Hatfield aims to legalize hemp with SB 5012

State Sen. Brian Hatfield, D-Raymond, is spearheading a bill aimed at legalizing the production of hemp throughout the state.

The Committee on Agriculture, Water &Rural Economic Development passed Senate Bill 5012 on Tuesday. The bill allows the growth of “industrial hemp as a legal, agricultural activity” in Washington.

The bill defines industrial hemp as any cultivated part of a plant that contains 0.3 percent concentration or less of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Hemp can be refined to make oils, rope, cloth, wax and food.

Hatfield, a veteran of the Committee on Agriculture, Water &Rural Economic Development since 2007, said the crop could serve as another minor crop farmers could use to break even or make a small profit on. With all its potential uses in building materials,

“There’s hundreds of minor crops that we grow, so why shouldn’t hemp be on the list,” he said.

A section of the bill stipulates a study by Washington State University to determine the feasibility of hemp production in the state. The study aims to determine, in part, the market economic conditions that would affect a Washington hemp industry, any benefits the state might gain from the industry and the feasibility of growing hemp in Washington in accordance to soil content and growing conditions.

The university will present its findings to the legislator by January 2016.

Hatfield is co-sponsoring the bipartisan bill with Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside.

According to the statement, a hemp industry exists in five other U.S. states.

Though the U.S. is the largest hemp importer, Canada and China are its largest exporters.