Oregon withdraws state hemp plan from USDA

Oregon has withdrawn its proposed hemp plan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue last week making the change. The shift comes in response to a federal budget vote giving states more time to operate as pilot projects, through Sept. 30, 2021.

President Donald Trump signed the extension legislation in October.

ODA submitted its state hemp plan in August to meet the original Oct. 31 deadline required by the 2018 Farm Bill, but the plan was still under USDA review when Oregon regulators asked to withdraw it.

Withdrawing the plan does not change Oregon’s current hemp statutes, including compliance with the pre-harvest testing requirement for 0.3% total THC.

However, ODA will not adopt the proposed rules filed in August or other housekeeping rules until Jan. 1.

According to ODA, the extra year provided by the extension will be used to work with state and federal partners and hemp industry members to resolve issues and concerns within the USDA’s interim final rule.

The ODA said it will “seek legislative support for authority to implement the USDA hemp program in Oregon.”