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NASDA statement on USDA’s Domestic Hemp Production Program comment period
Story Date: 10/12/2020
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Source: USDA, 10/9/20
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) submitted comments yesterday to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the Establishment of a Domestic Hemp Production Program.
“State agriculture officials appreciate the complexity of the challenges USDA faces in developing regulations in support of our nascent hemp industry,” said NASDA CEO Dr. Barb Glenn. “Nevertheless, we continue to emphasize the need for flexibility so that States can facilitate, rather than interfere with the production and processing of hemp across all states. Without some flexibility, NASDA fears the Rule could exacerbate competitive differences between these states and hamper the growth of the U.S. industry.”
NASDA made the following three overall requests of USDA as they work to
finalize the rules of how hemp will be produced:
- NASDA urges USDA to ensure that
states have the flexibility to work with their state law enforcement,
instead of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), to establish a
protocol for disposal of non-compliant materials as each state deems most
appropriate. Additionally, NASDA urges USDA to allow for post-harvest
retests to allow for remediation option prior to entering interstate
commerce.
- NASDA urges USDA to set the
negligence threshold for THC at 1% of dry matter and allow for states to
develop mitigation plans.
- NASDA urges USDA to drop the
requirement to use a DEA registered laboratory.
NASDA’s organizational hemp policy can be found here.
NASDA adopted policy supporting the legalization and production of hemp for the
first time in 2002, and since, NASDA has voted in favor of numerous policy
items that support the growth of the industry and development of uniform
standards for the regulation of this crop. Learn more about our work on hemp at www.nasda.org/hemp.
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