H992 - Amend Industrial Hemp Program. (SL 2016-93)

Overview: S.L. 2016-93 expands the membership of the Industrial Hemp Commission (Commission) from five members to nine, (ii) clarifies the powers and duties of the Commission, including granting rulemaking authority to the Commission and providing that the industrial hemp research program must be managed and coordinated by State land grant universities, (iii) sets out specific responsibilities of licensees and authorized research purposes for the industrial hemp program, including the commercial sale and marketing of industrial hemp, (iv) creates civil and criminal penalties for various violations of the industrial hemp program, and (v) amends the definition of marijuana to allow for the production of industrial hemp when the Commission adopts temporary rules to implement the industrial hemp program.

The civil and criminal penalties become effective December 1, 2016, and apply to offenses committed on or after that date. The remainder of the act became effective July 11, 2016.