Recently, Legislature sent separate proposals to the floor pushing for the legalization of commercial hemp production in West Virginia. Often, hemp is associated with marijuana. However, the new legislation declares hemp’s industrial uses. The bills state as long as the crop stays below a 1% threshold of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component of cannabis, it can be produced after receiving licensing from the Agriculture Commissioner.
At its meeting Wednesday, the Senate Agriculture Committee sent Senate Resolution 35 up to the chamber floor. That resolution, if passed through the House of Delegates as well, works as a call from the Legislature to the U.S. Congress to distinguish hemp from marijuana by the THC threshold. Senator Robert Beach said commercial hemp means jobs for West Virginia in terms of production, manufacturing it into commercial products, and retail.
As far as its special proximity to cannabis, he said the two crops’ usages show their differences.
He said, “With hemp, the old saying is you could smoke 500 acres of it and it won’t get you high.” According to the resolution, hemp products can be made through the crop’s fiber, seed, seed oil, and floral extracts including paper, fabric, body care products, and essential oils, according to the resolution.
Senator Sue Cline voiced support for the resolution as well. She said Kentucky already has embraced hemp as a cash crop, and it’s time for West Virginia to catch up. Communications director for the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, Crescent Gallagher, said the department fully supports both the Senate resolution and the House proposal. Though the crop’s relationship to cannabis has gummed up similar legislation in the past, he said newfound support could push the proposal through this year.
He said, “The Department fully supports the Senate resolution and House bill. We believe hemp is a niche crop that has the opportunity to bring producers into the state.” Only the Department of Agriculture and colleges and universities authorized by the Agriculture Commissioner can grow hemp in the state under current law.
Following suit with the Senate, the House Judiciary Committee chose to send HB 24 53 to the floor, which gives discretion to the Commissioner of Agriculture to dispense licenses to produce hemp commercially. However, it only allows those licensed through a university to grow hemp for research purposes, not commercial ones.
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