The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has completed its review of the Final Rule establishing the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program. The rule has moved forward in the Federal Register and has now been put into effect. There had been some delay, as the Biden Administration took shape and placed a hold on new and pending regulatory actions.
Lessons that were learned during the 2020 growing season have been implemented in the final version of the rule. The threshold for negligence has been raised from THC levels of .5 percent to one percent. Producers are allowed only one violation a year. Non-DEA registered labs will be allowed to perform testing until 2022 as the agency works to process registration applications. The final rule also extends the timing of sample collection to 30 days before harvest. More details about the hemp production program are available through USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service.
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