Tenths Of A Percent Will Decide The Future Of Legal Hemp
The legality of hemp is a matter of margins. The Farm Bill legalized hemp-derived cannabinoids in 2018 as long as the plant remained below a threshold of 0.3% Delta-9 THC by dry weight. Cannabis cousin compounds – CBD, THCA, Delta-8 THC, and a slew of minor cannabinoids – were therefore legal provided they met this concentration for Delta-9. The floodgates opened and cannabis products were now available from gas stations to doorstep delivery.
But this rule isn’t set in stone. The Farm Bill is meant to be updated every five years and, following two year-long delays, is scheduled for debate and passage this year. This time, senators are fighting back, particularly against psychoactive cannabinoids they view as a loophole in need of closing.
Early indications suggest lawmakers will push for a total THC standard of 0.3%, potentially curbing access to minor cannabinoids and undoing the scientific, social, and production progress made in this space. Let’s take a deeper look at how tenths of a percent will define and ultimately decide the future of legal hemp.
The threshold debate cuts both ways
Last year’s postponed draft bill offered the first indication lawmakers wanted to shift from a 0.3% Delta-9 THC standard to a 0.3% total THC standard, encompassing THCA and other THC variants. While this wouldn’t likely affect non-THC cannabinoids like CBD, it would target psychoactive cannabinoids.
Ironically, this more restrictive proposal came as other lawmakers argued in the opposite direction. Republican Senator Rand Paul believes the dry weight concentration is …