Hemp
US Narcotics Regulator: “Hemp is not a controlled substance”
An Aug. 26 statement from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) cited the 2018 Farm Bill. The agency clarified that "certain forms of cannabis do not require DEA registration or licensing for cultivation or manufacture."
Hemp has been the subject of regulation in the United States of America for more than six months with the approval of the Farm Bill. With the entry into force of this legal framework, Federal Controlled Substance and Drug Enforcement authorities have updated their guidelines to remind law enforcement officials that hemp is no longer a controlled substance in America.
The agency clarified that “hemp preparations, including hemp plants and cannabidiol (CBD), at the level below or below the delta-9 THC threshold of 0,3%, are not controlled substances.”
It was not this DEA notice that changed the law or legalized hemp. This change already took place last year, but the agency had not yet disclosed, through its regular newsletters, that hemp was already legal. The move reassured some hemp companies, which had been battling legal confusion over the plant's status.
Clarity for service providers
Cannareporter had already reported the request for clarification regarding banking procedures with hemp farmers and processors by financial institutions. These DEA guidelines on hemp should help clarify the framework for law enforcement and will allow for greater trust between financial institutions and hemp companies and organizations. Some banks have avoided doing business with hemp companies due to a lack of clarity regarding the legal framework for the culture.
Despite the announcement by the DEA, another federal agency, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is still drafting regulations for cosmetics, dietary supplements, foods and food additives, following the Farm Bill. The US Hemp Industries Association (HIA) has advised the FDA that the existing rules for these products be simply expanded to include hemp extracts.
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[Disclaimer: Please note that this text was originally written in Portuguese and is translated into English and other languages using an automatic translator. Some words may differ from the original and typos or errors may occur in other languages.]____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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I am one of the directors of CannaReporter, which I founded together with Laura Ramos. I am from the unique Island of Madeira, where I currently reside. While I was in Lisbon at FCUL studying Physical Engineering, I became involved in the national hemp and cannabis scene and participated in several associations, some of which I am still a member of. I follow the global industry and especially legislative advances regarding the different uses of cannabis.
I can be contacted by email at joao.costa@cannareporter.eu
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