Pennsylvania Senate Unanimously Passes Hemp Bill
The Pennsylvania Senate on Wednesday voted to pass a bill that would establish a statewide cultivation pilot program for industrial hemp. The vote was unanimous, 49 to 0.
Senate Bill 50 would create the Industrial Hemp Licensing Board – which would be a subsection of the state’s Department of Agriculture – to handle licensing those interested in growing the crop. The measure would permit universities in the state to legally cultivate and produce hemp as part of a research program which wll be formulated to meet federal guidelines (according to federal law hemp cultivation is illegal, unless for research purposes).
The measure now goes to the state’s House of Representatives, where its passage will send it to Governor Tom Wolf for consideration.