Washington, DC: Members of the US Senate last week approved funding legislation that contains provisions partially delaying the implementation of a forthcoming federal ban on certain hemp-derived products.
Language in the Senate’s version of a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the US government temporarily stays the enactment of the ban, which Congress previously approved last year. Under the newly added Senate provisions, hemp products containing synthetically derived cannabinoids would become federally illegal on November 10th, while products containing naturally derived cannabinoids above .4 milligrams per container would remain licit until December 11th. The delay would provide Congress with an additional month to consider pending legislation that seeks to regulate naturally occurring hemp-derived cannabinoid products rather than outlaw them.
During last week’s Senate negotiations, lawmakers rejected an amendment to strip the hemp-related provisions from the CR by a vote of 61 to 32. The White House has previously called upon lawmakers to loosen the forthcoming federal ban. In April, the administration authorized the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide eligible beneficiaries access to designated hemp products containing up to 3 mg of THC. Under the forthcoming ban, those products would no longer be federally legal.
A final version of the funding resolution must ultimately be finalized and approved by both chambers. The House previously passed its own continuing resolution. Its version does not contain any hemp-related provisions.
If Congress fails to approve a final version of the resolution, the federal government will shut down on September 30th.
NORML has consistently urged federal officials to establish regulatory guidelines governing the production, testing, labeling, and marketing of hemp-derived cannabinoid products – most of which are unregulated and some of which are of variable quality and purity.