A measure to legalize the production and sales of industrial hemp in Idaho is headed to the full state Senate for debate. According to the Idaho Statesman, farmers testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Thursday that the Gem State is losing money as the Legislature delays legalization. The measure at hand allows Idaho farmers to grow and sell hemp products containing 3-tenths-of-a-percent or less of THC, the cannabis compound that gives marijuana its high. The bill, sponsored by Senator Abby Lee, of Fruitland, and Representative Caroline Nilsson Troy, of Genesee, mandates the Idaho State Department of Agriculture set up a state program for hemp that would include stipulations for permitting, testing, and transportation. Although the measure differentiates hemp from marijuana in Idaho’s state code for the first time, it would not remove hemp from the state’s list of controlled substances. Idaho is one of only three states that does not allow the cultivation of hemp, despite the federal government making it legal to grow industrial hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill. Committee members voted to send the bill to the Senate with a do-pass recommendation. (Idaho Statesman)
