Section 7606 of the 2014 Farm Bill authorized hemp research and pilot programs by state departments of agriculture and institutions of higher education. Some states began licensing farmers to conduct pilot programs and research on hemp. In 2019 there were 34 states that allowed hemp to be grown. On December 20, 2018, President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law including language that removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act and authorized production of hemp under licensing by states, tribes or USDA. Contact your state or tribal agriculture department to learn more about the law near you.

Forty-one (48) states have defined industrial hemp as distinct and removed barriers to its production. Contact your state department of agriculture to learn more about how you can become licensed to grow hemp.

The Farm Bill of 2018 removes hemp completely from the Controlled Substances Act and regulates is as an agricultural crop. For more on the impact of the 2018 Farm Bill, see our post: Hemp in the Farm Bill, what does it mean?