O F F I C E O F L E G I S L A T I V E R E S E A R C H
P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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PA 21-89—sHB 6500
Environment Committee
AN ACT CONCERNING SU PPLEMENTAL REVISIONS TO THE
STATE'S HEMP PROGRAM STATUTE
SUMMARY: This act makes changes to the state’s hemp program statute to
comply with the federal U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) final rules for
hemp production, which took effect March 22, 2021. Compliance is necessary for
the state to receive federal approval of its state hemp production plan.
Under state and federal law, “hemp” is the plant Cannabis sativa L and any
part of it, including seeds and derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids,
and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC) concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.
The changes under the act include:
1. allowing remediation of noncompliant crops done in accordance with
federal law as an alternative to disposing of them;
2. specifying that, in accordance with federal law, for those convicted of a
state or federal controlled substance felony, the prohibition against holding
a producer license lasts for 10 years from the conviction date;
3. requiring hemp producer license applicants to submit their employer
identification number (EIN), or Social Security number if an EIN is not
available, to the state agriculture department; and
4. eliminating a requirement that producer license applicants, who must
submit to fingerprint-based criminal history records checks, provide the
results through December 31, 2021, to the agriculture commissioner (in
practice, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection
provides results to the agriculture department).
By law, anyone who produces hemp without a license, or after a license was
suspended or revoked, commits an infraction. The act makes this infraction
payable by mail through the Central Infractions Bureau.
The act makes other minor, technical, and conforming changes, including
adding several terms included under the USDA final rule.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage