Hemp production in Vermont will undergo regulatory changes at the beginning of 2023.
On Wednesday, Vermont’s Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (AAFM) announced plans to withdraw the Agricultural Marketing Service of its USDA-approved Hemp Production Plan on December 31, 2022.
On January 1, 2023, hemp growers will need a license issued under the United States Domestic Hemp Production Program’s regulatory framework, as established by the 2018 Farm Bill.
In January 2021, the USDA adopted final rules that implemented the framework.
“The Agency will work closely with USDA as this transition takes place,” says AAFM in a press release. “And will communicate with growers to make sure they are aware of the transition and steps necessary to continue to cultivate hemp in Vermont in compliance with federal law.”
AAFM says the current Vermont Hemp Program will continue operating until the end of the year and remain the contact point for hemp grower oversight, administration, and daily operations.
Areas of oversight include annual reporting requirements and sampling, testing, remediation, and disposal inquiries.
Vermont Act 158’s passage transferred regulatory oversight for hemp product testing from the Agency of Agriculture, Food, & Markets to the Cannabis Control Board.
AAFM says the authority includes testing laboratory certification and setting cannabis contaminant action limits in cannabis, hemp, and infused products.
AAFM encourages anyone with questions to contact the Cannabis Control Board at CCB.Info@vermont.gov.
