2024 Farm Bill Amendment May Ban Hemp-Derived THC

[00:00:00] A recent amendment put forward by Rep. Mary Miller is aiming to eliminate the legal loophole that currently permits the sale of intoxicating hemp based products, including Delta eight THC. The US House Committee on Agriculture has disclosed a 942 page draft of the 2024 farm bill, also known as the Farm Food and National Security act of 2024, on May 17. The bill's estimated cost over a decade is around $1.5 trillion. The proposed amendment, in its current state, would enforce a prohibition on all ingestible hemp products with any THC level. It would also redefine hemp to only encompass naturally occurring, naturally derived and non intoxicating cannabinoids and exclude cannabinoids synthesized or manufactured outside of the plant from the legal hemp definition. Illinois Rep. Mary Miller proposed the amendment stating, my amendment will eliminate the loophole from the 2018 farm bill that permits intoxicating hemp products like delta eight to be sold. These products are being marketed to children, leading to hundreds of hospitalizations. We must prevent teenagers and young children from exposure to addictive and harmful substances. Opposition to the amendment was more widespread. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird and Rep. Derek van Orden both argued that the amendment would unfairly disrupt farmers who have invested heavily in hemp businesses since the 2018 farm bill. Indiana Rep. Zac Nunn shared this sentiment, stating that while he is committed to protecting children from drugs, the amendment oversteps by banning hemp grain and fiber industries. Several hemp organizations, including the us hemp roundtable, voiced their concerns about the amendment. They accused the committee of using a procedural tactic to avoid a separate vote on the issue, resulting in the passage of a policy they consider deeply flawed and deeply objectionable. The farm bill and its amendments are now headed to the House floor for debate, but the US hemp remains optimistic that it won't pass. The organization believes that the differences between House Republicans and Senate Democrats are significant at this point, and even if these differences are resolved, there are many allies in both branches who will fight against this hemp killing language. The National Cannabis Industry association offered its recommendations on how to regulate intoxicating hemp products effectively. These suggestions include treating intoxicating THC hemp products similarly to cannabis or alcohol, increasing the THC allowance in hemp products to 1% from 0.3%, and setting reasonable THC content limits per serving. Learn more at Cannabis directory code.