House approves industrial hemp bill, gives Department of Agriculture enforcement authority
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Summary
House Bill 302 passed 57–10 after amendments added enforcement authority for the Department of Agriculture; sponsors clarified industrial hemp must contain no more than 0.3% THC and that regulated CBD products can be produced from hemp under state rules.
Representative Doth (Dawe in transcript) moved amendment #2 to House Bill 302 to grant enforcement authority to the Department of Agriculture and described HB302 as a licensing framework for industrial hemp growers. He explained industrial hemp "by definition, cannot contain more than 0.3% THC by weight" and said the Department will test crops and seize and destroy any plants that exceed the limit.
Representative Thurston and others asked whether industrial hemp is distinct from cannabis and whether the bill affects earlier laws; the sponsor said hemp is non-psychoactive and that the bill does not affect prior statutes such as "Charlie’s Law." The sponsor said CBD can be produced from industrial hemp but would be regulated by the state.
After discussion and a motion to adopt the amendment, the House passed HB302 57–10; the bill will be referred to the Senate.
