Jim Higdon, co-founder of Cornbread Hemp, said the vote count in the Senate that successfully pushed back enforcement of strict THC limits shows there's an appetite in Congress to work out a compromise that doesn't deal a major blow to the industry.
"That vote in the Senate to approve that extension was a vote of 61 to 34, so we're very excited to get that final resolution in the coming lame duck session where we hope to get some basic guardrails for the hemp industry that we can get done," he said.
Hemp producers and sellers have been nervously watching to see if Congress can agree to a plan that doesn't include the narrow THC limits passed last year, with many warning failure to do so will upend the entire industry.
In a committee hearing Thursday, Kentucky lawmakers discussed ways to get hemp regulation all under one roof rather than the patchwork system currently in place. Rep. Matthew Cook said one hurdle the industry has declared deals with testing, which he said has shown inconsistent results in the past.
"This is one of the biggest things you have to tackle.
If you want to consider yourself to be a legitimate product that's out there, we have to get the testing so it's exactly like the bourbon industry, where it's heavily, heavily regulated and you know exactly what's going to be in every bottle," the lawmaker said.
Higdon and other presenters said the lining of cans can affect THC levels and there is work underway to ensure the labs involved are properly suited to measure the true amount of THC in hemp products.