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A major alcohol industry association is calling on congressional leaders to create a regulatory framework for hemp-based intoxicating cannabinoids<\/a>\u2014rather than impose an outright ban as is proposed under a large-scale agriculture bill that\u2019s advancing in the House.<\/p>\n In a letter sent to House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders on Wednesday, Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) urged \u201ccritical action to ensure that intoxicating hemp products sold across the country are safe for consumers\u201d as lawmakers work to advance the 2024 Farm Bill.<\/p>\n \u201cWe strongly advocate for clear federal rules and regulations that define intoxicating hemp compounds and to grant states the authority to regulate these products within their borders,\u201d the alcohol trade association said.<\/p>\n The letter comes about a week after the House Agriculture Committee approved an amendment to the 2024 Farm Bill that would effectively ban most consumable hemp products\u2014a proposal that saw some ideological splintering within the cannabis sector<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ahead of that vote, WSWA said the \u201cattempt to ban intoxicating hemp products is merely doubling down on the failed federal policy of prohibition.\u201d But in this latest letter, the association used more tempered language. While it said a regulatory framework would be ideal, it also suggested Congress could enact legislation that also allows individual states to ban the products altogether.<\/p>\n \u201cThe absence of federal oversight has resulted in significant public health risks. The safety, purity, and potency of these products cannot be guaranteed, posing a serious threat to consumers,\u201d it said. \u201cThe processes used to create some of these products can leave harmful chemicals behind. Additionally, these potentially dangerous products are often sold over the counter without age restrictions, making them easily accessible to minors, with some even mimicking popular candy and snack packaging.\u201d<\/p>\n State-level bans on intoxicating cannabinoids have resulted in a series of lawsuits, WSWA noted. But short of federal regulations, it said it is proposing the following policy solutions, which could be incorporated into the final Farm Bill.<\/p>\n The letter also advises that hemp cannabinoids products could be regulated under the Treasury Department, similar to alcohol.<\/p>\n \u201cJust as the 21st Amendment empowered states to regulate the transport and import of alcoholic beverages, states should be granted similar authority over intoxicating hemp compounds,\u201d it says. \u201cThis regulatory structure would help ensure that these products are safely manufactured, marketed, and sold. It would give states broad latitude to regulate or even ban these products in accordance with the wishes of their citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Meanwhile,\u00a0the legislation that advanced through the House Agriculture Committee<\/a>\u00a0last week also contains provisions that would reduce regulatory barriers for certain hemp farmers and scale-back a ban on industry participation by people with prior drug felony convictions.<\/p>\n Specifically, it would make it so the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), states and tribal entities could choose to eliminate a policy that prevents people with felony drug convictions in the past 10 years from being licensed to produce industrial hemp.<\/p>\n However, advocates had hoped to see more expansive language, such as what was described in\u00a0Senate Democrats\u2019 recent summary of their forthcoming Farm Bill draft<\/a>. Under that plan, there would be a mandate to eliminate the ban, rather than simply authorizing it, and it would cover all hemp producers, not just those growing it for non-extraction purposes.<\/p>\n That said, the Senate Agriculture Committee has not yet released the draft text of their bill, so it remains to be seen if the summary description matches what will ultimately be released. Bipartisan House lawmakers filed standalone legislation last year that would broadly lift the felony ban for would-be hemp producers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lawmakers and stakeholders have also been eyeing a number of other proposals that could be incorporated into the Farm Bill\u2014and which could come up as proposed amendments as the proposal moves through the legislative process\u2014including measures to\u00a0free up hemp businesses to legally market products like CBD<\/a>\u00a0as dietary supplements or in the food supply.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the hemp market started to rebound in 2023 after suffering significant losses the prior year, the\u00a0latest annual industry report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)<\/a> that was released in April found.<\/p>\n The\u00a0data\u00a0is the\u00a0result\u00a0of a\u00a0survey that USDA mailed to thousands of hemp farmers\u00a0across the U.S.<\/a>\u00a0in January. The\u00a0first version of the department\u2019s hemp report<\/a>\u00a0was released in early 2022, setting a \u201cbenchmark\u201d to compare to as the industry matures.<\/p>\n Bipartisan lawmakers and industry stakeholders have sharply criticized FDA for declining to enact regulations for hemp-derived CBD, which they say is largely responsible for the economic stagnation.<\/p>\n To that end,\u00a0FDA Commissioner Robert Califf testified before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee<\/a> in April, where he faced questions about the agency\u2019s position that it needed additional congressional authorization to regulate the non-intoxicating cannabinoid.<\/p>\n USDA is also reportedly\u00a0revoking hemp licenses for farmers who are simultaneously growing marijuana<\/a>\u00a0under state-approved programs, underscoring yet another policy conflict stemming from the ongoing federal prohibition of some forms of the cannabis plant.<\/p>\n For the time being, the hemp industry continues to face unique regulatory hurdles that stakeholders blame for the crop\u2019s value plummeting in the short years since its legalization. Despite the economic conditions, however, a recent report found that\u00a0the hemp market in 2022 was larger than all state marijuana markets<\/a>, and it roughly equaled sales for craft beer nationally.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, internally at USDA, food safety workers are being\u00a0encouraged to exercise caution and avoid cannabis products<\/a>, including federally legal CBD, as the agency observes an \u201cuptick\u201d in positive THC tests amid \u201cconfusion\u201d as more states enact legalization.<\/p>\n Read the WSWA letter<\/a> to congressional leaders on the proposed hemp cannabinoid ban below:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n House Passes Veterans-Focused Marijuana And Psychedelics Amendments<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post Major Alcohol Industry Group Pushes Congress For \u2018Critical Action\u2019 To Regulate Consumable Hemp Products, Rather Than Ban Them<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A major alcohol industry association is calling on congressional leaders to create a regulatory framework for hemp-based intoxicating cannabinoids\u2014rather than impose an outright ban as is proposed under a large-scale agriculture bill that\u2019s advancing in the House. In a letter sent to House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders on Wednesday,Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":75982,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75981"}],"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=75981"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75983,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75981\/revisions\/75983"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Major Alcohol Industry Group Pushes Congress For \u2018Critical Action\u2019 To Regulate Consumable Hemp Products, Rather Than Ban Them<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"