USDA Reopens Public Comment Period On Hemp Rules Following Intense Industry Pushback

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Friday that it is reopening a public comment period on hemp regulations following months of intense pushback from stakeholders on its original proposal. While the federal agency already received more than 4,600 comments during the initial comment period that closed in January, it is now encouraging “additional input on several topics identified by commenters.” This seems to a sign that USDA is willing to provide more flexible regulations, as many interested parties—from industry operators to members of Congress—have requested. 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. For example, producers have argued that the proposed rule mandating that hemp be tested only at DEA-certified laboratories will have an unnecessary bottlenecking effect and they should be able to have a wider range of labs…

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Source : MJ moment
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