Michigan officials have passed a bill to update the state’s hemp program to put in more in line with federal recommendations. Changes include more tests for industrial hemp around total THC testing as well as raising the fees for licenses.
The Bill is waiting on Governor Gretchen Whitmer and has been since July 2. Signing the bill would be one of the final hurdles to getting the state’s hemp program up and running. Once it has federal approval, Michigan would join 12 other states and 14 tribes that can license hemp growers and processors.
Farmers are currently growing under the 2014 Farm Bill as a test program.
Fees for farmers to get their annual license would go up tenfold with the new bill, going from $100 to $1,250. The increase is meant to help fund a self-sustaining program for the state. All crops would have to be tested for total THC content within 15 days of harvest.
The state is also mandating that the lab that does the testing be registered with the DEA. The bill did not specify a stance on adding CBD to food products or supplements, or growing and selling smokable hemp flower.
