The Connecticut State Senate has approved a bill that would allow the launch of hemp pilot programs and research plots in the state. The Senate’s unanimous approval of the bill follows the House’s 142-2 approval of the same legislation.
The bill, HB 5780, would strike hemp from Connecticut’s list of controlled substances, and would allow farmers to begin experimenting with industrial hemp as per the rules laid out in the 2014 federal Farm Bill.
The proposal classifies hemp as cannabis that contains less than 0.3% THC by dry weight.
The bill will now be sent to Governor Dannel Malloy, who has several options: he can sign it into law, do nothing and allow the bill to become law automatically, or veto it, although this is unlikely given the overwhelming support in both chambers.
Currently, the majority of hemp used in the United States is imported from Canada and China, the crop’s major exporters.
Sources:
http://www.thedailychronic.net/2015/43878/connecticut-lawmakers-approve-hemp-legalization-bill/
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