THC limit on hemp to go from 0.3 to 1 percent

Right now, delta 8 is legal due to a law that protects hemp farmers. This law is called The Farm Bill, and it explicitly states that any compound containing less than 0.3% THC is to be considered legal. This bill creates a distinction between THC Δ9 and other cannabinoids such as delta 8, delta 10, and CBD. So long as these cannabinoids are derived from hemp containing less than 0.3% Δ9 THC, they are entirely legal under federal law. But some recent changes are underway regarding this THC limit that could have some huge implications for the world of delta 8.

The Hemp Economic Mobilization Plan 

In 2020, about two years after the Farm Bill was passed, a new bill was formulated, dubbed the Hemp Economic Mobilization Plan or HEMP Act for short. The bill aimed to make amendments to the original Farm Bill to loosen the Δ9 restrictions. Many feel that the 0.3% limit is too harsh. Hemp farmers frequently end up with yields that exhibit upwards of 0.5%-0.8% Δ9 THC content. In these instances, the farmers are forced to destroy the crop. This is a regrettable waste of resources, and these events often deal a dreadful economic blow to the hemp farmers. Being a mere fraction of a percent over the limit doesn’t seem like viable grounds for the destruction of the yield. Even 0.8% is still drastically below 10-30% THC content found in Marijuana.

The HEMP Act brought before Congress

On December 15, 2020, Senator Rand Paul brought the Hemp Economic Mobilization Plan before Congress. This bill would raise the maximum amount of THC in hemp to 1.0 % giving hemp farmers a larger window to work with. It would also make the United States hemp industry more competitive on a global scale. Many other countries have massive hemp industries, and their farmers don’t have to adhere to the same 0.3% restriction. 

The HEMP Act is re-evaluated

Last month US senator Rand Paul reopened considerations when he presented the HEMP Act to the US House Committee. With Paul’s continued push and popularity for both hemp and hemp extracts on the rise, it looks pretty likely that this bill will come to pass. We should see the THC limits for hemp pushed to 1% in the near future. This is exciting because it means those same numbers will extend to delta 8. While this is not a very significant change, it does show evidence of a growing trend in public favor for hemp derivatives like delta 8. 

Elyxr and hemp 

At Elyxr, all of our Δ8 products come from hemp grown in Oregon, Colorado, and California. We support this amendment to the Farm Bill as the one's who grow this crop are very hard-working individuals. We rely on them to bring our customers top-of-the-line products, and we believe these farmers shouldn’t fall victim to penalties over such arbitrary restrictions.  

We believe in transparency at Elyxr. All of our delta 8 products are well below 0.3% Δ9 THC content. You can view our lab reports our lab reports here to see everything that goes into our signature Δ8.