This bill — the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 — would allow hemp (defined as cannabis with less than 0.3 percent THC content) to be farmed and regulated as agricultural commodity that’d be eligible for crop insurance. It would exclude industrial hemp from the Controlled Substances Act’s definition of marijuana. Hemp fiber can be used to make many kinds of products including food, paper, cardboard, carpets, clothes, rope, and more.
States and Indian tribes would have the authority to regulate the production of hemp after providing the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) with plans to monitor land on which hemp is grown, test THC levels, dispose of hemp cannabis produced in violation of this section, and enforce related rules.
Negligent violations of hemp production rules would lead to growers being forced to comply with a corrective action plan. After three violations in a five year period, the grower would be ineligible to produce hemp for five years after the date of the third violation.
The USDA would be required to conduct a study of agricultural pilot programs related to the economic viability of domestic hemp production and the sale of industrial hemp and provide a report to Congress within 120 days.