WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- A new federal definition of hemp tucked into Congress' recently passed spending bill has reopened the debate over legal cannabis and set up a year-long fight that could determine the future of hemp-derived CBD and THCA products -- and thousands of small businesses behind them.
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the 2018 Farm Bill, allowed hemp production and removed the plant from the Drug Enforcement Administration's schedule of Controlled Substances.
But now, Congress has sharply moved to restrict the hemp industry after slipping new language into the latest continuing resolution that ended the 43-day government shutdown Nov. 13.
This change could redefine what counts as legal hemp and effectively outlaw many of the products that have fueled the sector's rapid growth over the last seven years.
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