NOTICES DEPARTMENT of AGRICULTURE Article I
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2494 NOTICES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Article I. General Provisions and Definitions. (a) Purpose of the Program. The purpose of this pro- Pennsylvania Certified Hemp Sampling Program; gram is as follows: General Standards and Requirements for Penn- (1) To establish provisions under which persons may sylvania Certified Hemp Sampling Agents apply to become certified by the Department to take official hemp samples and be recognized as Certified Recitals. Hemp Sampling Agents by the Department. A. The Act relating to Controlled Plants and Noxious (2) To establish hemp sampling procedures and re- Weeds (‘‘Act’’) (3 Pa.C.S.A. § 1501 et seq.) authorizes quirements. the Department of Agriculture (Department) through (3) To establish procedures and requirements for docu- the Controlled Plant and Noxious Weed Committee (Com- mentation and reporting by Certified Hemp Sampling mittee) to establish a controlled plant list and to add Agents to the Department. plants to or remove plants from the controlled plant list (3 Pa.C.S.A. § 1511(b)(3)(ii)(iii)). (4) To establish procedures for Department oversight of Certified Hemp Sampling Agents and for denial, revoca- B. The Act provides for publication of the noxious weed tion, or suspension of Hemp Sampling Agent certification. and the controlled plant list and additions or removals or changes thereto to be published as a notice in the (b) Definitions. Pennsylvania Bulletin and for such additions or removals Act. The act of October 30, 2017, P.L. 774, No. 46, at to become effective sixty (60) days from publication 3 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 1501—1562, related to controlled plants (3 Pa.C.S.A. § 1511(b)(3)(iv)). and noxious weeds. C. Pursuant to that authority, the Committee acted to Applicant. A person signing and submitting a hemp add hemp to the Controlled Plant List and published such sampling agent application and responsible for ensuring Notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on April 6, 2019 compliance with the terms of the application and certifi- (49 Pa.B. 1667, Saturday April 6, 2019). cation. D. Section 1513 of the Act authorizes the Department Certified Hemp Sampling Agent. A person having met to issue General Permits, on a Statewide or Regional all of the certification requirements of the program set basis, for the research, marketing, retail, wholesale, forth herein. transport, storage, warehousing, display, distribution, cul- tivation or propagation of controlled plants, where the Controlled plant. A plant species or subspecies that has controlled plants have similar characteristics and are been designated by the Committee as a controlled plant capable of being cultivated, propagated, processed and and is regulated to prevent uncontained growth and to controlled or eradicated in a similar fashion (3 Pa.C.S.A negate undesirable characteristics. § 1513(1)). A Notice was published, ‘‘General Permit Department. The Department of Agriculture of the Standards and Requirements for Hemp,’’ in the May 9, Commonwealth. 2020 Pennsylvania Bulletin (50 Pa.B. 2397, Saturday, May 9, 2020) with amendments also published in subse- Hemp. The plant Cannabis sativa L. and any viable quent editions of the Pa Bulletin. part of that plant, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a E. Section 1521 of the Act authorizes the Department, dry weight basis. through its inspectors, employees, and agents, to inspect any land, premises, buildings, vehicles, vessels, articles, Lot. The term ‘‘lot,’’ as defined in the Agricultural locations, machinery conveyances or other places of a Marketing Service Final Rule (FR) on the Establishment person holding a permit under this chapter, and collect of a Domestic Hemp Production Program (86 FR 5596), samples and take pictures of any controlled plants refers to a contiguous area in a field, greenhouse or (3 Pa.C.S.A § 1521(e)). indoor growing structure containing the same variety or strain of cannabis throughout the area. In addition, ‘‘lot’’ F. Section 1521 of the Act further authorizes the refers to the batch of contiguous, homogeneous whole of a Department to delegate inspection and sampling con- product being sold to a single buyer at a single time. To ducted under this chapter to an agent acting on behalf of be defined by the producer in terms of farm location, field the department. (3 Pa.C.S.A. § 1521(f)). acreage and variety (i.e. cultivar) and to be reported as G. This Notice establishes rules and requirements that such to the Department and the FSA. constitute the Pennsylvania Certified Hemp Sampling Permittee. A person who has secured a permit issued by Program and standards for Certified Hemp Sampling the Department authorizing that person to perform func- Agents, including the process by which a person may be tions and activities