Hemp Planting and Rules Pt 2

Hemp Planting and Rules Pt 2

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I'm Bob Larson. Newly established rules for the growing and processing of industrial grade hemp in our state get an official baptism on Wednesday with the first official planting in Moses Lake.

WSDA hemp coordinator Emily Febles will be there to share all she's learned about growing hemp in the months leading up to this event...

EMILY FEBLES ... "So, industrial hemp, since it is cannabis, does falls under the controlled substances act federally. Then, in 2014, the federal government passed the Farm Bill which allows for states to set up their own programs to research the growth, cultivation, and marketing of industrial hemp. So, the way that you can legally grow industrial hemp in the United States is to follow your state rules which are theoretically supposed to be set up in conformance with the federal government and then growing industrial hemp would be legal."

Febles says state rules that follow federal guidelines have their benefits ...

EMILY FEBLES ... "This does provide farmers with a lot of niceties. For example, banks could actually loan industrial hemp farmers money to start their farm or to buy farm equipment because they wouldn't be engaged in any money laundering or anything like that because of this federally legal niche. So, there's a lot of things that being federally compliant really does provide our farmers that not being federally compliant we would potentially lose."

State lawmakers passed the bill last month that removed industrial hemp from the State Uniform Controlled Substance Act, but growers and processors will still need to be licensed. Email your questions to hemp@agr.wa.gov

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