A bill has been failing to pass in South Dakota for years now, but this week the House approved a measure that would permit South Dakota cultivators to farm industrial hemp. The long-standing debate around hemp has always been that it is in the same family as cannabis. Proponents argue that industrial hemp contains less than 0.3% THC, the psychoactive ingredient in pot, leaving a plant with many uses for farmers in South Dakota.
“I think it’s a new form of a cash cow for South Dakota farmers,” Troy Heinert, South Dakota Democratic Senator, stated.
Heinert is the main sponsor of the hemp growing bill in the Senate, where the bill is currently being debated. The South Dakota House approved the bill this week, 57-11, with strong support from both parties.
“Right now we’re importing lots of products, bale or twine, textiles or clothing, are all made from hemp fibers and we might as well be growing that right here in South Dakota…agriculture is the number one industry here and anything we can do to support agriculture, you’re going to find support for it,” said Senator Heinert.
However, making industrial hemp is about much more than most people imagine; most of the potential can be found in grocery stores.
“It’s in lotions, it’s in lip balms, it’s very healing for the skin,” Molly Langley, Sioux Falls Co-op Natural Foods General Manager, said. “You can consume it in the form of a powder, oil or as a seed; it’s in snack materials like candy bars or nut bars, it’s added to a hamburger substitute in the frozen foods section.”
Hemp in health products is becoming increasingly popular which, in turn, is making the South Dakota legislature consider the proposal even more.
“I love hemp seed; I think it is a great source of protein and healthy fat. I’ve put it in smoothies, added it to salads and just eaten as a snack before, so I do like hemp products,” Sioux Falls consumer Tammi Kincaid added.
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