New Farm Bill Legislation to Legalize Hemp

President Trump is expected to sign the 2018 Farm Bill, a massive, five-year piece of legislation that outlines regulations on everything from food stamps to environmental land use. This particular Farm Bill has one piece of legislature that previous versions have not included – it is legalizing industrial hemp, including the plants used to produce CBD.

CBD has previously been in a confusing legal gray area governed by each state in a different way. In the previous Farm Bill, passed in 2014, some federal regulations were eased regarding CBD production. But, while some states legalized CBD, others have kept it on the Schedule I controlled substance list. If signed, the new Farm Bill removed hemp and any hemp derivative from the Controlled Substances Act, legally separating it from marijuana and putting its supervision under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The Future of Hemp
While the new Farm Bill removes Hemp from the Schedule I list, it creates its own new regulations and gray areas. First, any individual convicted of a drug felony is not allowed to work in the hemp industry for 10 years after the date of their conviction. In earlier drafts, persons convicted of drug felonies had been banned entirely. This final draft relaxes this somewhat to the current 10-year-ban.

According to an article in Rolling Stone magazine, earlier in 2018, “the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reclassified FDA-approved drugs that contain CBD and no more than 0.1 percent THC from Schedule I, the most serious category, to its lowest category, Schedule V, alongside prescription cough syrups and painkillers.” The new Farm Bill completely removes all hemp plants and derivatives, even those with THC levels over 0.3 percent. Will the new Farm Bill override the DEA or will the DEA once again reclassify CBD? This is something those involved in the CBD industry will continue to follow.

Additionally, each state will have to submit a plan to the USDA regarding how it will manage hemp cultivation. If a state does not submit a plan, CBD producers can submit their plan directly to the federal government. This may or may not cause headaches for CBD producers – these affects remain to be seen.

What is Hemp Used for?
Hemp and Marijuana come form the same plant family, but are completely different in function, cultivation and application. Marijuana generally has a high level of THC (a psychoactive compound that makes you feel “high”) and is used for medicinal or recreational purpose. Hemp contains a negligible amount of THC (but is high in CBD) and is used in dietary supplements, skin products, clothing and paper. The fibers and stalks of the hemp plant are used in clothing, construction materials, paper biofuel, plastic composites, and more. Clinical trials are in progress to determine the best uses, the safety and the effectiveness of CBD for the treatment of medical conditions and diseases.

According to CBDOrigin.com, existing scientific research shows CBD benefits more than fifty conditions including arthritis, anxiety, epilepsy, osteoporosis and more. CBD is currently being studied in clinical trials for everything from addiction to ALS, depression to Huntington’s disease and there’s a host of cancer clinical trials too.

For more information on CBD clinical trials, visit ClinicalTrials.gov and search CBD.

About Diverse Biotech, Inc.
Diverse Biotech Inc. is an innovative, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical research company, committed to discovering and developing novel therapeutics from its proprietary cannabinoid product platform.

For more information on Diverse Biotech or its Cannabinoid (CBD) clinical trials, use in the treatment of specific types of malignancies related to glioblastoma, myeloma, gastrointestinal, and breast cancer, when administered in conjunction with Standard of Care, please contact Diverse Biotech by phone at 407-776-9217 or visit the company’s headquarters at 805 S. Kirkman Rd, Suite 202, Orlando, Florida 32811.