4 March 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – There’s progress on a bill making its way through the Kansas legislature making it easier for farmers to grow hemp in the state.
If the bill does become law, it could make it easier for farmers to get into the fairly new cash crop.
HB 2168 would lower the barrier to entry for farmers looking to grow hemp by reducing the maximum license and registration fee for growers.
Legislators say it could help farmers diversify their crop amid years of drought.
After passing through the Kansas House of Representatives nearly unanimously, with 105 votes for it and six against, the bill to reduce licensing fees from $1200 to $500 for hemp farmers is in a committee in the state senate.
“At one point there were a large number of farmers wanting to farm this product but the fees were so high that the licensure was high that they could not,” said Representative Webster Roth.
“Lowering the barrier… is really gonna be appeasing to farmers to wanna get started and learn how to grow this crop and hopefully have more acreage in it in years to come,” said Representative Tory Marie Blew, who co-sponsored the bill in the house of representatives.
She said hemp has a lot of industrial uses, and can be more drought-resistant than other crops.
“This hemp stalk could be another form of plywood, I saw a hemp cutting board they’re making hemp concrete,” Blew said.
She said the plant can cause concern for legislators because it’s in the same family as the marijuana plant.
“It does have THC but its so little that even if somebody wanted to smoke it or do whatever they want with it, they’re just gonna end up with a really big headache,” Blew said.
State senator John Doll said there’s plenty of support for the bill in the senate.
He said it will likely be leveraged to get other, more controversial bills passed.