On December 20, 2018, President Trump signed the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the “2018 Farm Bill.” One of the more significant aspects of the 2018 Farm Bill was the legalization of industrial hemp throughout the United States. Although industrial hemp had been partially legalized following enactment of the 2014 Farm Bill, the 2018 Farm Bill finally took the steps necessary to fully legalize industrial hemp at a federal level by removing it from the Controlled Substance Act(“CSA”). Although agricultural industries from coast-to-coast agree that the 2018 Farm Bill is a huge accomplishment by the federal government, there is a lot of confusion about what it really means now that industrial hemp is legal in the United States. 

Read Christopher Parrington's article about the history of and next steps for the legalization of industrial hemp here. 

Mr. Parrington is Co-Chair of Kutak Rock’s National Cannabis & Hemp Practice Groups.