Idaho legalizes industrial hemp

It was the last U.S. state that had not legalized industrial hemp after the passage of the Farm Bill of 2018. Idaho’s Republican governor, Brad Little, signed the state’s industrial hemp legalization bill into law last week.

The bill took effect immediately, but farmers will not be able to start growing hemp until regulators develop regulations. These regulations will set the THC limits in the hemp at 0.3% and will ban all products containing THC, including CBD products that contain even small amounts of it.

According to the bill, a first offense involving the cultivation or transportation of hemp in excess of the legal limit will result in a fine of up to $150, and up to $300 for a second offense. If a person violates the law three or more times within a five-year period, the fine can reach $1,000 and the prison term can be up to six months.

The bill requires hemp transporters to allow searches by law enforcement and to permit them to «randomly select» up to 20 grams for compliance testing. The bill also authorizes research on hemp.

In 2019, Brad Little signed an executive order authorizing the transport of hemp across the state after at least two people were arrested and charged with drug offenses while transporting crops. At the time, Brad Little stated that he was «not opposed» to hemp, but that state lawmakers «could not respond quickly» to federal changes.

The Idaho Department of Agriculture must submit a plan for the hemp program by September 1.