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CCOF Supported Industrial Hemp Bills Move Forward in Legislature

by Peter Nell |

Two CCOF-supported bills to streamline industrial hemp regulations in California have cleared their house of origin. Senator Scott Wilk’s (R-Santa Clarita) Senate Bill (SB) 153 received no opposition votes through the Senate and was voted into the Assembly. Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry’s (D-Winters) Assembly Bill (AB) 228 also did not receive opposition votes through the Assembly and was voted to the Senate. Both bills will now move through the senate and assembly before being sent to the governor’s desk for signature into law.

SB 153 revises provisions regulating industrial hemp cultivation to conform California’s regulations to 2018 Farm Bill requirements. The bill requires the California Secretary of Food and Agriculture to work with the governor and attorney general to submit a state plan on industrial hemp to USDA on or before January 31, 2020. CCOF supported the bill to streamline California’s industrial hemp cultivation regulations to allow for California’s farmers to begin cultivating industrial hemp.

AB 228 declares that food, beverage, or cosmetics that include industrial hemp or industrial hemp-derived ingredients are not considered harmful products. AB 228 also requires a warning label on products containing CBD derived from industrial hemp and prohibits restrictions on selling products solely based on the inclusion of industrial hemp or industrial hemp-derived ingredients. CCOF supported the bill because it would ensure at the state level that organic processors and handlers interested in including industrial hemp or industrial hemp-derived ingredients in their products can do so.

If you are a CCOF member interested in cultivating industrial hemp or certifying a product that includes industrial hemp or industrial hemp-derived ingredients, contact your CCOF Certification Service Specialist. For more information about California’s industrial hemp policy, contact pnell@ccof.org