Legalization of Industrial Hemp in the US

On December 20th, 2018, the 2018 Farm Bill passed, immediately removing hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. Hemp is a non-psychoactive plant that is part of the cannabis family. In order for it to be considered hemp, it needs to have less than 0.3% THC. Processed hemp has many applications, and can be used for industrial, nutritional and medicinal purposes. It is a strong material that can be used to make rope, paper or clothing, and the seeds from hemp are actually considered a super-food. Companies such as Raw manufacture 100% hemp rolling papers, which we proudly sell at 2020 Solutions in Bellingham. The most common use of hemp, though, is the extraction of CBD to put into tinctures, lotions and capsules. Products like these may be used to treat symptoms such as anxiety, epilepsy, chronic pain, and sleep disorders, but remain non-psychoactive due to the microscopic levels of THC found in the plant.

Hemp is extremely low maintenance to farm because it grows in clusters, uses minimal fertilizer, and requires little to no pesticides. George Washington even grew it as one of three primary crops at his estate in Mount Vernon. Despite all of its benefits, the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act strictly regulated hemp, and all forms of hemp cultivation were abolished when The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act passed in 1980. Every state is different, but at this point in time, anybody in Washington State can apply for an industrial hemp license on the Washington State department of agriculture website.The legalization of hemp is a huge step forward for not only the cannabis industry, but also the farming and agriculture industries.

The majority of hemp based products sold in the states are created using hemp imported from China and other countries. The 2018 Farm Bill has created an opportunity for more farming and agriculture jobs, as well as jobs to process the hemp after it has been harvested. In a perfect world, this new industry would already be booming, but unfortunately, certain states are still fighting for their right to cultivate hemp. For example, due to Iowa’s medical marijuana laws, it is still illegal to extract CBD oil from industrial hemp. Idaho still considers hemp farming illegal, with people like Governor-elect Brad Little saying it could be “camouflage for the marijuana trade.”

There may still be some state laws to fight and some grey areas regarding CBD products, but we are still one step closer to responsibly using cannabis products nationwide. Hopefully even more people will realize the healing power of cannabis in 2019.

As a reminder, many scientific studies have found that CBD products extracted from recreational cannabis with THC higher than 0.3% tend to be more effective than hemp extracted CBD products. This is due to the “Entourage Effect”, which occurs when combining multiple cannabinoids at once. Fear not, 2020 Solutions in Bellingham has an enormous selection of recreational CBD products ranging from tinctures, lotions, capsules, and more!

Source: KCRG, Ministry of Hemp, Idaho Statesman, Forbes

If you have any questions pertaining to marijuana use, contact us now!

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