A South Dakota legislative interim committee heard comments on industrial hemp at their meeting this week that featured both proponents for growing the crop and opponents. South Dakota Farmers Union Lobbyist Mitch Richter whose group backs the growing of it says several things need to be done to get a bill ready that state lawmakers can pass and won’t get vetoed.
He says industrial hemp and marijuana are two completely different things and shouldn’t be tied together when considering any possible legislation.
Richter says in order to get a measure lawmakers will approve and the Governor will sign will take more testing of industrial hemp.
He says South Dakota is already losing out as a hemp equipment manufacturer in Sioux Falls is being forced to go to other states to test his equipment.
Richter says they’re hoping to get more direction from the USDA when they come out with rules on growing industrial hemp, hopefully sometime in September.
