Recently, the US Agriculture Department has extended the period of public comment for 30 days on its final hemp rule till January 29, 2020.
This rule was announced on October 31, 2019, in which a domestic hemp production program sanctioned by the Agriculture Improvement Act 2018 was announced.
According to this rule, the US Agriculture Department approved its plans for the domestic production of hemp and arranged the USDA’s detailed program to allow the cultivation of hemp under the federally-approved plans. It will enable many hemp cultivators to participate in many agricultural programs. It also involves a provision that forbids states that are interfering in hemp transportation.
The transport provision announced in the hemp rule will help hemp cultivators to get better access to markets across the nation as well as help the trucking industry in getting lucrative and legalized.
This rule helped in clearing transportation issues. Now, it is necessary to transport the hemp legally without any THC level or marijuana.
Sonny Perdue, the Secretary of Agriculture, said that as per the rule, the cultivators must have a license from USDA or state to grow hemp legally. They must go through drug-testing protocols to ensure that there is only hemp and nothing else.
Hemp is a part of the cannabis plant family without any THC levels. Hemp is used in making products which include CBD or cannabidiol to treat anxiety, pain, cognitive problems, and movement disorders. It is also used in manufacturing many common entities like paper, jewelry, and clothing.
The major challenge of the new rule is to determine whether transported cannabis is hemp or marijuana. According to the rule, all the samples of hemp production will be tested to check THC levels. The USDA or federal agents will collect the samples. The licensed producer will pay fees to test and approve the hemp sample by USDA.