Yesterday, with a vote of 9-1, Maine’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee approved a measure explicitly allowing hemp cultivation in the state, even before a federal change takes place. Under current Maine law, hemp is legal for certain purposes, though the law mandates that an individual can’t receive a license to grow until federal law changes – this measure would remove that requirement, and would allow farmers in the state to begin cultivating hemp this year.
On top of making this change, the measure would remove a requirement that mandates that applicants for a hemp license submit fingerprints to the state, which would be taken by law enforcement.
The measure now moves towards a full House vote – a companion bill is currently being considered in the Senate.
Source: The Joint Blog
