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Clean International CEO Devin Danet urges flexible product registration and in‑state processing to revive Vermont hemp industry
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Summary
At a committee meeting April 29, Devin Danet of Clean International testified that Vermont should allow one-time product registration, permit adult-use labs to process hemp with appropriate safeguards, and preserve a higher THC backstop to protect in‑state manufacturers and encourage farmers to return to hemp cultivation.
At an April 29 meeting of the Government Operations & Military Affairs committee, Devin Danet, co‑founder and CEO of Clean International Incorporated, testified on draft bill sections that would regulate hemp-derived products and proposed changes to product registration and processing rules.
Danet displayed a product he described as "a Vermont compliant product, 15 milligrams of CBD, 1 milligram of THC," and called it "a nonintoxicating product." He urged the committee to adopt a streamlined product-registration process — "one and done" rather than an annual renewal — combined with clear recall protocols and testing requirements, saying frequent re‑registration would burden small producers and tie up sales channels.
"We need to be able to extract and isolate certain cannabinoids," Danet said, arguing that access to intermediary concentrates is necessary to "formulate the products that you see in front of you" safely and effectively. He recommended language that would allow Vermont to align with a future federal limit or retain Vermont's current 1.5 mg cap as a backstop, criticizing a proposed 0.4 mg finished‑product cap as potentially too restrictive for many formulations.
Danet also urged allowing adult‑use extraction infrastructure to process hemp and hemp concentrates, with safeguards to prevent cross‑contamination. He said permitting in‑state extraction would help farmers "stabilize their crops" and create a viable supply chain for manufacturers committed to using Vermont‑grown ingredients.
On inspection and sanitation, Danet said state health officials have declined to inspect facilities handling cannabinoids and that Clean International has relied on private third‑party audits. "The health department won't step foot in any manufacturing facility that operates with any type of cannabinoid, even if it's just CBD," he said, and asked the committee or controlling board to consider building inspection capacity or accepting qualified private audits to ensure food‑safety standards.
Committee members asked follow‑up questions about age limits and public‑safety concerns related to driving; Danet said the draft language addresses retail age restrictions and aims to prevent nonintoxicating products from being available to under‑21 buyers. He also discussed definitions for "craft processors," suggesting size and employee counts ("two to five employees") could inform exemptions for small producers of noningested topicals, but warned consumable products that alter physical or mental state should face the same safeguards as larger manufacturers.
Danet described Clean International's size and local footprint: the hemp business currently employs 14 people and works with roughly six subcontractors, the adult‑use operation employs about 11 people, and the companies have raised approximately $3.5 million and $3 million for different parts of their facilities. He said the company currently has product in about 70 Vermont locations and projects growth to roughly 500 accounts over the next few years with distribution partners.
Danet invited the committee to visit his Hardwick facility for a site tour; the chair thanked him for the presentation and said the committee will continue work on the relevant bill sections.
The committee did not take formal votes on the provisions during the session.