related to hemp research, marketing, approved by the Department to become a Certified Hemp retail, wholesale, transport, storage, warehousing, display, Sampling Agent, procedures for hemp sampling, and distribution, cultivation or propagation. associated recordkeeping requirements. Person. An individual, corporation, association, partner- General Provisions. ship, municipality or any other entity. The Department hereby establishes a Hemp Sampling THC. The chemical delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol. For Agent Certification Program, under the authority of the the purposes of this General Permit, THC shall include act related to controlled plants and noxious weeds (Act) total potential delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol in a plant or (3 Pa.C.S.A. § 1501 et seq.), for the Controlled Plant, product. THC value is determined after the process of hemp. This program covers the entire Commonwealth. decarboxylation, or the application of a conversion factor The terms of the Program are as follows: if the testing methodology does not include decarboxy- PENNSYLVANIA BULLETIN, VOL. 51, NO. 19, MAY 8, 2021 NOTICES 2495 lation, that expresses the potential total delta-9 tetrahy- (d) Procedures for sampling hemp may change upon drocannabinol content derived from the sum of the THC future conditions, including requirements imposed by and THCA content and reported on a dry weight basis. USDA in acceptance of the Pennsylvania State Hemp This post-decarboxylation value of THC can be calculated Plan, legal standards imposed by another federal agency, by using a chromatograph technique using heat, such as statutory or regulatory changes or changes in other legal gas chromatography, through which THCA is converted requirements. Such changes may be incorporated into from its acid form to its neutral form, THC. Thus, this the Pennsylvania Certified Hemp Sampling Program test calculates the total potential THC in a given sample. through written notification to all Certified Hemp Sam- The total THC can also be calculated by using a liquid pling Agents and publication on the PA hemp program chromatograph technique, which keeps the THCA intact. website, https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Plants_Land_ This technique requires the use of the following conver- Water/industrial_hemp/Pages/default.aspx. sion: (Total THC = (0.877 × THCA) + THC) which (e) Certified Hemp Sampling Agent training and appli- calculates the potential total THC in a given sample. cation materials will be available from the Department’s USDA. The United States Department of Agriculture. Hemp Program website at https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/ Plants_Land_Water/industrial_hemp/Pages/default.aspx. Article II. Procedure for Application and Certification. Materials may also be requested by contacting The Bur- (a) Certified Hemp Sampling Agent General Require- eau of Plant Industry Hemp Program at 223-666-2561, ments: To be eligible to become a Pennsylvania Certified [email protected], or by mail at: Hemp Sampling Agent, an applicant shall meet the Hemp Program following requirements: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (1) Be at least 18 years old. 2301 North Cameron Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110. (2) Must possess a legal and current driver’s license. (f) Any persons who materially falsify any information in their application shall be deemed ineligible to partici- (3) Have no real, apparent or hidden conflict of interest pate in the Pennsylvania Certified Hemp Sampling Pro- or vested interest in the outcome of sample results, such gram. as: (g) Upon successful review of completed applications, (i) Be a nuclear or extended family member of a hemp training and all Program standards, the Department will permittee; issue a certification number and certification document to (ii) Be employed by a hemp permittee or have a approved applicants, and will display Certified Hemp financial stake in a business with an active hemp permit; Sampling Agent, certification and contact information on the Department website. (iii) Be a hemp broker, distributor or processor. (h) Application Contents. All applicants shall provide (iv) Be soliciting hemp for sale, processing or distribu- the following information on an application provided by tion or be an employee of an entity that is soliciting, the Department: producing, processing or distributing hemp. (1) Contact information. Contact information shall in- (4) Have an active Spotted Lanternfly permit from the clude name, business affiliation (if applicable), mailing Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or other state. address, telephone number, email address, business web- site address (optional), state and county where the appli- (5) Successfully complete all training and testing re- cant is headquartered. quirements for the Pennsylvania Hemp Sampling