Congress Ends Medicare Reimbursement Pilot for CBD Products

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began a pilot program to reimburse certain Medicare and Medicaid recipients for up to $500 worth of hemp-derived products each year. The program aims to test whether these products can lower other health care costs for participants.

Its definition of hemp follows the 2018 Farm Bill standard of cannabis plants containing less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC.

A hemp ban included in last year's spending bill would make any product containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC of any kind federally illegal starting November 12. The U.S. Hemp Roundtable said this change would criminalize the vast majority of hemp products, including most non-intoxicating CBD items.

Ponomariovaite, owner of Nesa's Hemp, met with members of Congress this week to explain her CBDA hemp extract products and the endocannabinoid system. She said lawmakers are focusing on the wrong issue and should instead address contamination risks in hemp products.

Jonathan Miller of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable said Congress has not passed bills to delay the ban or replace it with safety regulations due to political polarization. He added that he remains cautiously optimistic that lawmakers will act before the November deadline.

Ponomariovaite said that if the ban takes effect she will continue producing hemp products but will need to remove most cannabinoids, reducing their potential therapeutic effects.