Will State Legislature Legalize Hemp?

An organization is gearing up to push for hemp legalization in Louisiana after the 2018 Farm Bill allows states to regulate it. Louisiana Industrial Hemp Alliance Representative Arthur Walker says it’s a lucrative cash crop that currently has to be mostly imported, and is found in a range of products.

“Hair products, soap skin cream, matting for farm animals, the list just goes on. With over 50,000 (products) and counting, you can imagine it’s almost in everything that you can do.”

The big sticking point for some state legislators is that hemp contains THC, the same chemical found in marijuana that’s responsible for getting a user high. But Walker says you can’t get high off of hemp, because the THC level is not high enough.

“It has to have .3 percent and less of THC. THC is the psychotropic component of marijuana that gets you high.”

A bill could be filed for the 2019 session when the legislature convenes in April.