Connecticut Governor, Ned Lamont has signed a bipartisan-sponsored bill to create a pilot program to allow for industrial hemp production in the state.
The bill, SB893, was introduced by the Environment Committee in February and approved by the State Senate in late April.
The pilot program will study marketing as well as the growth and cultivation of industrial hemp at sites approved by the Department of Agriculture.
“This legislation will strengthen our efforts to grow our agricultural economy and create jobs, and do so in a responsible manner by opening a competitive market to thousands of Connecticut’s farmers,” said Lamont. “With this program, farmers will have the opportunity to bolster their profits with hemp, and veteran and first-time farmers alike will be attracted to a new and growing market that will offer crop diversification, increased revenue, and expertise in an expanding field.”
Department of Agriculture Commissioner Brian Hurlbut says that hemp has the potential to stabilize the agricultural economy and attract new farmers to the industry.
Hurlbut says that the vote brings Connecticut one step closer to hemp legalization, and ties-in with the governor’s budget to support a hemp program and create new business opportunities for small business owners in the state.
With the passage of SB893, the Commissioner must now begin drafting regulations which must be adopted no later than July 1, 2020.
