The United States Food and Drug Administration this week released its initial rules for commercial hemp, which was federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill. A PDF of the proposed rules can be read here. 

In Maine, commercial hemp has recently been in the news, with a Whitefield farm offering pick-your-own hemp threatened to be dropped by its insurance company and bank.

The number of hemp licenses issued nationwide has quadrupled since the passage of the Farm Bill last December, according to a report issued last month by New Frontier Data, a national cannabis research company. The Portland Press Herald reports that hemp is a versatile crop. Its core can be used for construction, its skin for insulation and its nutty seeds for eating. But the CBD craze has made oil extracted from its flowers its most lucrative end market — New Frontier Data estimates 70 percent of the 2019 crop will end up as CBD oil.

Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Commissioner, Amanda Beal, released the following statement regarding USDA Hemp Rules announcement:

“We are pleased that the USDA finally released the highly anticipated hemp guidance for states. As Governor Mills wrote in her letter to the Secretary of Agriculture last week, states like Maine and farmers across the country have been in limbo as we awaited this importance guidance outlining how states would implement commercial hemp production. We will continue to work with stakeholders across Maine, including the congressional delegation and the USDA, in making sure that this guidance makes sense for Maine farmers and business owners.”

The USDA is waiting until the conclusion of a public comment period before working to approve state and tribal hemp plans. A comment period is open for 60 days from the announcement of the proposed rules.

Maine’s DACF offers information about commercial hemp online at https://www.maine.gov/dacf/php/hemp/.