U.S. Representative Andy Barr, R-KY, is sponsoring a bipartisan effort, backed by Kentucky’s hemp industry, to regulate intoxicating hemp-derived products ahead of an effective ban of such products spearheaded by Kentucky’s senior U.S. Senator, Mitch McConnell.
The Lawful Hemp Protection Act would create a regulatory framework for consumable hemp products that have tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the intoxicating compound that gives users a “high” feeling when consumed.
Last year, McConnell successfully passed a provision into federal law that bans hemp-deprived products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container, what hemp industry advocates and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul decried as a ban on a growing market for intoxicating hemp-derived edibles, beverages and other consumables.
McConnell had said he wanted to close a loophole created with his legalization of industrial hemp through the 2018 Farm Bill that allowed companies to market intoxicating hemp-derived products to children. His provision for intoxicating hemp-derived products would go into effect in November.
Barr’s bill, supported by Democratic Minnesota U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, would allow the sale of such products with three distinctions: Sales would be limited to those 21 years of age and older, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would be tasked with setting limits on THC amounts per hemp-derived product, and the advertising of such products to children would be prohibited.
In a statement, Barr said his Lawful Hemp Protection Act protects “Kentucky agriculture, safeguards consumers, and establishes a commonsense regulatory framework that allows this important industry to continue to grow while ensuring products are safe and kept out of the hands of children.
“Kentucky has demonstrated that hemp can be successfully regulated while supporting farmers and protecting consumers,” Barr said. “This legislation builds on that success by creating a national framework that rewards responsible producers, eliminates bad actors, and ensures consumers have confidence in the products they purchase.”
The bill has the backing of hemp industry groups including the Kentucky Hemp Association and the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers Association, according to a release from Barr’s office.
Dee Dee Taylor, the president of the Kentucky Hemp Association, in a statement also called for an extension of the November deadline of the effective ban on such products.
“An extension will give lawmakers the time needed to build a durable federal framework that protects public health, respects successful state regulatory programs like Kentucky’s, and preserves economic opportunities for American agriculture,” Taylor said.
