Gov. Mark Gordon of Wyoming has reiterated that the state government is doing everything in its power to kick-start the hemp industry. He revealed that the state is now waiting for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to approve the plan that the state sent regarding how the state-level program will be run.
Gordon made these comments in a press release that was issued by his office on Tuesday as he responded to the growing complaints about the delay of the state to release its draft regulations for the industry.
When Congress passed the 2018 Farm Act, the legislature debated and approved House Bill 171 during the legislative session of 2019. It is upon the passing of this law that the state drafted the regulations that they sent to the USDA for approval before making those rules public.
The 2018 Farm Act removed industrial hemp from the Controlled Substance Act and put it under the purview of the Department of Agriculture. That same law also empowered states to design their own regulatory frameworks for the local hemp industry, but those regulations had to be submitted to USDA for approval before they are implemented.
The governor’s press statement also revealed that the governor had informed the Secretary for Agriculture during a horseback ride that the people of Wyoming were waiting on the USDA to get its rules in place so that they too can have clarity on the way forward.
Doug Miyamoto, the Wyoming Department of Agriculture director, confirmed that the state was ready to go ahead with its hemp program as long as the federal Department of Agriculture gives them the go-ahead.
Miyamoto also revealed that the state had procured and was installing the appropriate testing equipment in its Analytical Services Laboratory. He was alluding to the tests which need to be done to confirm that hemp has a THC content which is within the legally accepted limit of 0.3 percent. The testing equipment will also be used to analyze hemp products, such as CBD oil, for consistency, presence of contaminants and any other parameters indicated in the testing requirements which will be included in the final rules published by the state.
The press release also indicates that once the USDA approves the draft regulations, the state would ask the federal agency to grant Wyoming emergency rulemaking authority. This will allow the state to start implementing its draft rules while the public makes comments about the draft rules.
It is widely believed that hemp industry players like Sugarmade Inc. (OTCQB: SGMD) and The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TSX: TGOD) (OTCQX: TGODF) may be satisfied to some extent with the status update regarding how far the state has gone in making rules for the hemp industry.
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