The US is the largest consumer of hemp products in the world. On December 20, 2018, the hemp farm bill was passed, and all Cannabis sativa L. products became legal throughout the US. Under the Controlled Substances Act, any hemp product that has THC levels of 0.3% or less is legal. This led to a spike in cannabis-based products and an increase in demand. The hemp products market was projected to be between $2.3 billion to $23billion in the 2020s. Businesses dealing with cannabis-based products have a few things that they need to know about the importation of hemp.
Facts about the importation/movement of hemp
The 2014 farm bill allowed states to investigate hemp, and it was apparent that hemp seeds are very lucrative. After numerous studies, it was found that hemp flowers and fiber were also very lucrative, making hemp a great industrial crop. For most of the 20th century, however, hemp was banned from the commercial and university fields it currently thrives in; due to the Drug Enforcement Agency classifying it as a Schedule I drug. It has become an American staple very recently, even though it has been legal in Europe and Canada since the 1900s.
In the early 1900s, Americans wrongfully assumed that Mexican immigrants were committing criminal offenses due to consuming cannabis. During this period, hemp, commonly known as hashish, was put into candies and foods, and it was mainly unregulated. As a result of the xenophobic assumptions, hemp was criminalized in 29 states which had numerous Mexicans. In 1937, a taxation bill was passed by congress on the importation of hemp. Cannabis importers would now pay taxes which are the equivalent $400 today, failure to which they would pay a fine of up to $35,000 or spend up to five years in prison.
In 1971, cannabis became a Schedule I drug, but after research – in1976 – it was discovered that there is Hemp and Marijuana, and Hemp had a small percentage of THC (0.3% or less), the psychoactive agent in Cannabis. However, due to the stigma surrounding cannabis, hemp would take time before it was grown on American farms again.
The 2018 farm bill signed into law by President Donald J. Trump legalized hemp, thus allowing it to be grown by farmers regardless of whether or not they knew how to go about it. However, even to date, hemp is still being imported to date.
All the seeds that are imported into the US are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure that they are safe for agricultural trade.
If you are importing from Canada, your hemp seeds should come with a phytosanitary certification from Canada’s national plant protection organization to verify the origin of the seeds and confirm that no plant pests are detected; or a Federal Seed Analysis Certificate for hemp seeds grown in Canada.
If you are importing from any other country, your seeds should be accompanied by a phytosanitary certification from Canada’s national plant protection organization to verify the origin of the seeds and confirm that no plant pests are detected.
All imported hemp seeds are inspected upon arrival at the first port of entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to ensure USDA regulations are met.
