The US Hemp Authority (USHA) has announced a new certification process in a move aimed at cleaning up the sparsely regulated Delta-8 THC market.
Delta-8 THC, a psychoactive compound derived from the hemp plant, remains federally legal in the US due to specific wording in the 2018 Farm Bill.
However, due to the proliferation of Delta-8 products across the country in recent months, several states have now imposed bans on the substance citing it as dangerous.
Now the USHA has launched the ‘Adult Use Hemp Product Certification Programme’, designed to restore trust in the US hemp industry and prevent harmful products from being available to minors.
In a press release, the organization addressed calls for ‘drastic action’ from lawmakers, some of which have called for the federal criminalization of all hemp products, even non-intoxicating substances like CBD.
“Such action would devastate the hemp industry, U.S. farmers, and small businesses that sell these products—not to mention deny millions of consumers access to popular health and wellness alternatives,” the USHA said.
In response to this, the certification programme has been launched to ‘assume more responsibility for these products in the continued absence of federal regulation’.
The new ‘adult-use’ seal will be based on the USHA’s current certification standard for nonintoxicating products, including good manufacturing practices, truth in labeling, and other FDA-required standards.
However, it will require additional compliance points to promote safety and ensure products with the potential to impair are kept out of the reach of minors.
This nationally-awarded program will reportedly begin certifying adult-use hemp products later this year and is set to be led by CEO of High Spirits Beverages Chris Fontes, as part of his duties as the newly-elected USHA president.
“USHA will be developing detailed standards in the coming weeks and will once again ask all hemp stakeholders to weigh in for public comment.”
