Thirty-one nonprofit organizations, including major U.S. hemp groups, have aligned in support of a unified legislative agenda for hemp in the 2023 Farm Bill.
A document unveiled Monday, April 24, identifies nine policy priorities for Congress, including requiring FDA to regulate hemp extracts such as CBD.
Additional legislative priorities include repealing a law that prohibits convicted drug felons from participating in hemp production, removing a requirement for DEA registration of hemp testing labs, curtailing regulatory barriers for farmers, and deeming crops legally compliant unless they exceed 1% total THC. The 2018 Farm Bill defined hemp as containing no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis.
The groups also favor allowing hemp grain for animal feed; increasing funding for USDA, tribes and states to administer hemp programs; designating hemp as a specialty crop; and promoting hemp research at certain institutions, including tribal colleges.
Those who endorsed the hemp industry priorities include the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), U.S. Hemp Roundtable, Hemp Industries Association (HIA), National Industrial Hemp Council of America (NIHC) and We Are For Better Alternatives (WAFBA), among others.
The 31 groups agreed on a legislative agenda following a meeting of more than 75 hemp stakeholders during the NoCo Hemp Exp, which convened in March in Colorado Springs.
“This is a historic moment for hemp,” stated Jonathan Miller, general counsel to…
