Fig. 1

Hemp policy timeline. Adapted from: US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service, 2021. This timeline includes important dates of policy changes and adaptations since the reintroduction of hemp production in the 2014 Farm Bill through pilot plans. The 2018 Farm Bill made significant changes to the existing regulatory framework of the 2014 pilot plan by broadening the scope to include tribal governments, whereas previous regulations had only allowed states to develop independent plans. The 2018 Farm Bill also created the interim final rule and final rule for hemp production, resulting in the USDA Hemp Producer License under which states and tribal governments could choose to operate. The final rule for hemp production partially clarified the regulation requirements for US state and tribal governments by providing a regulatory baseline that must be adhered to. The sunset date is the date when language from the 2014 Farm Bill pilot programs was set to expire and was no longer considered valid, requiring that producers either adopt the USDA hemp producer license or submit an independent production plan for review. The original sunset date of October 31, 2020, for the expiration of the 2014 Farm Bill language was extended twice, first to September 30, 2021, and then to January 1, 2022