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South Dakota hemp bill returns to House

The bill to legalize growth, production, and processing of industrial hemp was reconsidered and passed by the South Dakota Senate Wednesday.

State Senate Minority Leader Troy Heinert (D-Mission) tells Brownfield hemp won’t replace corn and soybeans, but he says it’s an alternative for South Dakota farmers.

“It gives them another crop to possibly put in their rotation,” said Heinert. “Beans and corn aren’t worth very much right now; hemp has a lot of uses. We have other industry in South Dakota that wants to develop products made from hemp.”

Industrial hemp is an opportunity to add value to a South Dakota-grown crop, says Jamie Smith (D-Sioux Falls), Minority Leader in the House, where the bill returns for consideration.

“There are people waiting right now that are ready to process hemp here in our state,” said Smith, “and I think the more that we can do with the products that we grow in our state and then take it to that next level, I think, that helps all of us.”

Governor Kristi Noem has misgivings about hemp legalization, saying the state is not prepared from a regulatory or from a law enforcement standpoint.