INDIANAPOLIS — A bill legalizing hemp in the Hoosier state has passed the House and Senate and is on the way to Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Hemp, a strain of the Cannabis sativa plant, was considered a “controlled substance” under federal law until 2018. That’s when President Donald Trump signed the Farm Bill, which redefined hemp as an “agricultural commodity.”
The hemp plant can be used to make a variety of products, including rope, building materials, jewelry, plastics, and paper. Unlike marijuana, the hemp plant has a low concentration of THC, the substance that makes users feel high.
Under the new law, it would be legal to grow and sell hemp in Indiana. Smoking hemp flowers, possessing smokable hemp, and distributing smokable hemp would be illegal.
Gov. Holcomb is expected to sign the bill into law.
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