General Assembly Sends Hemp Legalization Bill to DeWine

Source: The Hannah Report

Farmers are another step closer to being allowed to cultivate hemp in Ohio, as the General Assembly sent SB57 (Hill-Huffman) to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk for his signature.

The House voted 88-3 to pass the hemp legalization bill on Wednesday, with Reps. Ron Hood (R-Ashville), Candice Keller (R-Middletown) and Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) opposing it.

The House voted 81-6 to include an emergency clause. The designation was needed so farmers can begin planting as soon as possible and so retailers can quickly retrieve cannabidiol (CBD) products forced off their shelves by state regulators and local law enforcement, said Rep. Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield), chair of the House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee. Rules would still need to be developed by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODAg) and sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the hemp program to be fully operational in the state.

Koehler said hemp could be a huge cash crop for Ohio farmers and grows almost anywhere using little or no fertilizer. He also noted its wide range of uses, including for food, clothing, nutritional supplements, manufacturing and paper. He said one acre of hemp can produce the same amount of paper as 10 acres of trees in a fraction of the time -- only four months instead of decades.

The House voted 57-34 to table an amendment from Rep. Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland) that would have removed a provision prohibiting certain felons from obtaining licenses to participate in the hemp program. Rep. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) said while he’s sympathetic to her position, the federal law requires such a prohibition in order for the state to run a legal hemp program. He said it didn’t make sense to jeopardize the entire program to make that point, so they should pass the bill as is and then advocate for Congress to change the law. Koehler also noted that the prohibition only applies to license holders, not to anyone else who may want to work in the hemp industry.

The Senate quickly agreed to House changes to the hemp legislation Wednesday, agreeing to the emergency clause 30-1 and concurring with amendments 31-0.

Sen. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), joint sponsor of the bill, said it would create new business opportunities for farmers, manufacturers and in clinical settings.

House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) told reporters that the bill will help out farmers, who have had a rough year with the extreme weather and trade issues.

“Farmers are getting hit pretty hard right now with the tariffs and the weather. I think that can help them plan a little bit. It certainly can help universities like Ohio State University as they continue to study hemp and try to perfect seeds and such,” Householder said.

House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes (D-Akron) also told reporters the bill finally gives farmers some “good news” in 2019.

“It’s been a terrible year with the tariffs that have been added from the federal government, as well as the rain that’s been unpredictable,” Sykes said. “We know that the hemp industry is a growing industry where there is a lot of opportunity for farmers to grow their businesses, literally and figuratively. We hope that many people take advantage of it.”

“Ohio Farm Bureau views hemp production in Ohio as a good opportunity for farmers to diversify their crop options and we look forward to working with the Ohio Department of Agriculture on the new program,” Ohio Farm Bureau spokesperson Ty Higgins told Hannah News.

Following passage of SB57, Green Light Acquisitions (GLA) President Ian James announced the creation of an Ohio-based hemp industry coalition that will be headed by well-known Statehouse insider Neil Clark.

“We have worked for the better part of three years educating lawmakers, regulators and the leaders of other industries about hemp and the important part it can play in strengthening Ohio’s farm families, farming communities, manufacturers, retailers, consumers and more broadly, our state,” James said in a news release. “Neil has worked with us the past five years to get this right and keep us on track. His leadership will help the hemp industry in Ohio have a powerful voice and a focused strategic vision that will allow us to take decisive action with state and local governments.”

Industry analysts at The Brightfield Group estimate hemp is poised to become a $5 billion-a-year industry this year and exceed $23 billion by 2023. Nationwide, 311,000 acres of hemp have been permitted to be cultivated this year, up from 78,000 in 2018, according to GLA.

Story originally published in The Hannah Report on July 17, 2019.  Copyright 2019 Hannah News Service, Inc.