The deregulation of hemp by the U.S. Farm Bill of 2018 and the growing production of Cannabis sativa L. for medicinal and recreational use in certain U.S. states and in Canada has resulted in a significant increase in greenhouse and field production of C. sativa for multiple uses. This has been a rare example of production preceding the development of agronomic and pest management systems and for regulatory bodies to approve of pest management products. Many growers quickly moved to the use of biological pesticides despite the lack of regulatory approvals. In late 2019 and early s2020, EPA granted the first product approvals for hemp but regulation of products for marijuana production remains at the state level. Multiple diseases, insects and phytophagous mites have quickly become established as key production pests and resistrants and researchers have been scrambling to increase product knowledge to aid producers. Key diseases of C. sativa include powdery mildew. Botrytis bud rot, white mold and Fusarium. Key insect and mite pests include corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea, European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, various Spodoptera spp., multiple aphids species and twospotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae.
