November 7, 2020 - Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) continues to engage with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) in their rulemaking to enact federally compliant rules on hemp production, which was sanctioned by the 2018 Federal Farm Bill.  RCRC is committed to preserving local control and ensuring that counties, via Agricultural Commissioners, have the capacity to address any regulatory impacts associated with this tightly regulated commodity largely due to its trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis.

On Friday, RCRC sent a letter on the most recent changes to the proposed CDFA rules, which unfortunately rescind its prior recognition of local governments’ police powers, which is crucial to abatement, and continue to add unfunded mandates on county coffers.  More information on California’s Industrial Hemp Program may be found here.  This rulemaking is expected to conclude by the end of the calendar year.
Source: Rural County Representatives of California