Senate Committee Votes down Industrial Hemp Cultivation Bill

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A state Senate committee has defeated a bill that would have allowed the cultivation of industrial hemp in South Dakota.

The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee voted 5-3 against the bill that previously passed the House.

Republican Representative Mike Verchio of Hill City is the bill's main House sponsor. He's said the crop could be a significant economic development opportunity and could lead to jobs in South Dakota.

The bill would have allowed people to apply to the state Agriculture Department for a license to grow industrial hemp, a cousin of marijuana. It would have restricted the content of THC for hemp. THC is the intoxicant in marijuana.

Public safety representatives opposed the plan. Republican Governor Dennis Daugaard has also said he's against allowing industrial hemp in the state.