By: Ryan Udell and William L. Doerler
In late 2018, President Trump formally signed the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) into law, and in turn declassified hemp as a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Hemp is defined, in part, as the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. Thus, cannabis plants and derivatives that contain no more than 0.3 percent THC – the ingredient attributed with marijuana’s psychoactive effects – are no longer controlled substances under Federal law. The change in the law renewed interest in developing and marketing products containing cannabis and cannabis-derived products, including products containing hemp and cannabidiol (CBD), another cannabis component. (more…)