Since the Legislature passed the Bill 1051 just over a year ago in Oregon, we’ve seen a stream of changes made to the handling and processing of hemp. With it’s passing (Bill 1051) we saw the state shut the “back door” (Mark Pettinger, OLCC), to access to non-OLCC registered hemp, increasing the regulatory constraints and developing the framework for the pluri-potent industry.
Fast forward a few months and the bill was amended, bringing in clearer definitions and procedures, allowing businesses to sell hemp/CBD products “to any person”, according to the OAR (Oregon Administrative Rules), under Rule 603-048-0100, however still illegal by federal standards.
Time moves on and changes keep coming, in the beginning of February last month, OR legislature’s went through 4 cannabis bill proposals and one of them, Bill 4089, has passed the House and Senate and, as of just a few weeks ago (March 3rd) awaits Governor Brown’s signature. It lists a number of stipulations that will both impact and cohesify the OR industrial hemp industry.
Here are the biggest changes:
- Establishes an Industrial Hemp Fund – appropriates money to ODA for administering/implementing/enforcing hemp ordinances.
- Establishes a University Pilot Program – trains students in labelling and certifying hemp seed.
- Defines hemp seed as “agricultural” or “flower seed” for regulating labeling, testing, and certification.
- All hemp/commodities/products must be tested by an OHA or ODA approved lab.
- Responsibility for data input related to tracking raw material/commodity/product is now transferred from testing laboratories to the registered grower/handler/processor and must be done prior to transport.
- Requires OLCC to track hemp/commodity/product when transferred/sold/transported.
- Defines industrial hemp products as, containing less than 0.3% THC. If tested over, it cannot be sold to a consumer, unless from a retailer.
- New limits on production and storage of homegrown cannabis plants.
- A person cannot produce/process/store homemade industrial hemp extracts.
- If a higher average THC concentration limit is established by federal law, then the ODA can adopt the same canon and establish a higher average THC concentration for industrial hemp.
