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USDA says it can’t change hemp THC limit

The comment period is over, for now, for the USDA’s interim final hemp production rule. Ag Marketing Service Administrator Bruce Summers says there are requirements written into the 2018 Farm Bill about hemp that CANNOT be changed, “Things like the THC limit of point-3-percent.”

But, Summers told reporters Thursday that testing requirements are subject to potential change after the USDA reviews the 46-hundred comments it has received, “We’re going to take additional comments before we start drafting the final rule and that’s something we certainly will look at very closely and decide how to move forward on the final rule. But, that absolutely is within our purview to exercise some discretion and you might see some changes in the final rule.”

Summers says they will re-open the comment period after the 2020 hemp season and anticipate a final rule soon after. The deadline for a final rule is November 1^st, 2021.