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PHOENIX — Governor Doug Ducey today signed SB 1098, providing funding for the Arizona Department of Agriculture’s (AZDA) agricultural pilot program allowing universities and those with a license from AZDA to begin cultivating industrial hemp – the fiber form of cannabis. Specifically, the hemp would be required to remain below 0.3 percent THC.
Industrial hemp grown under the pilot program would be an agricultural product that requires a grower, harvester, transporter or processor to obtain a license from the AZDA.
Harvested hemp is produced into a wide range of products including building materials, food, paper and textiles. Currently, at least 34 states have passed legislation related to industrial hemp.
“This bill opens Arizona to the possibility of a new agricultural product,” said Governor Ducey. “I’m glad to sign a bill that could have a positive economic impact for the state.”
“Yesterday was a historic day for Arizona as Governor Ducey signed SB1098, authorizing our Department of Agriculture to oversee a pilot program which allows for the cultivation of industrial hemp, among other things. Hemp’s history in the United States is deep as it was first cultivated and utilized by Native Americans and then throughout the colonies, often considered one of the most adaptable and sustainable crops. I believe the passage of this Bill will greatly benefit the Arizona economy.”
