STAR JOURNAL REPORT

On Thursday, the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) reversed their controversial memo from April 27 which had pronounced all CBD oil products illegal.

After a meeting on Wednesday between the DOJ, attorney general Brad Schimel, state legislators, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), the DOJ released a new clarification authorizing farmers who had been accepted into the state’s hemp pilot program to manufacture and sell CBD oil from industrial hemp, so long as it complies with DATCP standards.

Farmers across the state had reacted strongly to the DOJ’s first note, coming as it did at the end of the application process for growing industrial hemp. The interpretation would have prevented them from selling their hemp inside Wisconsin or extracting CBD oil from the plant.

Thursday’s decision will also clear the way for stores to get compliant CBD products back into the hands of their customers without the threat of investigation, the note clarified. Click on this link for a detailed report on how the original memo affected stores and customers.

The note made clear that its statements only applied to retailing CBD oil products that had been made in compliance with DATCP regulations.

“Farmers who participate in this program and follow the rules are exempt from criminal prosecution, and products made from industrial hemp, including CBD, are lawful,” the DOJ news release states.

“With the 2018 Farm Bill now working its way through Congress, it is likely that our current laws will be changed even further to make industrial hemp’s legality clear,” Schimel said. “Therefore, I am advising law enforcement not to take enforcement action against products made from industrial hemp that is grown under a lawful hemp research pilot program, including CBD, until Congress considers changes to the law, enabling the Wisconsin State Legislature to further clarify the status of these products.”
Schimel also took the opportunity to warn against mislabeled CBD products and the potential harms that could result from careless consumption.