REP. MORGAN GRIFFITH INTRODUCES BILL TO REGULATE HEMP INDUSTRY

The much anticipated Griffith bill has been introduced. From the representative’s press release:

U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, and U.S. Congressman Marc Veasey (D-TX) introduced the Hemp Enforcement, Modernization, and Protection (HEMP) Act. This new measure is intended to create the pathway for federal regulation of cannabidiol (CBD) products. The bill creates a first-of-its-kind federal regulatory framework for hemp-derived (or CBD) products intended for human use within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

Currently, hemp-derived businesses operate with no federal guidance, causing states to adopt differing regulations of hemp-derived products. This has created a patchwork of state laws, essentially allowing for a wild west market for these products and raising serious public health concerns. 

Congressman Griffith’s HEMP Act is designed to create a future for American hemp products. By creating this pathway, it will bring regulatory certainty and allow for safer products to be sold in the United States.  

This bill only regulates hemp-derived products and not cannabis. In fact, cannabis is explicitly prohibited from being regulated through this pathway in the draft. 

Read the entire press release here. A copy of the bill can be downloaded by clicking here.