Wisconsin Committee To Vote On Hemp Farming Bill

A legislative committee is set to vote on a bill that would allow Wisconsin farmers to grow hemp.

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Small Business and Tourism is scheduled to vote on the measure Wednesday morning.

The bill calls for the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to issue licenses to farmers looking to grow industrial hemp. People with drug convictions wouldn’t be eligible for licenses and the plants couldn’t contain more than 1 percent THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

At least 30 states, including neighboring Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois, have passed legislation allowing hemp cultivation.