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News about the legal Washington State industry & public concerns.

Idaho Moves Closer To Allowing Industrial Hemp

Flickr Creative Commons/Marcia O'Connor

An Idaho Senate committee has approved a bill that would lead to a new industrial hemp industry in the Gem State. Idaho is the only state in the nation not to allow farmers to grow and companies to process industrial hemp, according to Global Hemp Industries.

But the Idaho Farm Bureau, represented at a Thursday hearing by Braden Jensen, is asking legislators to change that.“House Bill 126 is a farming, processing, trucking and research bill. House Bill 126 is not a CBD, THC, nor a medical marijuana bill," he said.

It would allow farmers to grow hemp with a limited THC content, beginning in 2022. It would also allow the state to make rules that would regulate the hemp industry, including rules for transportation and research.

The proposal was supported at the hearing by Connie Stopher, the executive director of Southern Idaho Economic Development.

“Being able to allow Idaho farmers the ability to diversify their economies and their businesses and allow us to grow in this industry would be significant to our economies and to Idahoans all across the state," she said.

The bill moved out of the Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee on Thursday. It has already been approved by the House.