TAMPA, FL – November 7, 2019 – GrayRobinson's regulated products department chair, Richard M. Blau, authored the Law360 article "Industrial Hemp Could Save American Agriculture, published on November 6, 2019. The article provides insight on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new regulation that establishes the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program which went into effect on October 31.
"This new program creates a comprehensive regulatory framework through which the USDA can approve plans submitted by states and Native American tribes for the domestic production of hemp," explains Mr. Blau.
The impact of the declining farm income has also heightened the need for legalized hemp. This new federal regulation also provides a uniform plan for hemp producers in states or territories of Native American tribes that do not have their own USDA-approved plan.
"The U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program not only provides the administrative framework for hemp to be grown lawfully under federally approved plans, but also makes hemp producers eligible for a number of federally administered agricultural programs," he notes.
This regulation, combined with existing and in-process state legislation and hemp regulatory schemes, creates the opportunity for significant development of a hemp sector for American agriculture.
Law360 subscribers may read the complete article here.