Pennsylvania Hemp Industry

Pennsylvania authorized hemp cultivation in 2016 (Industrial Hemp Research Act of Jul. 20, 2016, P.L. 822, No. 92) and the first registrant began to farm in 2017.

On January 22, 2019, the PA Department of Agriculture (PDA) submitted a plan to USDA for approval to allow industrial hemp to be grown in the commonwealth.

Pennsylvania’s USDA-approved Hemp Program now issues permits under the PA Hemp General Permit authorized by the Act relating to Controlled Plants and Noxious Weeds (3 Pa.C.S.A. section 1501 et seq.).

If the laboratory results for an officially sampled hemp lot are below the 0.3% total THC compliance level, permittees can move the hemp crop upon receipt of the compliant Certificate of Analysis without need of a separate letter of clearance from PDA.

According to a search of the PA Department of Agriculture database, 33 permit holders planted and grew approximately 580 acres of industrial hemp during the 2018 season, comparing to 36 acres in 2017. In 2019, PA Department of Agriculture issued 319 permits to grow industrial hemp, more than 8 times the number from 2018.

In 2020, the Department issued 510 growing permits and, for the first time ever, issued 65 processing permits. In 2021, the amount of registered outdoor acreage and indoor square feet significantly declined as a result of oversupply and market correction across the industry; about 725 acres were licensed and the National Hemp Report shows over 350 acres were planted.

For 2022, the Department of Agriculture had issued 275 hemp growing permits, including 14 research permits, and 53 hemp processing permits, including 2 research permits.