Oregon Senator Ron Wyden wants to increase consumer protections and regulations for hemp-infused beverages, and those in the industry appear to support the effort.  The Democrat spoke at the Pacific Hemp Beverage Industry Summit in Bend last week, telling the group federal regulations would ease the concerns of retail chains who have to deal with different rules in different states.

 

"We were able to get hemp, and there are a lot of farmers in Oregon, who grow it, we were able to get it legalized," Wyden said.  "Now we’ve got to go the next step and get the consumer protections that are necessary for the big stores to feel confident about the product.

 

Wyden added those regulations should have been passed when hemp became a legal crop in the 2018 Farm Bill.

 

"After we saw the legalization bill from Mitch McConnell and myself- it became law, because there weren’t rules on safety, you saw mislabeled products, you saw products that targeted children and that wasn’t acceptable to us. And we’ve been pushing hard to get the Food and Drug Administration to get moving."

 

Wyden says Oregon farmers poised to out-compete other states, if products were more widely available, thereby increasing demand.  Hemp beverages include CBD-infused coffees, seltzers and sodas.

 

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com 

More From PNW Ag Network