“It would behoove us to work together…to make sure that we—in my humble opinion—protect our constituents, but also protect an industry that I think is needed.”
By Isiah Holmes, Wisconsin Examiner
Wisconsin lawmakers are backing competing visions for the future of hemp in the state.
One proposal, (SB 682), was discussed during a Thursday meeting of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Revenue.
The bill would create a regulatory structure for hemp-derived cannabis products which would preserve the state’s hemp industry despite a federal ban set to take effect in November. Without state-level intervention, or the federal government choosing to reverse course, hemp growers and distributors fear that Wisconsin’s $700 million industry and about 3,500 jobs will disappear.
Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point), chair of the Agriculture and Revenue Committee presented the bipartisan hemp bill to his committee, which he authored with bipartisan support.
Testin’s legislation would define hemp as cannabis plants with no more than 0.3 percent of delta-9 THC (or the maximum concentration allowable under federal law up to 1 percent, whichever is greater) and define “hemp-derived cannabinoids” as any such compound extracted from the hemp plant. THC concentrations would be determined using specific high-performance testing methods.
Wisconsinites
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