New hemp legislation has been introduced in the United States to address the limitations associated with the 2018 Farm Bill which set the THC limits at 0.3%.
Last week, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree introduced the Hemp Advancement Act of 2022, which aims to improve the hemp provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill.
“The 2018 Farm Bill laid a legal pathway for hemp production but created overly complicated regulations and hardship for farmers and small businesses in the process,” Pingree said in a press release about the bill.
“I am introducing The Hemp Advancement Act of 2022 to eliminate unworkable testing requirements, set reasonable THC thresholds for producers and processors while protecting consumers, and end the discriminatory policy that bans people with drug convictions from growing legal hemp,” Pingree added.
This law would raise to 1% the THC threshold authorized for hemp and hemp extracts during processing.
The bill also provides additional protection for the processing and transportation of hemp that has exceeded the THC limit due to overly favorable growing conditions. The aim of the bill is to remove the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) monopoly on drug laboratory registration testing and repeal the ban on people with drug convictions from obtaining a hemp license.
Additionally, the law would revise the legal THC threshold for consumable hemp products from 0.3% delta-9 THC to 0.3% total THC, thereby addressing the endless debate about delta-8 THC.
Pingree’s Hemp Advancement Act of 2022 has already gathered significant support within the industry, including the Hemp Roundtable, one of the leading hemp lobbying associations.
“We are deeply grateful to Congresswoman Chellie Pingree for her strong leadership in driving this legislation on behalf of hemp growers, processors, and consumers across the country,” the organization said.
