Kansas governor signs hemp legalization law, but production months away

Gov. Jeff Colyer has signed Kansas into the modern hemp industry, but production won’t begin until 2019 while the state decides how to issue hemp licenses and how much to charge for them.

Colver’s signature Friday makes Kansas at least the 36th state to allow hemp cultivation.

Alaska’s governor enacted a hemp law two weeks ago, signing the law with a pen made of hemp.

And in neighboring Oklahoma, a bill authorizing hemp production has passed the state Legislature and awaits the governor’s signature.

Kansas’ new hemp law authorizes “all products made from industrial hemp” and says that “economic feasibility” is a valid topic of hemp research, appearing to authorize CBD production if state agriculture officials agree.

In January, Kansas attorney general Derek Schmidt said CBD was illegal.

Kansas’ hemp law limits THC content to 0.3%.

The Kansas Department of Agriculture has until the end of the year to set application fees and rules for how many can grow the crop. That means legal hemp is unlikely to be planted in Kansas until 2019.