A key cannabis bill now before the U.S. Senate would establish the legality of all forms of THC naturally present in hemp, adding varieties so far not addressed, then raise the overall limit for THC in hemp plants from 0.3 percent to 0.7 percent.
The proposed measure, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, targets those and several other hemp matters not covered in current legislation.
Delta-9, the more well-known form of THC that is abundant in marijuana plants, also occurs naturally in trace amounts in the industrial form of cannabis, and is recognized in existing laws. But hemp also contains negligible amounts of naturally-occurring delta-8 and delta-10 THC, and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, forms which are not addressed by current legislation.
Stakeholders have pushed for a limit of a full 1.0% total for all forms of THC present in hemp “on the field,” but even the increase to 0.7% would help CBD producers because CBD in hemp plants rises in proportion to THC, making production more efficient. That would let the U.S. gain ground in international trade where it competes against countries in Asia and Latin America that have broken with the generally followed international THC limit of 0.3% to set a more enlightened defining line between hemp and marijuana at 1.0%.
The increase would also provide greater security to American hemp growers, who in some jurisdictions must destroy crops that go beyond the current 0.3% THC limit.
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