Industry Files Suit as Hemp Faces New Administrative Challenge

The Hemp Industries Association has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) over its interim rule on how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) manages changes in the Controlled Substances Act in the 2018 farm bill. That bill deregulated hemp production for crops with less than 0.3% of tetrahydrocanniabinols, or THC, content. At or above that threshold, the crop is classified as marijuana, which remains illegal as a Schedule I drug in many states. The suit alleges DEA isn’t following farm bill provisions in classifying hemp and essentially jeopardizing the entire hemp supply chain, in which production is approaching 500,000 acres nationwide. Though acreage is slightly lower this year than 2019, there are more than 21,000 licensed growers in the U.S., a 27% year-over-year increase. See more on the suit and learn about crop insurance protection for hemp.