Yesterday, October 29, 2019, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a draft of the much-anticipated interim rule on the Domestic Hemp Production Program under the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill). Since many folks don’t exactly consider 161 pages of federal agency jargon and legalese “light reading,” we’ve provided a Cliff’s Notes version of this dense regulation for you all, including the top six takeaways for hemp licensees. We’ve also provided some insight into what’s not in the draft interim rule.
On December 20, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (the “2018 Farm Bill”) to replace the expiring 2014 Farm Bill. The 2018 Bill, which passed with strong support in both the House and the Senate, removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act—but does that mean that hemp is legal?
While hemp is no longer a controlled substance and subject to enforcement under DEA regulations, hemp and hemp-derived products (such as CBD) are still heavily regulated. So, who regulates these products? Though the landscape is evolving quickly, each of the following agencies and groups play a vital role in determining whether you may grow, process, sell or market hemp in your state.
On May 16, 2017, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed GOP-sponsored Senate Bill 5131 to allow Washington State to be the first state in the nation to create a program to certify cannabis products as organic. The new law creates a voluntary program for the certification and regulation of organic cannabis products (both recreational and medicinal) to be administered by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). The WSDA is now working on creating the rules for the new program and has stated that it will likely take several months to as long as a year before the rules are complete and certifications are handed out.
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Foster Garvey’s Cannabis practice group comprises a premier legal counsel team who provides a full range of legal services such as regulatory compliance, marijuana licensing, business finance, contracts, labor and employment, health care, real estate, intellectual property, litigation and dispute resolution, technology and tax. Our team possesses deep and diverse industry experience and has counseled clients across virtually all industry sectors. We understand the inherent challenges that licensed marijuana and ancillary businesses in Washington state, Oregon and Alaska are burdened with in this highly regulated industry as they deal with onerous state and local regulations as well as uncertainty resulting from federal law.
We are committed to helping our clients achieve their business goals while navigating the intricacies in this rapidly changing area of law. We prize innovation and entrepreneurship, and closely monitoring industry trends.
