Hawaii Looking To Relax Some Hemp Rules With Proposed Legislation

Hemp Grower reports

A new hemp bill moving through Hawaii is aiming to reduce some of the state’s more onerous regulations that growers say have stifled the industry’s potential.

Senate Bill 2986 would aim to “eliminate double regulation of hemp production” that exists in the state, according to the bill text.

Although Hawaii’s industry is regulated by the USDA, the state currently requires in-transport hemp to have state movement reports and be sampled, tested, and inspected. This bill would remove that requirement.

According to the bill text, S.B. 2986 would also:

  • Establish and revise rules for processing that recognize the unique constraints of Hawaii farmers while protecting human health.

  • Require transparency in labeling of hemp products manufactured and sold in Hawaii to identify the percentage of Hawaii grown hemp or hemp product in all hemp products and, if those products are not from Hawaii, the origin of any hemp or hemp product.

  • Allow licensed hemp producers to sell hemp directly to consumers that reside out of state.

The bill states that the Hawaii hemp cannabinoid and CBD market is valued between $32,000,000 and $54,000,000 annually. However, much of that money goes to hemp producers outside Hawaii because current regulations ban Hawaii farmers from making and selling these products in the state.

SB2986_

Producers in the state have previously told Hemp Grower this year could make or break Hawaii’s hemp industry; if regulations don’t pass eliminating its stringent regulations, many are considering giving up growing.

Gail Byrne Baber, who serves as director of the Hawaii Hemp Farmers Association (HHFA) and co-owns Hawaii Royal Hemp, told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald that while the HHFA supports the bill, she and other members of the organization still have concerns about it. Even if the bill passes, state regulators would still maintain authority to visit cultivators at any time to assure they’re keeping proper documentation, resulting in redundant regulatory efforts.

The Tribune-Herald also reports that the bill that adopted the USDA hemp production program only made that provision active until June 30, 2022. S.B. 2986 does not currently address that expiration, but the state Department of the Attorney General testified that the bill should include an amendment postponing that repeal until 2024, the Tribune-Herald reports.

Senate Bill 2973, another bill moving through the state legislature, would extend the USDA’s oversight until 2024, but it does not resolve other regulatory issues.

S.B. 2986 was introduced to the state senate Jan. 21.

Source: https://www.hempgrower.com/article/hawaii-aims-reduce-regulatory-redundancies-new-bill-sb-2986/

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