The battle to legalize industrial hemp in Idaho has finally ended, as the state’s governor signed House Bill 126 into law on April 16.
H.B. 126 legalizes the production, processing, research and transportation of industrial hemp with up to 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in Idaho, as previously reported by Hemp Grower.
Under the new law, the sale of hemp products to Idaho consumers containing any amount of THC is prohibited, the Associated Press reported.
Some argued this, stating that legalizing the sale of hemp products containing up to 0.3% THC could make it more challenging to enforce the state’s cannabis laws. In contrast, others backed legalizing such sales, stating that residents are already driving to nearby states to purchase the products, the news outlet reported.
Idaho hemp farmers are required to follow the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) final rule on hemp, which prohibits them from growing plants that test over the 0.3% legal THC concentration limit.
The bill also states that the Idaho State Department of Agriculture must prepare and turn in a state hemp plan that complies with the 2018 Farm Bill rules and regulations no later than Sept. 1, 2021, Hemp Grower previously reported.
