Kansas governor expands hemp production

Kansas is taking steps toward allowing more farmers to grow hemp for commercial use under a measure Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law Monday.

The law takes effect later this month and replaces a state program for researching hemp with a program that allows commercial production.

Lawmakers authorized the research program last year after the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill.

The law requires the Kansas Department of Agriculture to submit a plan to the federal government for regulating commercial hemp production.

The department is required to confer with the governor and attorney general before submitting the plan.

Kelly said in a statement that the law will help the state’s agricultural economy by giving farmers another crop to grow.

– Associated Press