The US Hemp Authority (USHA) has announced its recent regulatory measure: the Adult Use Hemp Product Certification Programme.
The programme is designed to prevent unregulated, harmful hemp products from getting into the hands of minors. The move endeavours to restore public faith in the hemp industry, allowing consumers to benefit from these ingredients without fear.
Hemp products with the potential to impair – such as Delta 8 and Delta-9 THC – have proliferated with no federal regulation in recent years, leading to growing concerns about quality, safety and access by minors. Some have celled for the federal criminalisation of all hemp products, including the non-intoxicating variants.
Recent studies have shown, moreover, that too many children are accessing these products, due to lack of controls and/or inappropriate marketing. Misguided policymakers have led efforts to ban these products, moving the industry back into the dark days of prohibition. Some states have stepped into the breach with reasonable regulation, but there appears no indication that there will be any federal action in the near future.
The current USHA certification standard for non-intoxicating products will provide the baseline requirements for USHA’s new Adult Use seal – ensuring that products use good manufacturing practices, truth in labelling, and other measures that the FDA requires for dietary supplements and food and beverages.
The Adult Use Hemp Product Certification Programme will require additional compliance points to promote safety and ensure that products with the potential of impairment are kept out of the hands of children
USHA will be developing detailed standards in the coming weeks and will once again ask all hemp stakeholders to weigh in for public comment.
USHA's novel leadership team
A new leadership team is also in place to develop the first draft, led by new President Chris Fontes. Chris, the Founder and CEO of High Spirits Beverages, is a dynamic individual with a rich history of innovation and leadership in the cannabis industry and beyond.
His entrepreneurial journey spans several successful ventures, including Trojan Horse Cannabis, Project Hemp Flower and Hemp Exchange, all of which played pivotal roles in shaping the US hemp industry.
Chris’s leadership resulted in the development of the industry’s first hemp-derived D9 THC products and the launch of Trojan Horse Cannabis and High Spirits Beverages.