LINCOLN – Legally growing industrial hemp in Nebraska is closer to becoming a reality.
LB 657, which would permit the growth and cultivation of the plant, advanced on second reading with little opposition on Thursday.
Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha introduced the bill and says it falls in line with the federally enacted Hemp Farming Act of 2018. The act recognizes hemp as an ordinary agricultural commodity.
Sen. Wayne said the bill opens economic doors for Nebraskans and cited Canada’s $1 billion hemp industry as an example.
Sen. John Lowe of Kearney unsuccessfully tried to hold up the bill with two amendments, but the move gained no traction.
Hemp is defined as cannabis with less than zero point three percent THC.
