regulatory

Jenny Tucker, the deputy administrator of the USDA National Organic Program, released a policy memo on June 3, 2019 regarding land use history requirements for container based production systems. This memo clarified that all container systems “including hydroponic and other pot-based systems with or without soil must meet land requirements of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 and the USDA organic regulations.” The regulations require that land must not have prohibited materials applied for three years prior to the harvest of an organic crop.

As various states decriminalize or approve both medicinal or recreational cannabis, CCOF Certification Services is frequently asked to help ensure organic cannabis production. As an organization that envisions a world where organic is the norm, we would like to see cannabis production and processing meet organic standards. In fact, it is our understanding that the gray market nature of this production system has resulted in significant agricultural and chemical use issues.