One of the most interesting things about the cannabis industry in Massachusetts is the growth of hemp and hemp-based products. Now, the state is looking to push for growing hemp flowers, and the flowers could eventually be used as a food source. The amendment to the Cannabis Control Act is now pending before the state Senate. If it passes, it would allow hemp farmers to grow the flowers and sell them as a food source.
On Tuesday, the Massachusetts state senate passed an amendment to the state constitution to legalize and regulate marijuana. The Senate’s vote came after a three-year process that started in the House of Representatives. The Senate originally approved the measure in May 2013, but the House had failed to act on the proposal.
A proposed amendment in Massachusetts would allow cannabis-derived CBD ingredients to be added to food, dietary supplements and pet food, and cannabis flower to be sold to consumers. The vote on Amendment 130 in the Senate is expected this week, and the Massachusetts House of Representatives will consider a parallel bill with similar wording on January 1 during a virtual public hearing. June check. In the Senate, the amendment was introduced by Senator Diane Disoglio, a Democrat from Methuen, as part of the 2021 budget.
Limited CCC Manual
Currently, CBD may only be used as an ingredient in non-food products and may not be sold as part of dietary supplements, according to recently published guidelines from the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (MCC). These regulations allow the sale of certain industrial hemp products to authorized retailers of cannabis, but limit the sale of unprocessed hemp, including flour, to wholesale transactions between authorized growers and producers. Under the new policy, products such as hemp seeds, hemp oil, building materials, textiles and fashion, and other hemp fiber-derived products and materials can be sold in bulk to cannabis vendors, according to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
Unfolding the rules
Although CBD can be used in cosmetics for health and beauty, the products cannot claim to be therapeutic. In addition, the guidelines state that cannabis products may only be sold to users who are 21 years of age or older. The CCC said the regulation of CBD can only change if the drug is eventually approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Hemp growers and processors have been waiting for a response from the CCC since the adoption of the MA Hemp Industry Survive and Thrive amendment in December, a measure to support the cannabis industry already included in the 2021 state budget. Licensed cannabis retailers are not required to keep track of product sales through the CTC’s seed-to-sale accounting system that applies to marijuana, but they must record sales of cannabis products for tax purposes, the policy says.
Full compliance
Hemp cultivation was legalized by Massachusetts voters in 2016, and the state began allowing cannabis cultivation in 2019. Massachusetts’ hemp program is currently being implemented under a state plan approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on December 7. May 2020 was approved under the interim federal rule on industrial hemp. The state says it is working to update the plan to include key provisions of the final rule, which was mandated by the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized cannabis at the federal level. Earlier this month, Massachusetts opened about 73,000 acres of protected farmland to cannabis production. Previously, this land was closed to any form of cannabis cultivation.
