All fifty of the United States officially gained the federal government’s blessing to do as they wish with hemp after President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill in December.
Lawmakers in the state of South Dakota are not wasting any time taking advantage of the newly re-acquired agricultural freedom by introducing a bill to legalize the growth, production, and processing of industrial hemp and derivative products.
The bill, HB1191 is sponsored by a bipartisan roster of more than sixty South Dakota representatives and would allow farmers to apply for a license from the Department of Agriculture to cultivate hemp containing no more than 0.3 percent delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
According to the bill, industrial hemp licenses would be valid for one year before they would need to be renewed, and licensing fees would be capped at $350.
Applicants who have been convicted of a felony involving cannabis or any other state or federally-controlled substance within the past ten years would not be eligible for a license under HB1191.
The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee unanimously voted 13-0 on Thursday to pass HB1191 amended; the bill’s next destination is the House floor for a vote.
There are currently no other cannabis-related legalization bills in the South Dakota legislature.
