A new congressional bill seeks to build upon the federal legalization of hemp by providing cannabis businesses with additional flexibility that’s been sought after by industry stakeholders, as well as removing a controversial ban on market participation by people with prior drug convictions. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) filed the Hemp Advancement Act on Tuesday. The legislation would provide several critical reforms, including by increasing the legal THC threshold for hemp products from the current 0.3 percent to 1 percent on a dry weight basis. It could additionally, however, upend the growing market for delta-8 THC products by officially counting the isomer in allowable THC amounts. It would also address an issue related to THC levels for in-process hemp. Businesses previously raised concerns about the THC threshold prescribed under the existing federal statutes because the process of hemp extraction can temporarily raise the THC content in a crop in a way that could make them liable for enforcement action. Under Pingree’s bill, in-process hemp would not be subject to any THC limits as long as the final product doesn’t exceed one percent.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 02/08/2022 07:20:00