LANSING, Mich. – Farmers could soon have the opportunity to expand into the industrial hemp market under a plan approved Thursday in the Michigan House.
Supporters of the bill believe the hemp industry has strong potential to improve economies across Michigan.
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Hemp is often confused with marijuana because the plants look similar and belong to the same species, but hemp does not produce a high, containing no more than 0.3 percent THC, while marijuana plants contain 5 to 35 percent THC.
Because of hemp’s visual similarities to the marijuana plant, the plan incorporates a number of safeguards, including a licensing and registration requirement and pre-harvest testing of the product’s THC levels to ensure the levels are no more than 0.3 percent.
More than 30 states have allowed or are considering allowing the cultivation of industrial hemp.
House Bills 6330, 6331 and 6380, now moves to the Senate for consideration.