A bill opening the way for commercial production of industrial hemp was signed Thursday by Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Senate Bill 868, by Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, authorizes the state Department of Agriculture to take develop and administer a production program under the 2018 federal farm bill.
Rep. Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, the House sponsor, said his first industrial hemp bill had been met by a bewildered silence several years ago.
“For this, I’ve probably had calls from 15 members,” Echols said. “I had a call today from Commerce Secretary (Sean) Kouplen telling me to hurry and get this done.”
Industrial hemp, a close cousin of marijuana but with only the merest trace of the active ingredient THC, was outlawed in the United States after World War II and only became fully legal with the 2018 farm bill. Many farmers hope it will prove a lifesaving cash crop in the face of low grain and soybean prices.
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“Farmers in western Oklahoma are very excited about this,” said Rep. Kenton Patzkowski, R-Balko.
Industrial hemp, which is legal in Canada, most of Europe and Australia, can be used in many products, including paper, cosmetics and construction materials.
The recent spike in interest, however, has been driven by cannabidiol, or CBD. Extracted from hemp seed oil, CBD has been shown to have medicinal value, especially for treating certain seizures. More widespread applications have become popular, although their effectiveness is unclear.
