Hemp regulations
Efforts to create a legal recreational marijuana program in New Jersey may be stalled, but farmers in the Garden State are able to grow, process, transport and sell industrial hemp.
Like marijuana, hemp is part of the cannabis plant family, but contains only small amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the chemical responsible for marijuana’s psychological effects. Instead, it’s frequently used for the manufacture of rope, paper, oil textiles, biodegradable plastics, animal feed, health food and even fuel. Unlike marijuana, which is still classified as a controlled dangerous substance, federal law was changed last year to make growing hemp legal and classify the plant as an ordinary agricultural commodity.
The legislation Murphy signed creates a hemp program within the state Department of Agriculture to license and regulate hemp cultivation and sales within New Jersey. It replaces a pilot program the state created last year.