, filed a bill titled the \u201cHemp Advancement Act\u201d<\/a>\u00a0in February that\u2019s meant to provide hemp businesses with additional regulatory flexibility that stakeholders have been seeking. The measure, which she has said is intended to start discussion on reforms in anticipation of the next Farm Bill, would further remove a controversial ban on hemp market participation by people with prior drug convictions.<\/p>\n

Pingree said at the hearing that hemp is \u201ca promising crop,\u201d but \u201cwe have a long ways to go before we\u2019ve smoothed out all the issues.\u201d She emphasized the need to remove the DEA lab testing requirements, lift the 10-year ban on hemp industry participation by people with drug-related felony convictions and raise the THC limit for hemp.<\/p>\n

Further, the congresswoman said that the background check requirement that mandates fingerprinting is onerous, particularly in states with significant rural communities like Maine, where there\u2019s just one post office that processing fingerprints.<\/p>\n

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The 2018 Farm Bill established the legal production of hemp, expanded the definition of hemp, and gave USDA the authority to regulate hemp cultivation through the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program.<\/p>\n

\u2014 House Agriculture Committee (@HouseAgDems) July 28, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a report in March that outlined various components of the 2018 Farm Bill and made recommendations for future policy considerations, including those dealing with hemp. For example, the paper noted stakeholder feedback about revising the federal definition of hemp by increasing the allowable THC limit.<\/p>\n

CRS also\u00a0said<\/a> that Congress should take into account industry complaints about the ongoing absence of FDA regulations to market hemp-derived CBD products in the food supply and possible take steps to address the problem.<\/p>\n

KDA\u2019s commissioner said plainly that, \u201cif you were to ask me what the biggest issue facing hemp is today, it would be the lack of direction from the FDA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eric Wang, CEO of Ecofibre who testified on behalf of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, said that \u201cfarmers are not the only ones who are being negatively impacted by this regulatory uncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConsumers are also impacted,\u201d he said. Bad actors are selling products without appropriate safeguards and misleading consumers with false label claims.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, House Appropriations Committee leaders\u00a0recently released spending legislation<\/a>\u00a0for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that calls for multiagency coordination to create guidance on hemp manufacturing and also recommends that the department work with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to resolve concerns about enforcement actions for so-called \u201chot hemp\u201d that exceeds the 0.3 percent THC limit during extract processing.<\/p>\n

\u2014
\nMarijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,500 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

USDA released the results of\u00a0a massive, first-ever federal survey<\/a>\u00a0on the hemp industry in February, providing a \u201cbenchmark\u201d analysis of the economic impact of the burgeoning market. At a top level, the department\u2019s survey found that the hemp market\u2019s value reached $824 million in 2021, with about 54,200 acres grown across the country.<\/p>\n

Back in Congress, Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Morgan Griffith (R-VA) filed a bill earlier this year that\u2019s aimed at allowing hemp and CBD derived from the crop\u00a0to be marketed and sold as dietary supplements<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the Senate, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced legislation that would similarly exempt \u201chemp, hemp-derived cannabidiol, or a substance containing any other ingredient derived from hemp\u201d from certain restrictions that have\u00a0blocked the emergence of legal consumable hemp products<\/a>\u00a0while the FDA has slow-walked regulations.<\/p>\n

Paul also filed a separate measure last year that would\u00a0triple the concentration of THC that hemp could legally contain<\/a>\u00a0while addressing multiple other concerns the industry has expressed about the federal regulations.<\/p>\n

This hearing on hemp comes two days after the House approved a bipartisan cannabis research bill<\/a> and a Senate Judiciary subcommittee convened<\/a> for a first-of-its-kind hearing on federal marijuana reform.<\/p>\n

A newly introduced Senate cannabis legalization bill would also have implications for the hemp industry, though there are serious doubts about whether the measure has enough support to reach the 60-vote threshold in the chamber.<\/p>\n

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Marijuana Research Bill Required \u2018Compromise\u2019 Over Dispensary Access For Scientists To Get Senate Buy-In, House Sponsor Says<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo courtesy of Brendan Cleak.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Congressional Lawmakers Hold Hearing On Hemp As Work Begins On 2023 Farm Bill<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Congressional Lawmakers Hold Hearing On Hemp As Work Begins On 2023 Farm Bill<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A congressional panel held a hearing on Thursday that touched on a wide range of hemp issues, with lawmakers and witnesses\u2014including two state agriculture commissioners and industry representatives\u2014highlighting reforms they would like to see made as part of the 2023 Farm Bill. The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, andContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":56186,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56185"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56185"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56187,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56185\/revisions\/56187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}