How the 2018 Farm Bill Changes CBD & Hemp

It’s finally happened, news broke two weeks ago that the updated 2018 Farm Bill was officially signed by both the House and Senate. Then, just a few days ago President Trump signed off, changing the hemp industry overnight.

So what does this updated bill mean for companies like Pure Hemp CBD? What does it mean for the farmers and processors? What could it mean for the future of cannabis?

Here is a look at how the 2018 Farm Bill will change the industry for the better.

How Hemp Became Illegal

A century ago hemp cultivation was not illegal. In fact, it was BIG business because hemp can be used across many industries. Hemp seeds and its sturdy durable fibers were used for so many different products hemp was once an agricultural staple. Early American settlers grew hemp to create building materials such as fuel, cloth, rope, paper, canvas, and even medical supplies. In the colonies, farmers were actually required to grow hemp, and some colonies even used hemp as we use money today.

It wasn’t until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 that the entire cannabis plant became officially legal. Some historians believe the war on cannabis purposely included hemp to cripple the industries which used it most, forcing them to use other fuel sources and building supplies. The early “war on drugs” campaigns greatly blurred the lines between hemp and marijuana on purpose. While at one point hemp and marijuana were understood to be entirely different plants, today many do not understand the clear differences. Hemp farmers became subjected to extreme taxation which made farming hemp unsustainable.

In 1970 the Controlled Substance Act was the nail in the coffin for the entire hemp industry. The United States government officially classified cannabis including hemp as a schedule 1 drug. This is considered a substance with no accepted medical use. This law covered all of the cannabis plant, not just marijuana specifically. This made it illegal to grow hemp in the states without the consent of the DEA.

How the Agricultural Act of 2014 Revived Hemp

For almost 50 years, in spite of numerous efforts of farmers who knew hemp was a cheaper alternative to some dangerous chemical filled fuels, there was no legal differentiation between hemp and marijuana. Our government refused to see cannabis as anything but cannabis, whether psychoactive or not.

In 2014 a Farm Bill finally broke through making significant reviving progress for the hemp industry. Until the passing of this enormous legislation, hemp cultivation was strictly banned. Manufacturers had to rely on imports from Canada, Europe, and China for their hemp or CBD Oil needs. This bill provided the legal gave a solid foothold to the difference between hemp and marijuana based on THC content. THC cannabinoids provide the physiological or mental high in marijuana.

The Agricultural Act of 2014 set the following parameters:

• While hemp and marijuana are both cannabis plants, hemp is defined as a cannabis plant containing 0.3 percent THC or less. For example, in general, marijuana contains 5-30 percent THC. Under these terms, if a crop is grown to contain more than 0.3 percent THC, it is considered marijuana and must be destroyed.

• Before last week the legality of hemp crops in America was left to the discretion of each state. Once a state-approved hemp farming, those interested in growing hemp had to apply for approval with their Department of Agriculture.

Updates to the Farm Bill for 2018

2014’s Farm Bill left hemp farming to each state’s discretion, which did not remove hemp from the list of substances regulated by the federal government. The updated 2018 Farm Bill does, which puts hemp back on the playing fields of many American farmers. Meaning it will be treated as any other farming staple.

Removing hemp from the controlled substances list means:

• No more legal confusion. This gives farmers the piece of mind to bring this incredible plant back within their crops so we no longer have to import from other countries.
• More security for CBD companies. Banks and investors are anticipated to begin working with more companies within this industry. Product vendors will have better access to third-party processing, banking services, and investment opportunities.
• Stronger hemp education. The stigma which follows marijuana and CBD products, in general, will be dissolved through stronger education and fact-checking. Propaganda will be checked and removed.
• More CBD research. As more brands jump into the industry (which is why you should understand the importance of Third Party CBD Testing), more medical research will begin to surface. Facts we’ve never known will be allowed to rise to the surface.  

The 2018 Farm Bill is considered a huge step forward for the entire cannabis industry, but it’s just the beginning of the overall process of helping as many people with this incredible plant as possible. CBD is changing lives and this is proof that even our own government can no longer deny the benefits of a potent strong CBD.

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References:

https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-marijuana-tax-act-of-1937.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3839489/