BISMARCK, N.D. (Mar. 16, 2015) – Today, the North Dakota state Senate gave final approval to a bill authorizing the farming, production, and sale of industrial hemp in the state, effectively nullifying the federal prohibition on the same.
Introduced by Reps. David Monson (R-10) and Alan Fehr (R-36) along with Sen. Tom Campbell (R-19), House Bill 1436 (HB1436) passed 87-5 in the House last month. A 46-1 vote in the Senate today will send the bill to Gov. Jack Dalrymple’s desk for a signature.
HB1436 not only sets up the framework to effectuate a commercial hemp farming program in the state, it expressly rejects any need for federal approval before growing hemp in the state. It reads, in part: “A license required by this section is not conditioned on or subject to review or approval by the United States drug enforcement agency.”
Passage into law will ensure that North Dakota will join join five other states – Colorado, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vermont – that have already passed similar measures.
Farmers in SE Colorado started harvesting the plant in 2013, and farmers in Vermont began harvesting in 2014, effectively nullifying federal restrictions on such agricultural activities. On Feb. 2, the Oregon hemp industry officially opened for business and one week later, the first license went to a small non-profit group who hopes to plant 25 acres this spring. The Tennessee Agricultural department recently put out a call for licensing, signaling that hemp farming will start soon there too. And a law passed in South Carolina in 2014 authorizes the same.
Experts suggest that the U.S. market for hemp is around $500 million per year. They count as many as 25,000 uses for industrial hemp, including food, cosmetics, plastics and bio-fuel. The U.S. is currently the world’s #1 importer of hemp fiber for various products, with China and Canada acting as the top two exporters in the world.
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Originally Posted by Keith and stuff
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