Senate committee reviews draft moving hemp oversight to Cannabis Control Board, flags penalties and farm protections

Legislative counsel on Thursday reviewed a draft bill that would move oversight of hemp processors from the Agency of Agriculture to the Cannabis Control Board and make a series of changes to definitions, testing, registration and enforcement.

Brandon Shawman, Office of Legislative Counsel, told the Senate Agriculture committee the draft largely relocates existing statutory language into Title 7 and adapts definitions to match recent federal changes. He said the bill replaces references to delta‑9 THC at the 0.3 percent threshold with a broader federal THC definition and adds language that would exclude products that are "not lawful in interstate commerce" from the state hemp protections.

Why it matters: Committee members said the changes could narrow protections currently afforded to farmers and shift discretion to the…