What's Coming For Hemp In 2021 Under Biden
A new president just took office, and we thought we'd take a moment to reflect on what Pres. Joe Biden could mean for CBD and the hemp industry.
With a new presidency, there's a whole new cabinet and often a shake up in various important government agencies. The change in administrations comes at something of a turning point for the hemp plant, too.
Hemp, and with it CBD, was fully legalized when Pres. Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill at the end of that year. It was a rare case of bipartisan agreement: just about every politician loves hemp and, nowadays, most of them are educated about the benefits of CBD.
Unfortunately, the change still left the industry in something of a legal limbo. While legalized in some ways, some regulations lagged behind. Even though thousands of people have tried and enjoyed CBD for the first time since the end of 2018, the hemp industry itself has struggled with issues like banking, which still often turns away their money due to lingering, incorrect associations with "dangerous drugs."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued new guidelines for hemp growing in the final days of Pres. Trump's administration, but we're also awaiting rulings from the FDA about CBD.
Below, we'll outline what we can expect from 2021 and why it matters to you.
Supporting hemp growing and hemp farming in 2021
One problem that remained after hemp legalization was support for farmers and hemp based businesses. For example, even after legalization, hemp businesses sometimes struggle to access banking, payment processing and payroll services due to leftover regulations from the War on Drugs. Hemp farmers similarly struggled over whether they could access crop insurance, or federal water rights for growing hemp.
Some of this may be starting to change, and there's signs that progress on hemp could be made under Pres. Joe Biden. For example, hemp advocates say Biden's nominee for Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, has a history of supporting hemp from his time at the USDA.
That's good timing, because the USDA just issued new guidelines on hemp growing. Some of the changes are good ones for everybody interested in hemp. For example, the guidelines make it harder for farmers to be penalized if they accidentally grow hemp that has too much THC in it. By law, hemp and hemp products like CBD need to contain less than 0.3% THC, the active ingredient in "marijuana" that makes people feel high. Under the new regulations, farmers will have more leeway if they mistakenly grow "hot" hemp, and more options for how they dispose of these crops gone wrong.
There's still more work to be done, but there's reason to be hopeful. If it becomes easier to grow hemp in the U.S., that means more great hemp products available in the U.S., from CBD, to healthy hemp seed foods, and even sustainable building materials. That helps everyone be healthier, including the planet.
CBD and the FDA in 2021
So what about the Food and Drug Administration?
When hemp got legalized in 2018, the new law took CBD out of the hands of the Drug Enforcement Administration. That meant the DEA could not attempt a crack down on people using or selling CBD, which is good news for everyone. However, the same law said the FDA would be in charge of regulating CBD products like the kind Anavii Market sells. Three years later, those regulations don't exist yet.
CBD is in an unusual position, since herbal hemp extract containing CBD is sold online and in stores by the wellness industry (like us!). However, in another form, CBD is available by prescription as an ingredient in the pharmaceutical drug Epidiolex. It's almost a bit like caffeine: You can buy a cup of coffee containing caffeine almost anywhere, but caffeine is also occasionally used by doctors.
To help, the FDA assembled a team of experts late last year. There's no reason to be concerned that the FDA will take your CBD away, though. Because millions of people benefit from cannabinoid products, which bring in billions in income to the country, there's immense pressure to create a path forward that helps everyone. In fact, FDA regulation would be good because it should mean fewer fake CBD products for sale.
With a new Congress and continued bipartisan support for hemp, we may even see lawmakers step in to force the FDA to pass CBD regulations which benefit everyone, in a timely fashion.
Where to Buy CBD in 2021
One thing that won't change this year is the best place to buy CBD oil products! Anavii Market just celebrated our third birthday. Since 2018, Anavii Market has curated the very best CBD and hemp wellness products and we're looking forward to many more years to come.
If you're making it one of your resolutions to try CBD, let us help you find the right product for you. For more information about our selection of CBD products, feel free to contact us below:
- Call – 502-209-8808
- Email – wellness@anaviimarket.com
- Message us on social media – @anaviimarket
