Oregon Looking At Creating A Hemp Commission

Lawmakers in Oregon are looking at legislation establishing a hemp commission.  Supporters of the commission say it would raise money for research and promotion within Oregon.  House Bill 2740 would pay for the commission by charging assessments to hemp growers.  It would also align the state and federal definitions of the crop.

Hemp is booming in Oregon and is poised to become the state’s top agricultural commodity with more than $1 billion in revenues in 2019.  That’s up from roughly $500 million last year.

The legislation would also harmonize Oregon’s statutory language for hemp with the federal government’s, which recently changed with the national legalization of hemp through the 2018 Farm Bill.

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