I’ve heard that the recently passed BBB affects purchases of seeds, even in legal states, from sites such as ILGM. Can anyone elaborate? Thanks.
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My understanding:
Viable seeds from parent plants >0.3% total THC are no longer classified as hemp. They now fall under the federal marijuana definition. Enforcement may be a different story. States that have legalized cannabis may not be affected.
The redefinition of seeds in the law does not take effect until July 2026 to allow for time for compliance.
Nancy Mace has put forward legislation to reverse the seed restrictions. The bill is called the “American Hemp Protection Act of 2025.”
Well have to see how the seed vendors’ attorneys interpret the law and what they decide. It will be the real test. The stopping of shipping to states that have not legalized cannabis is probably the worst case.
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Zero impact to anyone that I’m aware of to date. That’s not a guarantee of what’s to come though, so some uncertainty there. However, hemp was classified until lste 2018 and we didn’t have any issues getting seeds, so I don’t see a change in federal status now changing things to anything different than they were pre 2018. There’s plenty of concerns about the future of cannabis but to me, this isn’t one of them.
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Agreed. But some folks can’t resist the temptation to play Chicken Little and rant hysterically about fascists and orange men.
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The only reason that there is zero impact so far is because the proposed changes haven’t become law yet and there will be a grace period:
The legislation includes a 365-day grace period from the date of enactment for the industry to come into compliance. This grace period applies to the entire hemp industry, including seed producers, importers, and exporters.
Most seeds we purchase right now will be illegal because they would yield plants with greater than 0.3% total THC (including THCA). That’s the change. It’s not good.
Yuck
You’re completely missing the point. The hemp bill did not legalize cannabis seeds and there wasn’t any issue getting them before or since.
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There is no “will be” about it. They weren’t legal under federal law in the first place.
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Even if they go off full Miami Vice on us and try to stop this genie that they let out of the bottle, I don’t think the seeds will be the easy fruit to pick. There is way too much mail and commerce to catch it all. They cannot even stop Mifepristone now in the mail in non abortion states. They are literally hiding the abortion pills in t shirts and mugs like from pre-legalization seed shippers. Trust me, the abortion ban is just for doctors.
What I’m saying is, seed producers will adjust like they did before. They will go overseas and just mail bomb the us with hidden seed packs.
The sad part is people will be busted again. People will go to jail again for actually growing at their home. They’ll be heat sensing helicopter flyover, which they probably do better than they were in the 90s. They will definitely use drones and super f-ing x-ray vision to bust people in their backyards with AI recognition software to find your girl in the literal forest. Guerrilla what grow? That is if they do what the bill implies that they wanna do. Too early to tell.
The seeds get just caught and trashed. The growers get busted and perp walked. Pictures and news headlines are way more fun for law enforcement. Besides, once Ice has got everybody “nepharious”, they need to keep ice busy. City wide canna sweeps starting in “green cities” with drones and boots on the ground. Seems more likely than stopping the mail and I bet ice would rather do that than pick up trash around the Capitol byways. Operation green ice.
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lol I’ve never had any problem getting anything but getting things legally is different. The 2018 Farm Bill at a minimum codified things and lead directly to the DEA’s 2022 Opinion Letter.
I certainly hope I’m wrong. It’s been a long time since I had a hobby and I’m just getting started.
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LOL! Some of you are drinking way too much of the kool-aid.
Exactly! The DEA’s opinion isn’t law. In fact, it has zero bearing on anything. They can have an opinion and still attempt to prosecute with or against the opinion whenever it’s convenient for them. It’s like a cop saying I don’t really like a law but I swore an oath to uphold it. I understand that the majority of people run around with an opinionated interpretation of what is legal or not and what is good or bad. But factually, this hemp bill doesn’t change a single thing with cannabis.
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It’s not about drinking the kookaide, it’s about whom has the big guys ear last. Lobbyist for phylos, or Mitch McConnell who prompted this change in the seed language. The last one gets the cake.
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Again, the language doesn’t have anything to do with cannabis. It was illegal, it is illegal, and it will be illegal on a federal level.
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The 2018 Farm Bill definition of hemp made seeds hemp not cannabis. The DEA’s 2022 letter is clarification. The legal definition will change with the new farm bill, and not for the better if you like buying pot seeds because they will revert back to cannabis.
Happy Thanksgiving.
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Happy Thanksgiving!
It did not make cannabis seeds hemp seeds. The DEA’s interpretation of cannabis seeds was that they should be treated as hemp seeds due to most falling within the legal definition of hemp. But the DEA’s opinion would not stop you or anyone else from being charged with possession of cannabis seeds and having to prove that they were hemp seeds per the “legal” definition. Especially if seeds were labeled as anything other than hemp seeds.
In short, their opinion is not legally binding.
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Yes, on paper as it always has been since Anslinger started the DEA after prohibition failed. Yet they could decide not to leave it up to the states anymore for enforcement. That would be a lot different. To check the seed stock would be the excuse.
There is an example for this. The 80s the federal drinking age and tobacco age restrictions signed by Ronald Reagan. Follow it or loose you federal funding. South Dakota, Wyoming, and Idaho all held out a few years but eventually caved to get their federal funding.
Maybe in my head it’s the chicken or egg debate. Which came first, the hemp seed or the hemp plant. By clearly stating the potential of the seed to make THC in a hypothetical not grown yet plant, they are clearly stating the seed.
@dbrn32, I am not trying to pour cups of koolaid for anyone. Or cry wolf. I come off as more alarmist then I feel. If I had to sum up my thoughts or message into a thesis sentence this would be it.
There is no better time than now to do a seed run. Anyone whom considers them self more than a “for fun” grower should learn to make seeds. Incase of temporary disruptions to seed supply lines. Or at least load up your vault now. Don’t count on the hurricane turning out to sea, you may want to at least put plywood over your Seward windows. There is a storm brewing, but hopefully it fades out for clear skies.
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Help! Help! The paranoids are coming! 
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I can read. Used to be that wasn’t a sign of paranoia. 
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Unfortunately, reading comprehension and paranoia aren’t mutually exclusive. 
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They could. But they could have literally done that anytime. Before and/or after 2018. They did not need to input BBB verbiage to do this. And if they specifically wanted to target cannabis industry they definitely could have written and passed more stringent language. So I refuse to jump on the bandwagon of crying about something that has absolutely no change to our laws impacting cannabis.
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Thank you Dr deadhead. I appreciate your thoughtful analysis.
No tears or sniffles needed. I like to think of it as hedging the market. I hope you are right and I am just completely wrong about the potential influence of the change. To quote myself:
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