Hemp growers get a reprieve on one unpopular aspect of the new interim USDA hemp program. But beware – it’s just for one year only.
When the new interim USDA hemp rules were introduced last year, one key aspect of the program was that hemp crops had to be tested on THC requirements only at U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration labs.
Aside from the unilateral nature of that mandate, it prompted quick and near universal criticism because of how most observers say there simply are not enough DEA labs to handle the workload of testing for today’s industry needs, much less the increase to come.
So, for this crop year, federal agriculture officials will delay that particular requirement on testing. That means growers can continue to use trusted local or regional labs, something many said they wanted in the more than 4,700 comments the USDA recently took from stakeholders.
What this means for our clients is that they have a little more time to prepare for the possible inevitability that the rule will take effect in the following growing cycle.
At Fortis Law Partners, we have developed strategies to help mitigate the kinds of potential risk testing issues like this present for growers, investors and all others in the hemp supply chain. And our sister company, Full Velocity Consulting, has a compliance team that is expertly knowledgeable in all new and evolving regulations and laws relating to today’s fast-growing hemp/CBD and cannabis businesses. Contact us for more details.
