Hemp wins unanimous approval in Wisconsin Senate

Hemp is cruising through the Wisconsin state legislature, where the Senate voted 33-0 to approve cultivation of the new crop.

The Wisconsin bill hemp bill now heads to the Assembly, which scheduled a hemp hearing Wednesday.

The final Assembly vote on hemp could come Thursday, according to WHBL-TV, possibly sending the bill to Republican Gov. Scott Walker for final approval.

But it’s not clear if Walker would support the hemp bill, which is similar to hemp laws in other states in that it defines hemp as cannabis below 0.3 percent THC and requiring background checks of potential growers.

Last month, Walker told WEAU-TV that he’ll consider hemp, though he has “a concern in anything that would lead to (marijuana) legalization.”

Walker did approve a law earlier this year to allow the possession of marijuana-derived CBD oil and to expand the medical conditions for which it can be used beyond “seizure disorders.”

Walker’s approval would make Wisconsin the 35th state to put a hemp law on the books since production was legalized in 2014. However, some states have hemp laws but no hemp production because rules are still being worked out.

The Chippewa tribe in northern Wisconsin voted last summer to authorize hemp production.