Industrial hemp; lawful for a person with a license to manufacture products or engage in research. (HB699)
Introduced By
Del. Brenda Pogge (R-Williamsburg)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✓ |
Passed Committee |
✓ |
Passed House |
✓ |
Passed Senate |
✓ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Production of industrial hemp. Clarifies that it is lawful for a person with a license to manufacture industrial hemp products or engage in scientific, agricultural, or other research involving the applications of industrial hemp and that no person shall be prosecuted for the possession, cultivation, or manufacture of industrial hemp plant material or products. The current law authorizes the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services to adopt regulations necessary to license persons to grow industrial hemp or administer a research program. This bill requires the Board to adopt regulations as necessary to license persons to grow and process industrial hemp for any purpose and requires the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to establish a licensure program, with a maximum license fee of $250. Read the Bill »
Outcome
History
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 01/11/2016 | Committee |
| 01/11/2016 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/16 16102156D |
| 01/11/2016 | Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources |
| 01/14/2016 | Assigned to sub: Subcommittee Agriculture |
| 01/14/2016 | Assigned ACNR sub: Subcommittee Agriculture |
| 01/14/2016 | Assigned ACNR sub: |
| 01/18/2016 | Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (7-Y 0-N) |
| 01/20/2016 | Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with substitute (22-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
| 01/20/2016 | Committee substitute printed 16104237D-H1 |
| 01/21/2016 | Read first time |
| 01/25/2016 | Impact statement from DPB (HB699H1) |
| 01/25/2016 | Read second time |
| 01/25/2016 | Committee substitute agreed to 16104237D-H1 |
| 01/25/2016 | Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB699H1 |
| 01/26/2016 | Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N) |
| 01/26/2016 | VOTE: BLOCK VOTE PASSAGE (98-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
| 01/26/2016 | Impact statement from DPB (HB699H1) |
| 01/27/2016 | Constitutional reading dispensed |
| 01/27/2016 | Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources |
| 02/18/2016 | Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (15-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
| 02/22/2016 | Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
| 02/23/2016 | Read third time |
| 02/23/2016 | Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
| 02/24/2016 | Enrolled |
| 02/24/2016 | Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB699ER) |
| 02/24/2016 | Impact statement from DPB (HB699ER) |
| 02/24/2016 | Signed by Speaker |
| 02/25/2016 | Signed by President |
| 02/25/2016 | Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on 02/25/16 |
| 02/25/2016 | G Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, March 3, 2016 |
| 03/01/2016 | G Approved by Governor-Chapter 170 (effective 7/1/16) |
| 03/01/2016 | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0170) |
Comments
The manufacture of hemp should not be conducted in a community setting of homes. If manufacturing of hemp is allowed, it should only be on the condition that it be done in open fields a great distance from homes. The Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services should still maintain the guidelines, limiting the growth and the process of what its use should be. It is too new of a process to give full range of authorization for its use.
??? Why? Are there any other crops that should only be grown "a great distance from homes"?
No, it is definitely not a new process. It is a very old process which is done in every industrialized nation on Earth except the United States, and it even has a long history in the United States prior to its prohibition.
See dictionary definition for hemp and hashish.
It definitely is not a new process for other parts of the world, but it is a new process for the people who are anticipating starting a crop of hemp who have never done it before, meeting the best practice guidelines.
Search the internet on how hemp is grown/manufactured, and its distinct odor.
OK, I did that, and I didn't find anything interesting. Instead of telling us to look at other things, without telling us what to actually look at, maybe you could just explain?
It sounds like Rebecca Smith is concerned about odor from hemp. Is she also concerned about the odor from Virginia's pig farms and chicken farms? What about odors from fertilizing crops? Basically if an area is designated as industrial or agricultural, hemp should be allowed to be grown. Virginia needs jobs. Hemp provides jobs. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were both hemp farmers. Today they would be considered felons. Stop the madness. Grow the economy.