The U.S. Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill) defines industrial hemp as distinct from ‘marijuana’ and legalizes its cultivation and processing under licensing programs in 31 states. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 specifically prohibits federal authorities from using funds to obstruct the “transportation, processing, sale, or use of industrial hemp...within or outside the State in which the industrial hemp is grown or cultivated.” Hence, the DEA may not require lawfully licensed hemp farmers or manufacturers in the U.S. to register for a permit to engage in interstate commerce of industrial hemp products.
A 2004 order issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco, prohibits the DEA from regulating hemp food products as Schedule I controlled substances. The ruling made by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, permanently enjoined the DEA from regulating hemp fiber, stalk, seed and oil, which are specifically exempted from the definition of ‘marijuana’ in the federal Controlled Substances Act.
Hemp Seeds Report