The 2018 Farm Bill instructed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create a regulatory oversight program for hemp and include provisions for the USDA to authorize hemp production plans proposed by states and Native American tribes.
At the end of October, the USDA issued an interim final rule that kicked off the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program.
The first set of plans submitted were approved by the USDA on Friday. They originated from Louisiana, New Jersey and Ohio, and the Santa Rosa Cahuilla, Flandreau Santee Sioux and La Jolla Band of Luiseno Indian Tribes.
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In order to cultivate hemp, growers must have a license or authorization under a state, tribal or USDA production program.
On the USDA’s website, it is possible to find the status of a submitted plan or to take a look at an approved one.
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