From Reefer Madness To Regulatory Madness: The FDA’s Impact On The U.S. Hemp Industry
By Joseph Hickey Sr. via Let’s Talk Hemp
The 2018 U.S. Farm Bill heralded a new era for industrial hemp, removing it from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and reclassifying it as an agricultural crop. This legislation also set the now famous 0.3% (3,000 parts per million or ppm) THC threshold to distinguish hemp from marijuana. However, just as the industry seemed poised for growth, expanding into markets like animal feed, American hemp farmers now face another significant regulatory hurdle: the FDA.
On August 20, 2024, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) approved an FDA regulation that sets a maximum THC concentration of 2 ppm (.0002%) in hemp meal fed to animals. This is an arbitrary limit lacking any scientific justification and yet another chapter in the FDA’s history of regulatory overreach when it comes to hemp.
The FDA’s Unrelenting Assault On Hemp
Since its inception in 1906, the FDA has played a critical role in protecting public health, but its history with hemp is one marked by misinformation and stigma. Even today, the FDA has not provided peer-reviewed scientific evidence that supports the claim that hemp or its cannabinoids, including THC, pose a danger to human or animal health. This lack of scientific transparency has fueled ongoing skepticism, particularly in light of the FDA’s long history of regulating hemp with what many see as an unjustifiable heavy hand.
The FDA’s decision to impose the 2 ppm THC limit on hemp meal for animal feed seems to reflect a broader regulatory stance driven more by fear than fact. In fact, the agency’s reluctance to embrace modern scientific findings on the safety and benefits of hemp perpetuates the outdated notions of “Reefer Madness” — the anti-cannabis propaganda film of the 1930s.
A Timeline Of Regulatory Hostility Toward Hemp
To understand how we arrived at today’s regulatory quagmire, it’s essential to look back at the historical relationship between hemp and U.S. federal agencies:
● 2800 BC: Cannabis is listed in Emperor Shen Nung’s pharmacopeia in China.
● 1850-1937: Over 2,000 cannabis medicines are produced by major manufacturers like Parke-Davis and Eli Lilly. Cannabis is widely recognized as a medicinal plant.
● 1860: The syringe and the rise of patentable synthetic drugs in the pharmaceutical industry significantly impacts medicinal cannabis and other …