On December 19, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the addition of hemp as a registered use for ten registered pesticides held by three registrants: Agro Logistic Systems, Marrone Bio Innovations and Hawthorne Hydroponics. These ten products, which include nine biopesticides and one conventional product, join several others already registered for use on hemp.

            The ten include the Registered biopesticides are:

Agro Logistic Systems:

 EPA registration number: 70310-5; active ingredients: azadirachtin and neem oil. Product type: Insecticide, miticide, fungicide and nematicide.

EPA registration number: 70310-7; active ingredients: Azadirachtin and neem oil. Product type: Insecticide, miticide, fungicide and nematicide.

EPA registration number: 70310-8; active ingredients: Azadirachtin and neem oil. Product type: Insecticide, miticide, fungicide and nematicide.

EPA registration number: 70310-11; active ingredient: Neem oil. Product type: Insecticide, miticide and fungicide.

Marrone Bio Innovations:

EPA registration number: 84059-3; active ingredient: Extract of Reynoutria           sachalinensis. Product type: Fungicide and fungistat.

EPA registration number: 84059-28; active ingredient: Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain F727. Product type: Fungicide.

Hawthorne Hydroponics, dba General Hydroponics.

EPA registration number: 91865-1; active ingredients: Soybean oil, garlic oil, and Capsicum Oleoresin extract. Product type: Insecticide and repellent.

EPA registration number: 91865-3; active ingredient: Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain D747. Product type: Fungicide and bactericide.

EPA registration number: 91865-4; active ingredient: Azadirachtin. Product type: Insect growth regulator and repellent.

The registered conventional pesticide product is:

Hawthorne Hydroponics, dba General Hydroponics:

            EPA registration number: 91865-2; active ingredient: Potassium salts of fatty acids. Product type: Insecticide, fungicide and miticide.

            When the hemp amendments were being considered, EPA had undertaken the unusual step of inviting public comment, which is not normally required for amendments such as these. The Notice prompted a number of supportive comments from a range of interests, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Bio Pesticides Industry Association and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. With the rapidly growing number of acres planted in hemp as a result of the 2018 Farm Bill, additional registrants can be expected to seek to add hemp as a target crop, although such future amendments are not likely to be the subject of public notice.

         Despite the increased attention too hemp. EPA continues to assert that no pesticides are allowed to be used on cannabis grown for medical or adult uses.  In this regard it is interesting to note that Hawthorne Gardening  is a subsidiary of the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, which has been quite public about its interest in expanding in the cannabis space.