The Importance of the 2018 Farm Bill
In short, the 2018 Farm Bill removed Hemp from the Controlled Substance Act, it’s federally legal in all 50 states, and it is deemed an agricultural commodity. Hemp is no longer mistaken as it’s controlled substance, still federally illegal cousin Marijuana. The key differentiator between Hemp and Marijuana according to the 2018 Farm Bill is the level of THC contained in the final product. If it’s at 0.3%, its considered Hemp, if it’s over 0.3%, it’s considered Marijuana.
In addition to removing low-THC cannabis from regulation under the Controlled Substance Act, the 2018 Farm Bill will open the doors for American hemp farmers to cultivate and harvest Hemp in the USA for the first time since the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, a United States Act that placed a large tax on the sale of Cannabis and was drafted by Harry Anslinger, a United States government official who served as the first commissioner of the US Treasury Department’s Federal Bureau of Narcotics during the presidencies of Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy. He was a supporter of the criminalization of drugs and prohibition and played a pivotal role in Cannabis prohibition. The 2018 Farm Bill has also opened the door for FDA Clinical Research studies to be conducted on cannabinoids, including cannabidiol (CBD) and the terpenes contained within the plant. The FDA approved Epidiolex from British biopharmaceutical company GW Pharmaceuticals in 2018. This is the first FDA-approved drug that contains Cannabidiol, or CBD in isolate form. It is also the first FDA approval of a drug for the treatment of patients with Dravet syndrome. Epidiolex is indicated for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome in patients two years of age and older. This is a big step in the right direction, especially since the FDA does not conduct any studies at all on Schedule 1 substances, and since December 20, 2018, Hemp which includes all cannabinoids.