NCIA’s #IndustryEssentials webinars are our new weekly educational series featuring a variety of programs allowing us to provide you timely, engaging and essential education when you need it most. The Fireside Chat series of NCIA’s #IndustryEssentials webinars are an exclusive opportunity for NCIA members to hear from our government relations team and guests about the latest developments in federal policy.

In 2018, Congress passed the 2018 Farm Bill, which included the Hemp Farming Act, effectively legalizing hemp (with some serious restrictions). However, since passage, farmers, businesses, and the states themselves have struggled with the lack of clarity from the federal government.

Please join Mike and Michelle as they talk with Eric Steenstra, Executive Director at Vote Hemp, and Tami Wahl, a lawyer and lobbyist in D.C., for a lively discussion amongst friends about the future of hemp. Vote Hemp was founded in 2000 to bring back hemp as a commercial crop in the U.S. and has been instrumental in inclusion of hemp in the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills as well as changes to many state laws. And over the past year, Tami has been working on farmer-friendly legislation to open end markets for hemp farmers by removing FDA’s barrier for CBD.

We will discuss COVID-19, relief accessibility, and how the pandemic has affected all aspects of the hemp industry. We will also talk about legislative activity, the DEA and a new lawsuit that was just filed against the agency regarding hemp, and will chat about the FDA and the regulation of cannabis and hemp derived products.

Shifting back to Congress, Mike and Michelle will also talk to Eric and Tami about the pending continuing resolution that would extend the 2014 hemp pilot program, as well as the amount of time the USDA has to finalize its hemp rules. And of course, it wouldn’t be an NCIA Government Relations webinar if we didn’t talk about SAFE Banking– so make sure you tune in to hear the latest on how the hemp industry is dealing with financial institutions in a post-legalization world.

Panelists:

Eric Steenstra
Executive Director
Vote Hemp

Tami Wahl
Founder
Modern Advocates

Michael Correia
Director of Government Relations
National Cannabis Industry Association

Michelle Rutter-Friberg
Deputy Director of Government Relations
National Cannabis Industry Association