By Andrew Wagner

IG: @sdcannablogger

With the final days of the 115th Congress winding down, the Senate and House of Representatives are racing to pass funding bills before their scheduled recess at the end of this week. One bill they were able to pass was the 2018 Farm Bill. While this bill funds our nation’s agriculture programs, it also makes one historical change: legalizing the production of industrial hemp. The passage of this bill removes hemp and any legal ambiguity surrounding hemp-derived CBD from the Controlled Substances Act.

For decades, industrial hemp has been lumped into the same category as cannabis as a Schedule I substance. By distinctly separating the two plants, research into its many uses can now be expanded. Also, hemp-derived CBD products would be easier to purchase, whether online or in person.

Dr. Bomi Joseph, Founder of Peak Health Center, ImmunAG, LLC and creator of Phyto Farmacy is eager to see hemp defined as an agricultural crop, not as a plant containing psychoactive properties. He even proposes to rename hemp-derived CBD as “phytobidiol” (PBD?), further separating hemp from its cannabis cousin.

Dr. Joseph is the creator of ImmunAG, a high potency CBD derived from the humulus kriya plant, which was created due to the prohibitive regulations around hemp and cannabis-derived CBD. By removing industrial hemp from the Controlled Substance Act, Dr. Joseph will now be free to use hemp-derived CBD in his products.

What This Means for Cannabis

The end of the 115th Congress sees the removal of Pete Sessions from the House of Representatives. Rep. Sessions has blocked every bill containing cannabis legislation from ever reaching the House floor. When Congress reconvenes in January, his replacement, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), has promised to stop this policy and allow cannabis bills to be debated and voted upon. With the demand for cannabis legalization rising, we could see significant movement on cannabis legislation in the new year.

Candid Chronicle reached out to Dr. Joseph for comment on how industrial hemp legalization will affect the cannabis industry.

How do you think the legalization of industrial hemp will affect the cannabis industry? Let us know in the comments.

Featured image via @driftlesshempco