States moving quickly on hemp legislation; Feds get sued over seeds in Kentucky
Columbia, SC: State legislators last week approved legislation reclassifying varieties of cannabis possessing minute quantities of THC as an industrial crop rather than a controlled substance.
Senate Bill 839 states, "It is lawful for an individual to cultivate, produce, or otherwise grow industrial hemp in this State to be used for any lawful purpose, including, but not limited to, the manufacture of industrial hemp products, and scientific, agricultural, or other research related to other lawful applications for industrial hemp." The proposal awaits action from Republican Gov. Nikki Haley.
In February, Congress approved language (Section 7606) in the omnibus federal Farm Bill authorizing states to sponsor hemp research absent federal reclassification of the plant. Since that time, lawmakers in five states – Hawaii, Indiana, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Utah – have enacted legislation allowing for state-sponsored hemp cultivation.
On Monday, the Illinois Senate unanimously approved similar legislation, House Bill 5085. House members had previously voted in favor of an earlier version of the bill. Once both chambers agree to concurrent language, the measure will go to the Governor’s desk.
More than a dozen states have now enacted legislation redefining hemp as an agricultural product and permitting state-sponsored research and/or cultivation of the crop.
Last week, Kentucky state officials sued the US Drug Enforcement Administration after the agency refused to turn over a shipment of hemp seeds that were intended to be used as part of a state-approved research program. State officials designed the program to be compliant with Section 7606 of the federal farm bill.
According to the U.S. Congressional Resource Service, the United States is the only developed nation that fails to cultivate industrial hemp as an economic crop.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director, at (202) 483-5500.