Field of Hemp

Congress has passed the 2018 Farm Bill by an overwhelmingly majority and the President is expected to sign it into law. The Farm Bill has huge implications for the industrial hemp industry because it removes hemp from the federal list of controlled substances and enables farmers to apply for crop insurance. Hemp is a variety of the cannabis sativa plant that contains very low levels – .3 percent or less – of THC found in marijuana, and doesn’t have the psychoactive effects associated with its biological cousin. Hemp has a vast range of industrial uses that include textiles, clothing, plastic substitutes and as an additive to food and drink. Many proponents contend it can also be used to treat conditions such as chronic pain and anxiety. If the President signs the bill, hemp would be regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, much like any other crop, and farmers will legally be able to grow, process and sell the plant and its derivatives such as CBD oil. The Farm Bill presents massive opportunities and a potential boon to the industry that produces and markets cannabidiol, or CBD oil, which has become increasingly popular in recent years. Last year, hemp sales reportedly reached $820 million in the U.S. and that was without it being completely legal. Some analysts now project hemp could grow into a multi-billion dollar industry by 2020 and that the global hemp market could increase to $10 billion by 2025.