Editorial: Yes to industrial hemp

It’s a plant that grows well in Hawaii, even on marginal lands, suggesting a cash crop that could be planted profitably around others requiring more optimal conditions. It can yield a range of products — rope, a nondairy milk, a component in a building material known as “hemp-crete,” among other items.

What’s the problem? Possibly, it’s a member of the family: Hemp is a variation of cannabis, or marijuana. But its status has changed, legally: The Agriculture Improvement Act (AIA) of 2018 has removed hemp from the definition of the type of cannabis listed on the federal Controlled Substances Act, according to Senate Bill 1353.

So there really shouldn’t be any need to veto SB 1353, which Gov. David Ige has put on his “intent to veto” list. He worried that it “creates a licensing structure that cannot be enforced, will not meet USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) requirements for an approved industrial hemp program, and creates practical problems in the enforcement of existing medical cannabis.”

State Rep. Cynthia Thielen, an advocate, also hopes Ige changes his mind. She noted that Ige has long been “apprehensive” about hemp, and he is concerned this bill would make cultivation without a permit a civil, not a criminal, penalty.

SB 1353 would establish a hemp program, to replace an existing pilot project for which funding will end this year. Other states have taken the AIA as a reason to push ahead to develop valuable products such as CBD (cannabidiol), in demand for pain relief. Hawaii should do the same.