A hemp farm in Colorado has broken the organic glass ceiling.
That is, it’s the nation’s first hemp producer to get the formal blessing of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to label its crop “organic,” a prized marketing tool that is often used lightly in the cannabis industry.
A spokesperson for the USDA wrote to CBDRx to inform the company that it could be certified organic as long as it’s grown to specifics under the federal Farm Bill, but the same person also wrote in 2015 that “marijuana may not be certified organic under the USDA organic regulations.”
That throws the entire “organic” label, and various stances of government agencies, into even more contention, and could help set the stage for further action by Congress.
Regardless, the news is another step forward for clarity when it comes to cannabis regulations, especially with the term “organic.” Just last year, the Colorado attorney general announced she was investigating several marijuana companies that may have been using the word inappropriately in their marketing.
