Weednesday, November 11, 2020
In todays report:
Senate Committee Urges Hemp THC Rule Change And Includes Numerous Other Marijuana Provisions In Spending Bills
click here for link to video on youtube
Hemp is defined under federal statute as containing no more than 0.3 percent THC, but the agency proposed a negligence threshold of up to 0.5 percent—and farmers who exceed that limit would have to destoy their crop. The Senate panel is pushing back against that rule, however, urging USDA to reconsider that “arbitrary” policy in light of stakeholder feedback.
The Senate report also says that another USDA provision “creates roadblocks for farmers by requiring an unrealistic timeframe for testing” and asks the agency to “ensure that any final rule is based on science and will ensure a fair and reasonable regulatory framework.” Advocates and stakeholders
Those include measures banning Washington, D.C. from using its own local tax dollars to implement a regulated marijuana market
#usda Reopens Public Comment Period On Hemp Rules Following Intense Industry Pushback
USDA listed 12 areas where they’re especially seeking additional feedback, including several that industry representatives have identified as very consequential. Here are the titles, as listed in the department’s new Federal Register notice:
1. Measurement of Uncertainty for Sampling
2. Liquid Chromatography Factor, 0.877
3. Disposal and Remediation of Non-Compliant Plants
4. Negligence
5. Interstate Commerce
6. 15-day Harvest Window
7. Hemp seedlings, microgreens, and clones
8. Hemp breeding and research
9. Sampling Methodology – Flower vs. Whole Plant
10. Sampling Methodology – Homogenous Composition, Frequency, and Volume
11. Sampling Agents
12. DEA Laboratory Registration
This is a welcome development as far as stakeholders are concerned, giving hope that USDA could ultimately revise some of the more onerous restrictions that they’ve indicated could hamper the industry’s potential.
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https://www.marijuanamoment.net/usda-reopens-public-comment-period-on-hemp-rules-following-intense-industry-pushback/
Why the USDA Testing Rules Will Hurt the Hemp Industry
Not only does this testing method tend to increase the THC concentration in the hemp sample, and thus, pushes it over the 0.3 percent limit, it also limits the type of strains farmers can work with. This is because few hemp genetics currently on the market would comply with a total #thc testing method. Consequently, this rule will force hemp farmers to carefully select the types of seeds they buy.
However, the current DEA rules limit registration to labs located in jurisdictions in which the prescription, distribution, dispensing, research and handling of marijuana is legal. Accordingly, this USDA rule may reduce the number of labs that will be authorized to engage in this industry, which would be problematic given the fact that there are currently too few labs compared to the amount of hemp being produced.
Therefore, the proposed USDA rules present real challenges for the hemp industry as many crops will likely fail to meet the total THC limit and fewer labs will be allowed to test the crop.
https://harrisbricken.com/cannalawblog/why-the-usda-testing-rules-will-hurt-the-hemp-industry/
#marijuana Reform Omitted From Biden Transition Plan On Racial Equity Despite Campaign Pledges
The page says #biden is working to “strengthen America’s commitment to justice, and reform our criminal justice system” and lays out other specific promises that were often mentioned on the campaign trail alongside marijuana reform, such as a ban on police chokeholds and creating a national oversight commission to track law enforcement abuses. But cannabis reform is nowhere to be found in the transition team document.
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Hemp group eyes Chinese, EU markets after securing USDA funding for overseas marketing
The National Industrial Hemp Council has set its sights on Asian and European hemp markets after it says it was allocated $200,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to promote U.S. hemp products abroad.
The program allows U.S. agricultural trade groups, cooperatives and small businesses to partner with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service to share the costs of marketing activities abroad that help build commercial export markets for U.S. products and I
commodities.q
The program allows U.S. agricultural trade groups, cooperatives and small businesses to partner with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service to share the costs of marketing activities abroad that help build commercial export markets for U.S. products and commodities.
According to Latner, the funds are solely for “export development,” specifically activities that encourage “market access and trade facilitation.” Some examples include:
- Developing trade policy.
- Harmonizing standards between countries or establishing international standards.
- Market research.
- Participation in trade shows.
- Organizing trade missions to evaluate supply chains