California Hemp Council

The California Hemp Council (CHC) represents the statewide interests of the hemp industry in The Golden State, including the protection and expansion of in-state cultivation, manufacturing, and use of hemp. The main goal of the CHC is to influence legislative and regulatory issues impacting the hemp industry and its related products and to ensure that the industry has a strong, unified voice in Sacramento. After a series of major achievements, the CHC disbanded and is no longer active.

OUR MISSION

The California Hemp Council (CHC) was established to provide a strong, unified voice for the hemp industry before the California State Legislature, Office of the Governor, and Executive Branch. Established in 2019, the CHC is dedicated to supporting and expanding the hemp industry in the state, including the protection and expansion of in-state cultivation, manufacturing, and use of hemp.

The California Hemp Council (CHC) was established to provide a strong, unified voice for the hemp industry before the California State Legislature, Office of the Governor, and Executive Branch. Established in 2019, the CHC was dedicated to supporting and expanding the hemp industry in the state, including the protection and expansion of in-state cultivation, manufacturing, and use of hemp. After a number of legislative accomplishments, the CHC disbanded and is no longer active.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Hemp Legalization in the U.S

After nearly two decades of education and advocacy efforts at the federal level, the 2018 Farm Bill (Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018) legalized hemp in the U.S. A number of members of the CHC took an active role in supporting passage of the federal farm bill. Now that commercial hemp farming is legal, it is critical that farmers, manufacturers and brands have representation in Sacramento to ensure a robust marketplace in the state.

Hemp Market in California

In California, members of the CHC worked to ensure that the state was ready for hemp legalization at the national level and successfully sponsored and passed state legislation (Senate Bill 1409, Chapter No. 986, Statutes of 2018) to allow California farmers to enter the hemp market and meet the growing demands of hemp product companies.

CHC SERVICES

State Advocacy

Despite recent wins in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, the formal framework for how the hemp industry will begin to operate in California is constantly being debated. There remains a real need to influence proposed laws and regulations regarding hemp production, manufacturing and sale in California. The CHC has the relationships and is the leading voice in Sacramento, advocating on behalf of policy changes that support and expand the hemp industry in the state. A primary role for the CHC is advocacy before the California State Legislature, Office and the Governor, and Executive Branch, including state agencies, departments, boards and commissions. The CHC represents the interests of the California hemp industry through proactive sponsorship of legislation and budget proposals to advance the hemp industry and communicating the hemp industry’s united position on hemp related matters.

Education

Hemp has a long history in the U.S. dating back to the 1700s when hemp was a primary agricultural crop and was used for many types of products such as paper, rope, and lamp fuel. However, starting in the late 1930s, hemp was included in a national tax on cannabis sales which discouraged cultivation and stigmatized hemp. Later it was restricted by its inclusion in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Today the stigma is changing however, much works remains to educate California lawmakers about the many benefits of the hemp industry.

MEMBERS

Board Members

Associate Members

STAFF

Patrick Goggin

General Counsel

Mr. Goggin is a Senior Attorney at Hoban Law Group. He has waged battle on the legal frontlines of industrial hemp and general cannabis reform for two decades. Mr. Goggin was admitted to the California Bar in 1996 and is based in San Francisco where he served as co-counsel in the seminal HIA v. DEA 2000s cases. Mr. Goggin was a principle player in the industry effort in 2013 to pass California’s Industrial Hemp Farming Act. Presently, Mr. Goggin sits on the boards of both the CHC and Vote Hemp and is working to implement commercial hemp farming processing and manufacturing in California.

RESOURCES

The following is a list of frequently utilized and helpful resources to connect CHC Members to California’s Legislature, the Office of the Governor, the Executive Branch, and capitol political insiders.

Legislative Resources

Hemp Resources

In the News

Executive Branch Resources