Hemp Has Been Officially Legalized: Trump Signs New Farm Bill

One cornerstone, primary reason that cannabis was initially banned in the United States had to do with not just the medicinal value of cannabis, but the value of hemp, the much less potent form of cannabis used to create paper and all kinds of other goods.

Hemp was notoriously banned in the United States a long time ago during the era that brought us a global trend of cannabis prohibition. However, way back in the day, people were literally required to grow hemp in the United States, and they were required to do so on behalf of various different authorities, during various eras of history.

For example, as early as 1563, Queen Elizabeth had made growing hemp mandatory for landowners in English colonies who had over sixty acres. It was coercive because it was England trying to extract resources from colonies, but it emphasizes just how valuable hemp was, and still is.

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In 1619, the Virginia Assembly created legislation in the colonies to make all colonists to grow hemp and flax.

During both World Wars, Americans were strongly encouraged to grow hemp, with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) going so far as to create a film in 1942, titled “Hemp for Victory,” which served the purpose of “extolling some of the many uses of this ancient plant and premier world resource,” as one web page elegantly describes.

Now, after a long ban the new Farm Bill just legalized industrial hemp in the United States. People would be wise to avoid giving praise to any piece of legislation, or any government that gives a natural right back to the people as if they necessarily should be the arbiters of who gets to grow what, but nevertheless it’s time to celebrate.

Every 5 years or so, a Farm Bill policy is voted on. Maybe some of those long-time war hawks and figures in Washington had to gain some public support back, because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushed for hemp within the 2018 Farm Bill.

Hemp was removed from the Controlled Substances Act, and now it will be treated as an agricultural product, as it should have from the start because hemp obviously isn’t even significantly psychoactive.

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An enormous difference obviously exists between industrial hemp, and for instance, cannabis from a dispensary in California. Those medicinal plants have been grown to produce potent, big buds, and the industrial hemp has been grown to produce thick stalks, stems full of fiber with little regard for the content of cannabinoids.

Trump didn’t make any specific mention to hemp when he signed the bill, only saying it was a “great honor to sign the 2018 Farm Bill, a very special and important piece of legislation.” He continued, “It opens new markets for agriculture all over the world.” Again, it would be wise to never trust a soul in power: we can celebrate without giving praise to those who seek it by granting us the ability to do what we should already be able to do.

There are some regulations that will come into place regarding hemp, for instance, prospective growers will be required to submit cultivation plans to the USDA, either through the USDA or state government. Cannabis plants will be required to contain less than 0.3 percent THC in order to qualify for the hemp classification.

Another detail of this bill is, those who grow hemp will qualify for the Federal Crop Insurance Act, so when a person growing hemp experiences the loss of their crop, they will be entitled to insurance benefits. Insured crops are a controversial topic, with dependency on the state being a real factor in that debate.

Unfortunately, CBD is not being fully legalized either, and some members of the Trump Administration are trying to be stringent about it. However, headlines are being made about how the market for CBD is about to explode. Nothing will stop this explosion, if you think about it: the FDA is emphasizing CBD is still illegal, but that’s out of pure desperation.

Scott Gottlieb, the widely hated FDA commissioner who won’t stop trying to demonize kratom, the miraculous herb from Southeast Asia that is putting a dent in the opioid epidemic, is casting a shadow on the victory, by emphasizing that the particularly medicinal and harmless cannabinoid CBD is still illegal.

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“Selling unapproved products with unsubstantiated therapeutic claims is not only a violation of the law, but also can put patients at risk, as these products have not been proven to be safe or effective,” Gottlieb wrote.

Sure Scott we get it, we need your regulations or we’re all going to die. Thanks for making it really obvious to everyone that your brand of stringent regulation is not good for anyone, or necessary in any type of way.

Really, we should thank Scott Gottlieb for making his brand of regulation look completely and utterly retarded. It couldn’t be easier for average Americans to identify the fact that the FDA is corrupt. If they didn’t already know the FDA is corrupt, they should research former FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg, Renaissance Technologies, and the pharma corporation Johnson & Johnson.