Annapolis, MD: Governor Larry Hogan signed legislation into law this week permitting academic institutions to cultivate hemp as part of a state-sponsored research project.
Members of the House and Senate had unanimously voted in favor of the measure, House Bill 443.
Section 7606 of the United States Agricultural Act of 2014 authorizes states to license institutions of higher education to engage in hemp cultivation absent federal reclassification of the plant.
Twenty-six additional states have enacted similar legislation reclassifying hemp as an agricultural crop and authorizing its cultivation.
In March, members of the Washington legislature passed similar legislation, Senate Bill 6206, overriding a veto from Gov. Jay Inslee.
Lawmakers in Pennsylvania recently approved a similar proposal to establish “a pilot program to study the growth, cultivation, and marketing of industrial hemp.” Governor Tom Wolf is expected to sign the measure into law.
For more information, please contact Danielle Keane, NORML Political Director, at (202) 483-5500, or visit NORML’s Take Action Center at: http://www.norml.org/act.