DEA Gives Washington State Approval to Import Hemp Seeds
The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has received approval from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to import hemp seeds.
“It’s a real, real possibility we’ll have a spring planting of hemp,” says WSDA’s hemp coordinator Emily Feblesy According to Feblesy the WSDA has proposed rules for hemp cultivation and hopes to issue licenses to growers, seed distributors and processors in May.
Washington now joins several other states – including Oregon – that have received DEA approval to import hemp seeds.
For now, the hemp grown in Washington will be for research purposes. However, a bill to legalize commercial hemp cultivation, without a license and without a grow limit, recently passed the state’s House of Representatives with a unanimous 98 to 0 vote. The measure must now be passed by the Senate in order to be sent to Governor Jay Inslee for consideration.
The WSDA will be holding two public hearings next month on their proposed hemp rules, which would establish a $450 application year plus a $300 a year license fee. The hearings will take place at 11am on April 6th at the WSDA conference room 238 (21 North First Ave., Yakima), and at 11am on April 7th at the WSDA conference room 259 (1111 Washington St. SE, Olympia).
Sammie Lee
I spent 19 years in Spokane before I retired. Just south of spokane is one of the largest wheat growing counties in the U.S. I can just imagine a lot of available land could be planted with hemp seed and I’m sure the farmers would love it. Dry land hemp wouldn’t require pesticides like wheat, would be much cheaper to grow and harvest and could be a real boom to the state of Washington. Go Seahawks.