Feds tell farmers to grow hemp or weed, but not both

Added on 01 December 2023

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Feds tell farmers to grow hemp or weed, but not both

The USDA is rescinding hemp cultivation licenses for some farmers who are also licensed to grow hemp.

Hemp farmers in several states are being told by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that they can grow cannabis or hemp but not both, according to a report from Politico.

Thousands of farmers from coast to coast saw the 2018 Farm Bill’s legalization of hemp agriculture as a new avenue to profitability for the operations. And as the legalization of marijuana has continued to spread across the country, some hemp farmers are seeing new opportunities in growing weed under cannabis programs regulated by the state.

But that business plan is now in jeopardy as the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has informed growers in several states that their federal license to grow hemp is subject to cancellation if the farmers continue to cultivate both hemp and marijuana.

“It’s another attack on the little guy,” said Connor Reeves, a cannabis attorney with the firm McLaughlin PC in Jackson, Mississippi. “They don’t seem to care how it impacts small farmers and folks in rural parts of the country that are otherwise following the law.”

The USDA approves all state hemp programs as required by the 2018 Farm Bill. The agency also directly regulates hemp growers in eight states, including Mississippi, that do not have their own regulatory program. Seven of those states have also legalized medical or recreational cannabis.