A bill to triple the THC limit for hemp grown in the United States has been introduced by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.
U.S. Senator Rand Paul has proposed an amendment that would raise the allowable THC level for industrial hemp from 0.3% to a full 1.0%, following a global trend in which many nations are adopting higher THC standards.
The bill would also increase the THC limit for hemp byproducts, such as extracted oils. Products with more than 1% THC would remain illegal Schedule 1 substances. Additionally, the proposal would allow farmers to test final hemp products, not the raw material from the plant, which opens the door for mitigating undetermined hemp.
“There is still work to do to prevent the federal government from weighing down our farmers with unnecessary bureaucratic micromanaging,” Paul said in a statement.
Maintaining 0.3% THC has been problematic for some US farmers, many of whom are restricted to a 15-day harvest window. Paul said current rules do not anticipate the time it takes to harvest a crop, possible delays in testing, and environmental factors that farmers cannot control. Such factors affect the final levels of THC in hemp when it is harvested from the field. The HEMP Act of 2020 would also protect hemp farmers, processors, and shippers by requiring that hemp shipments contain a copy of the seed certificate showing that the hemp was grown from 1.0% THC seed
The Senate has another pending measure approved by its House counterparts this month to remove all varieties of cannabis from the US Controlled Substances Act. That proposal was approved by House 228-164 but has seen no action on the part. of the Senate.Both proposals die next month, when a new Congress is seated and must begin to adopt new legislation.
