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Idaho House Follows Other Western States On Hemp Legalization

Under federal law, industrial hemp must contain less than .3 percent  THC--that's the psychoactive compound in the plant.
Marcia O'Connor
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Under federal law, industrial hemp must contain less than .3 percent THC--that's the psychoactive compound in the plant.

The Idaho House of Representatives passed a bill Monday to legalize hemp in the state. 

When President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill it became legal to produce hemp in the U.S. But  it’s a little more complicated than that.Press PLAY to hear the audio version of this story

 If states want a say in how hemp is grown within their borders, they have to make a plan.  Otherwise, the feds will do it for them. Colorado and Utah already had some rules on the books. 

Wyoming legalized the crop in 2017 and just this month, the governor signed legislation putting that state’s rules in place.

Idaho is the outlier. In fact it’s the only state in the West that still has a ban on hemp in the books.   

"You can make paper, you can make rope," says Rep. Christy Zito, R-Hammett,  one of several lawmakers trying to legalize hemp productions.  She spoke recently in a committee hearing on the issue.  "There are 26,000 plus uses for the hemp product."  

Next, the Idaho Senate will weigh in. It's not yet clear whether Governor Brad Little would sign a bill legalizing hemp in Idaho. 

Some law enforcement entities and Idaho prosecutors oppose the bill, saying it's not always possible to discern differences between marijuana and hemp. 

The Farm Bill requires that all states that want to manage their own hemp production have to come up with a plan to keep the THC content below point three percent.   That’s the psychoactive compound in the plant.  

Find reporter Amanda Peacher on Twitter @amandapeacher.

Copyright 2019 Boise State Public Radio

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho,  KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.

Correction: An earlier audio version of this story misstated the percent of THC allowable in hemp under federal law. The current audio reflects the correct figure: .3 percent. 

Copyright 2021 Boise State Public Radio News. To see more, visit Boise State Public Radio News.

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Amanda Peacher is an Arthur F. Burns fellow reporting and producing in Berlin in 2013. Amanda is from Portland, Oregon, where she works as the public insight journalist for Oregon Public Broadcasting. She produces radio and online stories, data visualizations, multimedia projects, and facilitates community engagement opportunities for OPB's newsroom.
Amanda Peacher
Amanda Peacher works for the Mountain West News Bureau out of Boise State Public Radio. She's an Idaho native who returned home after a decade of living and reporting in Oregon. She's an award-winning reporter with a background in community engagement and investigative journalism.
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