Indiana lawmakers faced at the end of the General
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Bill legalizing hemp growth and sales clears final legislative hurdle
A bill making hemp a legal, regulated crop in Indiana has passed out of both chambers of the legislature and is headed to the governor's desk.
Hemp had been considered a controlled substance under federal drug laws due to its relation to marijuana. That changed when Congress passed the 2018 Farm Bill, which redefined the plant as an agricultural commodity.
Senate Bill 516 sets up the state's regulatory structure for hemp, including a hemp advisory committee that will report to the Indiana state chemist and seed commissioner for a period of about two years.
“I think this bill will, again, bring a great opportunity to our agriculture folks,” said Rep. Sean Eberhart, R-Shelbyville, the House sponsor of the bill.
Unlike marijuana, hemp has very low concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the substance in marijuana that makes a consumer feel high.
In addition to creating the framework to license growers and sellers of hemp, the bill also makes it illegal to smoke the hemp flower. Dealing in smokable hemp and being in possession of smokable hemp are both misdemeanors under the bill.
Go RMHBD,
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