US Department of Agriculture Archives

Navigating Hemp THC Beverages

by Alva C. Mather and Christine Dower | Mar 4, 2024 | Cannabis, Food Safety and FDA

Nonalcoholic beverages infused with delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) derived from hemp (aka intoxicating hemp beverages) are becoming increasingly popular for consumers looking for an alternative to alcohol.

With major alcohol retailers like Total Wine entering the cannabis space, alcohol beverage producers may be looking for opportunities to leverage their existing experience in manufacturing, marketing and distributing alcohol beverages towards the emerging intoxicating hemp beverage market. While intoxicating hemp beverages are arguably legal pursuant to the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill), risks remain under federal and state food and drug laws. Accordingly, beverage producers looking to enter this emerging market should become familiar with the ambiguities involved.

Federal Treatment of Intoxicating Hemp Beverages

The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp, defined as cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) and derivatives of cannabis with extremely low concentrations of delta-9 THC (specifically, no more than 0.3 percent THC on a dry weight basis), from the definition of “marijuana” in the Controlled Substances Act. The federal government defines hemp as “the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.” Accordingly, products that meet the definition of “hemp” may be marketed and sold in the United States and are no longer classified under federal law as illegal drugs.

How Is Hemp Regulated?

Under the 2018 Farm Bill, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been assigned to regulate hemp production.

However, any hemp-derived foods, including beverages, are subject to regulation by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (FDCA). While the FDA has largely avoided enforcement actions against such products, focusing most of its efforts on products making unsubstantiated medical and therapeutic claims, it has clearly concluded that it is a prohibited act under federal law to introduce any food in the market to which THC or cannabidiol (CBD) has been added. Therefore, the risk of federal enforcement remains until the agency changes its stance towards THC as a beverage additive.

State Regulation

While the federal government has been inactive in this space, the legal status of intoxicating hemp beverage products varies significantly by state. On the one hand, several states, including Minnesota, have expressly legalized the inclusion of hemp-derived cannabinoids in beverage products, with clear regulations regarding testing, labeling, advertising and more. On the other hand, some states have legalized hemp beverage products but lack a robust regulatory framework – leading to a mostly unregulated, laissez-faire market.

Further, many states fall into a grey area when it comes to the legality of such products. Some of these states have legalized hemp along the lines of the 2018 Farm Bill but have not officially opined on whether it can be added to beverage products, while others do not mention hemp products at all. A subset of states has expressly legalized hemp [...]

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USDA Gathers Stakeholder Input on Hemp Production

by McDermott Will & Emery | Mar 22, 2019 | Cannabis

The Agricultural Act of 2018, better known as the 2018 Farm Bill, authorizes the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to approve plans submitted by states, territories and Native American tribes for the commercial production of hemp. Under the 2018 Farm Bill, “hemp” is the cannabis plant and any part of that plant, including the seeds and all derivatives, extracts, and cannabinoids, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. The USDA is currently drafting regulations on hemp production, which could address topics such as sampling processes, testing requirements, disposal of violative plants and products derived from those plants, inspections, licensing, compliance and other procedures.

To solicit stakeholder input on these procedures and their implementation, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service hosted the 2018 Farm Bill Webinar on the Domestic Hemp Production Program on March 13, 2019. The webinar drew more than 2,100 participants and featured over 40 speakers, including state agricultural and government officials; representatives of Native American tribes; and representatives from banks, testing laboratories and standards organizations, trade associations, law firms and hemp product companies.

During the webinar, the USDA announced plans to issue its regulations in fall 2019, in time for the 2020 growing season. However, this timeline may be a tall order, given the number of complex and controversial factors involved, such as plant testing procedures and interstate transportation of hemp and hemp products. Based on the robust discussions during the webinar, any regulations or procedures for plant testing are likely to be heavily scrutinized, as different states test different portions of the plant; test the plants at different times (e.g., before or after harvest); and use different testing methods.

Click here to view the full webinar.

Bioengineered Food Disclosures

by McDermott Will & Emery | Nov 27, 2018 | Food Safety and FDA, Legislation

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed a new regulation that would require food manufacturers to disclose information about bioengineered (BE) food and BE food ingredients. The proposed rule is the result of a 2016 law that required the USDA to establish a National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard for all food. For purposes of the BE disclosure law, “food” includes alcohol beverages intended for human consumption as well as non-alcohol beverages.

Read the full article.

Originally published in The New Brewer, November/December 2018.

USDA Publishes Proposed GMO Labeling Regulations

by McDermott Will & Emery | May 14, 2018 | Advertising and Marketing, Food Safety and FDA, Legislation

The Agricultural Marketing Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently published a proposed rule containing regulations to implement the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard mandated by Congress in 2016. See 83 Fed. Reg. 19860 (May 4, 2018). The proposed regulations would govern the labeling of raw agricultural products and packaged foods whose labeling is governed the federal Food, Drug & Cosmetics Act, including wines below 7 percent alcohol by volume and non-malt beer (e.g., “hard seltzers”). The proposed regulations would not directly apply to alcohol beverages whose labeling is governed by the Federal Alcohol Administration Act, including all distilled spirits, wines containing 7 percent alcohol by volume or greater, and beer containing malted barley and hops. Nevertheless, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau may look to the bioengineered food disclosure regulations as persuasive guidance in developing its own policies towards the disclosure of bioengineered ingredients (often called “genetically modified organisms” or “GMOs”). (more…)

Navigating Hemp THC Beverages

USDA Gathers Stakeholder Input on Hemp Production

Bioengineered Food Disclosures

USDA Publishes Proposed GMO Labeling Regulations

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