Governor John Bel Edwards is set to sign House Bill 491 tomorrow. This bill would legalize the growing and processing of industrial hemp in Louisiana in line with regulations set under the 2018 Farm Bill.
This includes the production and sale of CBD. For retailers of the hemp-based product, this means they no longer are operating in the gray area of the law. CBD will now be legal both on the state and federal level.
“Hemp truly is something that people can benefit off of. It’s been all about education and people learning that this is agriculture and the stigma should not exist,” says Kristy Hebert with Cypress Hemp a CBD company out of Baton Rouge. Right now Cypress Hemp is growing its hemp in Virginia, she says they want to move the farm back her home state.
Today Hebert presented an educational Hemp and CBD class to the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge. She says, “For CBD companies this is really positive, there’s no more gray area and so as of 2020 we are going to have time to get into the regulations and make sure our products are approved within the state.”
Louisiana will now start to develop its own hemp industry from the ground up. All growers must be licensed and products will be strictly regulated. “Even down to the labeling. There’s going to be a QR code that links back to certified laboratory results so that you can be assured the product has what you believe it has in it,” explains Hebert.
“The fact that there is a growing industry with potential as she was saying that can supplement crops or generate additional economic opportunity such as processing, growing, and so forth. It looks exciting,” says Paul Moran an interested Hemp grower.
Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says hemp could be grown in the state starting next year.