The Era of Hemp Prohibition is Over!

Did you know? The era of hemp prohibition is over!

2019 is going to be an epic year in the history of hemp agriculture in the USA! After more than 80 years of prohibition, hemp is again a legal agricultural commodity!

The 2018 Farm Bill, signed into law in December, significantly loosens restrictions (at the Federal level) on industrial hemp across all 50 states. Provisions in the bill mandate that hemp must now be treated as the agricultural commodity that it is. And most significantly, hemp has officially been removed from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) list of schedule 1 drugs.

If that doesn’t qualify as an EPIC reversal of bad laws in all the history of bad laws, I don’t know what does! Hemp is now permanently removed from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). It is forever deemed an agricultural commodity, no longer mistaken as a controlled substance (marijuana—which shouldn’t be illegal either—but that’s the next battle!). The DEA no longer has any possible legitimate claim to interfere with the interstate commerce of hemp products. (We’ll have to wait as see how this plays-out. The DEA has a long history of abuse of power.)

The law only took effect in January, and state governments are already passing new laws legalizing hemp agriculture in their states. State governments can and still do impose separate restrictions or requirements on growing hemp, and the sale of hemp products. However, they can no longer legally interfere with the interstate transport of hemp or hemp products. (That’s unfortunately not stopping states like Idaho and Oklahoma from continuing to interfere.)

We are confident that state officials will continue to see the light. Legalized hemp will rapidly sweep the nation, state by state. Eventually all 50 states will have to comply, even if they need to be dragged into this new era kicking and screaming. (Boohoo Idaho!) Sometime soon we’ll publish an all 50 states update on the legalization of hemp agriculture.