Bill > HB2358

This bill authorizes the growing of industrial hemp, defined as a fiber or oilseed crop from the Cannabis sativa L. plant with a very low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content (no more than 0.3% in dried flowering tops), for specific purposes under regulated conditions, aligning Hawaii law with federal definitions that exclude nonpsychoactive hemp from the definition of marijuana. It establishes a new part in Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 141, to govern industrial hemp, including definitions for terms like "industrial hemp," "marijuana," and "established agricultural research institution," and creates an eleven-member industrial hemp advisory group within the board of agriculture to advise on matters related to the crop, including maintaining a list of approved seed cultivars. The bill requires commercial growers and registered seed breeders to register with the board of agriculture, specifying land areas, approved seed cultivars, and crop purposes, and mandates laboratory testing of THC levels before harvest, with specific procedures for passing or failing based on the test results, and outlines restrictions on cultivation, such as minimum acreage requirements and prohibitions on ornamental or clandestine growing, while also clarifying that authorized industrial hemp activities will not be considered offenses under other parts of Hawaii law. Furthermore, the bill includes provisions for established agricultural research institutions to cultivate or possess industrial hemp with higher THC levels if it contributes to developing compliant varieties, requires retention of laboratory test reports, and mandates reporting to the legislature on economic impacts and any instances of industrial hemp being used to disguise marijuana cultivation, with the entire act contingent on federal authorization and set to be repealed on a specified date.