California Farmers and State Officials Seek Ways to Bypass Federal Hemp Regulation
In October 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture published its interim final rule on hemp in a bid to give the hemp sector some semblance of order. The industry exploded after the 2018 Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp, mostly pushed by the demand for hemp-derived CBD oil. However, due to a very loose regulatory structure, the industry was fraught with issues that made it difficult for hemp growers to operate. While the arrival of the interim final rule on hemp was applauded, it soon became apparent that some of the proposed regulations would be counterproductive to the budding sector. Growers…