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A bill to legalize the cultivation of industrial hemp in Indiana passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The Senate is expected to vote on the legislation Thursday.
Senate Bill 357 would require farmers growing industrial hemp to obtain a license and be subject to inspections and audits to keep it.
Industrial hemp has numerous uses – including medicines, textiles, ropes, paper products, plastics, automotive factory material and building materials – but contains less than .03 percent of the hallucinogenic compound THC, which is below the federal limit and does not cause a “mind-altering” sensation.
Ten states have already passed legislation to legalize the production of industrial hemp but it remains against federal law. However, the farm bill recently passed by Congress allows some experimentation that could eventually lead to federal approval.
The bill passed the House 92-6 and still needs Senate approval before it can move to Gov. Mike Pence for approval.
A House-Senate conference committee removed a provision dealing with motor fuel.
Olivia Covington is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
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