Industrial hemp; updates laws to address the new hemp producer license. (HB2078)

Introduced By

Del. Danny Marshall (R-Danville) with support from co-patron Del. James Edmunds (R-South Boston)

Progress

✓	Introduced
✓	Passed Committee
☐	Passed House
☐	Passed Senate
☐	Signed by Governor
☐	Became Law

Description

Industrial hemp; federal hemp producer license; emergency. Updates Virginia's industrial hemp laws to address the new hemp producer license issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The bill changes drug laws to exclude the industrial hemp possessed by a federally licensed hemp producer from the definition of "marijuana" and to exclude certain amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in such industrial hemp from the prohibition on THC. The bill exempts federally licensed hemp producers from state industrial hemp registration requirements and adds such producers to the list of those eligible to receive funds from the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Fund. The bill makes other changes to industrial hemp laws, including (i) removing the $50 limit on the application fee for registration of growers, dealers, and producers; (ii) excluding from the definition of "dealer" any retail establishment that sells a completed product containing industrial hemp; (iii) making optional the monitoring and random testing of industrial hemp by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services and authorizing the random sampling of such hemp; (iv) removing the requirement that the Attorney General of the United States be notified when a Virginia grower, dealer, or processor exceeds the federal THC limit; and (v) directing the Commissioner to adopt regulations establishing a fee structure for registration. Finally, the bill exempts employees of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services from prosecution for possession or distribution of industrial hemp when possession is necessary in the performance of their duties. The bill contains an emergency clause. Read the Bill »

Status

01/20/2021: passed committee

History

Date	Action
01/12/2021	Committee
01/12/2021	Prefiled and ordered printed with emergency clause; offered 01/13/21 21102692D
01/12/2021	Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
01/20/2021	House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
01/20/2021	Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/21/2021	Impact statement from DPB (HB2078)
01/21/2021	Read first time
01/22/2021	Read second time and engrossed
01/22/2021	Passed by for the day
01/25/2021	Motion to rerefer to committee agreed to
01/25/2021	Rereferred to Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources