Quality Assurance International (QAI) is now offering USDA organic certification of hemp crops and products containing hemp or hemp-derived CBD, whether made from U.S.-produced hemp or from lawfully-imported hemp, to new and existing clients.
To be considered for the certification, QAI will have to determine that the hemp or hemp-derived CBD ingredients either:
- qualify as “hemp” as defined in 7 U.S.C. 1639o: (defining “hemp” as “the plant Cannabis sativa 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 [THC] concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.”); or
- are derived from those parts of a foreign-grown plant excluded from the federal Controlled Substances Act’s definition of “marihuana” (21 USC 802(16)(B) (stating that “[t]he term “marihuana” does not include— (i) hemp, as defined in section 1639o of title 7… ; or (ii) the mature stalks of such plant, fiber produced from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of such plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of such plant which is incapable of germination.”)
However, QAI is unable to certify a company if it either:
- grows or processes “marihuana” as defined in the federal Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802(16)(A) (defining “marihuana” as “all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa, whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds or resin,”); or
- processes, manufactures, or distributes products containing either (a) “marihuana” as defined in 21 USC 802(16)(A) or (b) any part of the Cannabis sativa plant that does not meet the definition of “hemp” set out in 7 U.S.C. 1639o.
Companies seeking organic certification for the first time can reach QAI’s business development team by emailing [email protected].
This story originally appeared on our sister site, impactCBDexpo.info.
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