ARIZONA
Title: Arizona Governor Greenlights Industrial Hemp Farming Pilot Program
Author: High Times
Date: 16 May 2018
URL: https://hightimes.com/news/arizona-governor-greenlights-industrial-hemp-farming-pilot-program/
Extract:
This week, Governor Doug Ducey signed an agriculture pilot program into law. Bill SB 1098 permits the study and growth of industrial hemp. This means that universities can produce it and farmers can farm and sell it on a big scale. Nevertheless, growing, processing, harvesting and transporting hemp for commercial use all require a permit from the Arizona Department of Agriculture.
The legislation specifies that hemp must be below 0.3 percent THC. Legally, anything above this qualifies as psychoactive cannabis and would be illegal, at least in Arizona.
This is a pilot program, which means that it only legalizes hemp farming in the short term. Assumedly, the program has an end date, at which point legislators will study its results and decide how to proceed. It will most likely lead to more comprehensive legislation.
KANSAS
Title: Kansas Department Of Agriculture Asks Public For Help Drafting New Hemp Growing Regulations
Author: KCUR
Date: 14 May 2018
Extract:
Industrial hemp is coming to Kansas, but first the Department of Agriculture has to figure out how to regulate it.
To get started, the department is holding public meetings to get input from potential growers.
“Please don’t be frustrated if our answer is, ‘We don’t know yet,’ because that’s part of why we’ve asked you to come so we can figure out what we need to figure out,” Chad Bontrager, Kansas Agribusiness Service director, said before beginning his presentation at a recent meeting in Manhattan.
The meeting consisted of an overview of the recently passed law opening up the pilot project, as well as presentations from two people involved in the operation of industrial hemp programs in Kentucky and Colorado.
Dozens of people participated in the meeting, including Christina Hett. She’s a farmer in Marion County who’s interested in hemp as an alternative to the wheat, soy beans and corn she already grows.
“The farming markets are terrible, and it’s just to the point that we have to find something else,” she said.
But even after the meeting, she still had lots of questions and concerns, especially about how much a license to grow would cost.
“It’s almost like they’re not thinking about this from the producer’s perspective,” she said.
The state Department of Agriculture’s goal is to have draft regulations completed by July 1 and to begin issuing licenses to grow by the beginning of 2019.
OREGON
Title: Press Release: Marijuana Company of America and Global Hemp Group Provide Update on CBD Farm Joint Venture in Scio, Oregon
Author: Globe Newswire
Date: 15 May 2018
URL: https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/05/15/1502467/0/en/Marijuana-Company-of-America-and-Global-Hemp-Group-Provide-Update-on-CBD-Farm-Joint-Venture-in-Scio-Oregon.html
Extract:
Garden operations are well underway at the farm. The initial nursery and propagation rooms for clones have recently been expanded to an additional attached greenhouse as the team continues to produce clones for planting in the current season. In order to maximize planting density, an additional 20,000 high yielding CBD hemp clones are being purchased and will be delivered before the end of May to meet the targeted planting schedule of early June.
Five additional greenhouses have now been purchased for the project. The first two 30ft. x 120ft greenhouses are currently being installed and will provide an additional 7,200 sq. ft. of greenhouse space for the project. The three remaining 42ft x 96ft greenhouses will begin installation before the end of May. When installed, these additional greenhouses will increase greenhouse space by a further 12,096 sq. ft., for a total of 19,296 active greenhouse space.
