Idaho Hemp Cultivation to Be Part of 2020 Legislative Session

The Idaho Legislature will have over 6,000 pages of rules to review in its 2020 Legislative session, and agricultural hemp is on that list. It’ll be a topic that the lawmakers take their time on. Farmers are interested in growing hemp and the residents are interested in using hemp-derived products.

It’s quite possible that Idaho will just reiterate what the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sets as far as regulations for hemp, the Idaho County Free Press reported. The USDA is supposedly writing hemp regulations this fall, which will offer an easier approach for states that don’t know where to start.

Rep. Priscilla Giddings said, “The legislature will address the hemp issue again next session. Some of District 7’s farmers will probably be interested in trying to grow hemp once it is legalized in Idaho… The most expeditious route to allow Idaho farmers to plant hemp next year would be to have Idaho adopt the federal plan. Even though I prefer fewer federal provisions to micromanage Idaho farmers, it may be the easiest way to ensure our prosperity with interstate commerce. We will have a better idea of the best way forward for Idaho after we see the details in the federal plan.”