Bill > SB2175

This bill authorizes the Dean of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to establish a two-year research program focused on industrial hemp, which is defined as the plant Cannabis sativa L. with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis, and clarifies that such plants are not considered marijuana. The program aims to explore industrial hemp's potential for phytoremediation, the use of plants to remove toxins from soil and water, and its viability as a feedstock for biofuel production, building on federal authorization for such research and the state's history of agricultural contamination. The research will be conducted at a single test site, with certified industrial hemp seed stock, and the program will require the department of agriculture to monitor the site to ensure no marijuana is grown, with the project ceasing if it is. The Dean must submit a final report to the legislature before the 2016 legislative session detailing the findings on contamination uptake, biofuel viability, and other relevant data, and the entire act is set to expire on July 1, 2016.