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   From: yourdime@outlook.com   
      
   The hemp industry is regrouping and gearing up for a significant lobbying   
   blitz following passage of the government funding package that contained a   
   provision they say would outlaw nearly all hemp products.   
      
   The legislation clarifies the definition of hemp to ban all hemp-derived   
   products containing THC, which were legalized by the 2018 farm bill.   
      
   Legal hemp products are limited to a total of 0.4 milligrams per container   
   of total THC, or any other cannabinoids with similar effects. Cannabinoids   
   that are synthesized or manufactured outside the plant, such as delta-8   
   THC, are banned.   
      
   The Food and Drug Administration now has 90 days to publish a list of   
   natural and synthetic cannabinoids and provide a definition for   
   “container.”   
      
   According to the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, the vast majority of hemp products   
   on the marketplace surpass the 0.4 milligram threshold, even the   
   nonintoxicating ones.   
      
   In a memo released Thursday, the trade group said the hemp industry took a   
   serious blow, but they’re confident in finding a path forward because the   
   language in the funding bill gives a one-year period before the ban takes   
   effect.   
      
   “We’re disappointed, but not defeated,” the group said. “Our new mission,   
   friends: 365 days to regulate, NOT ban.”   
      
   The group pointed to a draft bill circulated over the summer from Rep.   
   Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) that would establish a detailed regulatory scheme   
   for hemp-derived products, including milligram thresholds, labeling   
   requirements, and a new chapter in the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act   
   explicitly giving the FDA authority over cannabinoid hemp products.   
      
   The 2018 farm bill removed hemp from the controlled substances list in a   
   bid to boost farmers’ income and expand production of the plant, which can   
   also be used in textiles and cosmetics. But stakeholders said lawmakers   
   didn’t anticipate the industry’s rapid growth.   
      
   Those cannabinoid products, including gummies and drinks, have exploded in   
   popularity and are now sold beyond dispensaries, expanding to gas   
   stations, convenience stores, and even major retailers such as Target.   
      
   Michelle Bodian, general counsel and head of regulatory affairs for the   
   THC beverage brand Nowadays, said there are more than 40 states that   
   regulate hemp-derived THC in a way that can be scaled to the federal   
   level.   
      
   “Our goal is to help federal policymakers create a clear, enforceable   
   framework that brings this fast-growing category into the mainstream while   
   eliminating room for bad actors,” Bodian said in a statement.   
      
   The farm bill required the FDA to establish a regulatory framework for   
   hemp products, but it never did, allowing intoxicating hemp products to be   
   introduced in the marketplace without oversight or standardization.   
      
   Griffith, the chair of the Energy and Commerce Health subcommittee, has   
   not yet formally introduced a bill, though he’s authored other hemp and   
   CBD legislation in the past.   
      
   “This is not one year to a ban. This is one year to regulate. And the   
   industry will do exactly that — united, determined, and unwilling to let   
   Washington destroy what farmers built and consumers want,” said Thomas   
   Winstanley, executive vice president and general manager of Edibles.com, a   
   new online hemp marketplace from the parent company of Edible   
   Arrangements.   
      
   A varied array of groups rallied in support of the legislation, including   
   alcohol groups, cannabis and cannabis-adjacent companies, as well as major   
   marijuana prohibition groups.   
      
   They lobbied hard for limits or bans on hemp-based THC and aren’t eager   
   for Congress to change it.   
      
   The American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH) in a   
   statement said the funding bill provision made an important distinction   
   between intoxicating and nonintoxicating products and synthetic and   
   natural products.   
      
   “The intoxicating hemp marketplace is rife with bad actors peddling   
   synthetic drugs and cannabis under the guise of hemp, often without   
   sufficient age gating,” Chris Lindsey, the group’s vice president of   
   policy and state advocacy, said in a statement.   
      
   “Contrary to the rhetoric in some corners, intoxicating hemp products   
   would continue to be available for sale through state cannabis and hemp   
   programs,” Lindsey added.   
      
   Anthony Coniglio, CEO of NewLake Capital Partners, a cannabis real estate   
   company, said closing the hemp loophole “is progress,” but Congress needs   
   to take the next step and “turn to comprehensive federal cannabis reform”   
   for legalization and regulation.   
      
   https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5605017-hemp-industry-regulations-   
   future/   
      
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