December/30/2019
Nearing the end of December 2019, the United States Department of Agriculture approved hemp plans for three states, and they include Ohio, Louisiana, and New Jersey, allowing them to cultivate licensed hemp. Ohio, Louisiana, and New Jersey did not permit the cultivation of hemp under the 2014 Farm Bill provisions, which makes this the first-time growers in the mentioned states are cultivating the newly legitimate crop.
Each of the state’s hemp plans can be found on their respective Department of Agriculture website.
In a public statement, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said that the pieces of the regulatory framework are falling in place after the USDA approval of the state’s industrial hemp plan. He also added that the department is now in a position to advance by accepting license applications for industrial hemp cultivation.
The USDA interim final rule has a provision that allows states and tribal organizations to submit their regulations to the agency. The state lawmaker must approve the regulations. The rules must also fit in with the federal law. The licensing process will start ahead of the 2020 planting season for those states the USDA has approved hemp plans.
The USDA is still reviewing hemp plans for 16 U.S. states.
On December 27, the Flandreau Santee Sioux, Santa Rosa Cahuilla, and La Jolla of Luiseno Indian Tribes are the three Tribal organizations whose hemp plans were approved by the USDA.
