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URGENT: Protect Indigenous Hemp Interests in Face of Potential Threats – Act Now!
As members of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association, we are deeply concerned about a new amendment proposed in the upcoming House Farm Bill hearing. This amendment, introduced by Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), poses a significant threat to the U.S. hemp industry and our communities’ interests in advancing wellness, industry, and economies.
The proposed amendment seeks to federally ban all ingestible hemp products containing any level of THC. This would not only impact potentially impairing products like Delta-8 but would also extend to non-intoxicating CBD products with any quantifiable amount of THC. Such a broad prohibition would effectively eliminate 90-95% of the hemp products market, jeopardizing the livelihoods of countless farmers, entrepreneurs, and Indigenous communities relying on the hemp industry for economic sustainability.
Furthermore, the proposed redefinition of hemp to include THC-A calculations could wreak havoc in the fiber and grain market, exacerbating the challenges faced by Indigenous farmers and producers.
We urge all members of Congress to recognize the detrimental impact of the Mary Miller amendment on Indigenous hemp interests and the broader hemp industry. This cynical effort, influenced by monopoly-seeking marijuana companies, threatens to undermine the progress made since the legalization of hemp in the 2018 Farm Bill.
We implore you to take immediate action by contacting your Representative and urging them to oppose the Mary Miller amendment. The vote is scheduled for today at 11 AM, leaving us with less than three hours to make our voices heard. Utilize the Federal Action Center provided to send an urgent message to your Representative and share this notice widely with your networks.
Tribal nations, tribal businesses and operators, and communities must be bold in protecting hemp as a plant medicine and viable agricultural industry. We must push back against the criminalization of hemp and defend our rights to cultivate, process, and utilize this sacred plant for the betterment of our people and our future generations.
Together, we can defend the interests of Indigenous hemp farmers, entrepreneurs, and communities and ensure that the U.S. hemp industry continues to thrive as a driver of wellness, industry, and economic prosperity.
In solidarity,
Rob Pero
Founder and CEO
Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association
MJ Biz Write
Under a proposed amendment to the next U.S. Farm Bill, “90%-95% of the hemp products market would be federally banned,” according to the U.S. Hemp Roundtable.
The hemp lobbying group alerted members late Wednesday that U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, a member of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, filed an amendment to the draft Farm Bill recently published by U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thomas, chair of the Ag Committee.
The amendment, supported by U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, “changes the definition of hemp … to only include naturally occurring, naturally derived, and non-intoxicating cannabinoids.”
The language in Miller’s proposal would render most delta-8 THC, HHC and THCA products illegal.
It states that “hemp” does not include hemp-derived products containing cannabinoids that:
- “are not capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant;”
- “were synthesized or manufactured outside the plant;”
- “have similar effects (or are marketed to have similar effects) on humans or animals as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC.)”
In a statement about the proposed Farm Bill amendment, U.S. Hemp Roundtable General Counsel Jonathan Miller urged its defeat by House lawmakers in Thursday’s markup meeting.
Keep reading this story by MJBizDaily reporter Chris Roberts to learn more.
Cannabis Business Times
Farm Bill Amendment Would ‘Devastate’ Hemp-Derived Cannabinoid Industry, Close THCA Loophole for Seed and Flower Sales
Editor’s note: This is a developing story.
Update, 6:36 p.m.: The proposed amendment has been added to the 2024 Farm Bill draft, first reported by Marijuana Moment. “Members adopted the cannabinoid ban amendment from Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) as part of an en bloc package with other unrelated changes in voice vote,” the media outlet reported.
“There was no roll call vote on the hemp-killing Mary Miller Amendment …,” the U.S. Hemp Roundtable (USHR) stated in an eblast. “Instead, House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson grouped it ‘en bloc with several other amendments and subjected them to a voice vote, which passed. This is especially disappointing because we were confident that on a roll call vote, we would win. In the 12 hours since we started our campaign, Hemp Supporters sent more than 7000 emails urging defeat of the amendment. Three Members of Congress spoke up at the hearing denouncing the amendment. But unfortunately, the decision was made by the Chairman to use a procedural tactic to avoid a separate vote on the issue. And that resulted in passage of a deeply flawed and deeply objectionable policy. Although we lost today’s battle, the war is far from over. The Farm Bill will be sent to the floor of the House where its passage this year seems unlikely. Even if the House should pass the Farm Bill, the differences between House Republicans and Senate Democrats are considerable at this point. And even if the major issues dividing the parties are resolved, we continue to have many friends in both branches on both sides of the aisle who will work with us to defeat this hemp-killing language.”
Marijuana Moment
