Hemp vs. DEA – Again!

For decades, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was hemp’s leading adversary. (Check out this timeline of the history of Hemp vs. DEA). Congress said “enough” in 2018, and passed a Farm Bill that removed DEA’s jurisdiction over the crop.

Unfortunately, DEA has stuck its nose back under the hemp tent. Last year, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) on hemp with many burdensome and troubling provisions that USDA Secretary Purdue recently admitted were inserted at the direction of DEA. Last month, DEA issued its own Interim Final Rule on hemp that, among other things, could potentially criminalize the hemp extraction process.

Today, with both IFRs open for public input, the U.S. Hemp Roundtable submitted its formal comments. Our message is simple: Let farmers farm. Keep the DEA out of the hemp business.

You can read our full submissions here: USDA Comments, DEA Comments

Now, these agencies need to hear from YOU.

Please use this link to have your say. Our online portal makes it super easy – type in your comments and they will be inserted directly into the federal registry. We’ve drafted up a message for your editing, but encourage you to share your own personal stories about how the USDA and DEA interim rules negatively impact your farm or business.

Please act soon – the comments window closes on October 8 for the USDA and October 20 for the DEA.