HONOLULU (KHON2) — The House of Representatives on Friday, July 10, passed a bill to legalize the growing, processing, and sale of industrial hemp in Hawaii.
It passed the Senate on Wednesday unanimously, with Senators Les Ihara, Clarence K. Nishihara, and Laura H. Thielen expressing reservations.
The bill now goes to Hawaii Governor David Ige to sign into law.
Another hemp bill, Senate Bill 1353, was vetoed by Governor Ige in 2019 after he expressed concerns that it was unenforceable. This year’s version was worked on directly with the governor’s administration to ensure its enactment.
The bill was also amended to change the size of buffer zones after committees received testimony about the impacts buffer zones would have on existing hemp farmers, and concerns related to noise, smells, and excessive lighting from neighbors of an existing hemp farm in Kula.
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