The 2018 Farm, Industrial Hemp, and CBD.
On December 20th, 2018, President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law. This 807-page, $867 million bill does enormous work on commodity programs, trade, rural development, farm credits, conservation, agricultural research, food and nutrition programs, and many more programs across the United States.
One of the main things catching headlines is its work on Hemp.
Since 2014, hemp has been on the rise in the minds of farms and marketers across the country. Section 7606 of that bill opened a small opportunity for hemp, defining it as cannabis with less than 0.3% THC. However, the language was less than clear, which opened the doors to federal agencies like the DEA to specify that language as only pertaining to seeds and stalks of cannabis, and not leafs and flowers.
The 2018 Farm Bill changes that, opening up the doors for CBD.
So what does it do?
- The 2018 US Farm Bill does many things, including legalizing the commercial production of hemp.
- It requires states to create a plan to track growers, track fields/greenhouses, and conduct pre-harvest testing to verify the THC content is 0.3% or less.
- Removes industrial hemp, and its extracts (like CBD), from the Controlled Substance Acts (CSA).
This is a HUGE victory for hemp, however this doesn’t mean anyone can sell hemp and CBD.
What this does is create a framework for the legal cultivation by states of ‘industrial hemp’, without a permit from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The Apothecary LLC already follows these rules.
We are one of the few registered, legal CBD businesses who works directly with the Department of Agriculture. In addition to being licensed Industrial Hemp Handlers, The Apothecary LLC is also licensed for Seed Registration and Industrial Hemp farming (in fact, we also farm hemp!).
Can I sell CBD in my store now?
The short answer is yes, the longer answer is that it depends on who you buy it from.
A “licensed industrial hemp handler” means that person or entity has the legal right to transport or transfer hemp to any other person or company. If you suppliers are not licensed, you’re drifting back into the grey area that previously shrouded the industry.
Additionally, the FDA is still heartily involved in cannabis.
With the approval of Epidiolex, CBD became an active ingredient approved by the FDA. That means that the FDA now regulates the ingredient according to the FD&C Act. For products, the FDA partly looks at deceptive marketing and health claims, and because all but one CBD product has not been clinically, CBD products claiming health benefits without an FDA disclaimer are at heightened risk.
Simply put: if you’re ready to expand into CBD, it’s critical you don’t expose your business to unlicensed, untested, and unregistered hemp CBD producers and distributors that make dubious claims about their products.
The Apothecary: A Licensed CBD Supplier
We offer a full line of CBD Tea, Supplements, Cocoa & Adaptogenic Drinks, Body Products, Honey and more, all for less than competitors, and made with organic, locally sourced ingredients. We also include FDA disclaimers on all our packaging, and site, and do not make any health claims about our items (we let our products speak for themselves!).
If you’re interested in speaking with us, either for personal information or to place an order, please don’t hesitate to reach us at [email protected]. We’re two brothers passionate about cannabis and CBD, and we’ve been working in the marijuana and hemp industries for over 10 years. We’re excited to work with State and Federal lawmakers to expand this product into more uses, so more people can enjoy CBD more often.*
*The Apothecary LLC are not doctors and we do not provide medical advice. None of the information on this site, including information in any press release or blog post, constitutes legal or medical advice by us.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author’s employer, organization, committee or other group or individual.
Jesse Richardson is the co-founder of The Brothers Apothecary. He's an avid tea drinker and the primary creator behind The Brothers' products. An undergraduate of UCLA for Political Science, Jesse currently studies Medicinal Plants at Cornell University and The International School of Herbal Arts & Sciences.
