Maine receives federal OK for licensed hemp production market

Courtesy / DACF Federal regulators have approved Maine's own rules governing the commercial production of hemp, which has been grown legally in the state since 2016.

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By Staff

Two years after legalizing the commercial production of hemp and nearly a year after drafting rules for it, the federal government has green-lighted Maine’s own regulations on the industry that has sprouted around the crop.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week approved rules established by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, giving the state primary responsibility for hemp production within its borders, according to a news release.

Hemp was legalized by Congress in the 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act and since then some states have looked for direction about how to regulate it. Maine legalized hemp in 2015 and production began in the state the following year.

The plant is a strain of cannabis and related to marijuana, but is used for a variety of purposes including as a food ingredient, a textile and even a building material.

The USDA released draft rules in October 2019 but the DACF responded with concerns about the practicality of requirements for testing, sampling, reporting and other protocols. The state ultimately revised its rules to bring them more in line with the interim federal ones, and to reflect public input.

Some of the changes will require action by the state Legislature during its next session as well as additional rulemaking by DACF, according to the release.

But DACF Commissioner Amanda Beal lauded the Sept. 2 approval for clearing up the differences between the state and federal regulations.

"Hemp is becoming an important part of Maine's agriculture sector,” she said. “Approval of our hemp production plan means Maine's growers will have certainty about the expectations and guidelines for hemp cultivation for the coming years.”

Since production began four years ago, Maine’s hemp industry has blossomed to include 110 licensed outdoor growers with a total of 362 acres in planted hemp and seven licensed indoor growers with over 22,700 square feet planted.