Two States Move To Nullify Hemp: One Moves For Marijuana

Tennessee and South Carolina are both moving this legislative season to nullify the federal ban on hemp.

Last month South Carolina introduced SB0839, which would effectively nullify the federal ban on hemp. The bill would “provide that it is lawful to grow industrial hemp in this state; to clarify that industrial hemp is excluded from the definition of marijuana; to prohibit growing industrial hemp and marijuana on the same property or otherwise growing marijuana in close proximity to industrial hemp to disguise the marijuana growth; and to define necessary terms.”

South Carolina’s proposed law simply ignores the federal ban on industrial hemp, which falls under the Controlled Substance Act of 1970.

The Tennessee state legislature began talks last Summer about introducing a hemp nullification bill. That bill has now been filed in the general assembly. State Rep. Jeremy Fasion has filed the House bill, and Senator Frank Niceley is expected to file the Senate bill.

Alaska looks to become the third state to legalize marijuana. The state’s plan will closely mirror that of Colorado’s. A recent state ballot initiative received more than 45k signatures. The petition only needed 30k verified signatures to land a spot on the state ballot for this year.

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