Hawaii Legislative Committee Gives Unanimous Approval to Hemp Legalization Bill

Hawaii Legislative Committee Gives Unanimous Approval to Hemp Legalization Bill

A bill to establish a pilot program allowing for the cultivation and production of industrial hemp has been given unanimous approval by the state’s House Finance Committee, roughly a month after the measure was unanimously passed by the state’s full Senate.

Senate Bill 2659 would create an industrial hemp pilot program that would allow farmers who receive a license from the Board of Agriculture to conduct agricultural and academic research on the cultivation of industrial hemp and the “distribution of its seed”. The measure would also provide the funding for the Board of Agriculture’s staff to help with the program.

A separate hemp bill, which would legalize hemp for commercial – not just research – purposes, awaits a committee hearing in the Senate after being past last month by the House of Representatives with a unanimous vote