A GOP senator has reintroduced a bill that would triple the concentration of THC that the hemp could legally contain, while addressing multiple other concerns the industry has expressed about the federal regulations.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) filed the legislation, titled the Hemp Economic Mobilization Plan (HEMP) Act, on Tuesday. The measure is identical to a version he’s proposed last Congress.
Hemp and its derivatives were legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill, but the industry has experienced multiple setbacks in the years since—and the proliferation of intoxicating cannabinoid products has led to pushes in Congress and state legislatures across the country to reign in the largely unregulated market.
In the interim, one of the most common complaints that lawmakers have heard from hemp businesses is that the crop is federally defined as containing no more than 0.3 percent THC. They say that’s too low, and so Paul’s bill would increase that threshold to 1 percent.
It would also address potential problems with testing requirements under U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations. Hemp processors currently get a 15-day window to test the crop’s flower to ensure that the THC concentration is within the allowed limits. But testing flower can be onerous
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