Washington Governor Vetoes Hemp Farming Bill

Upset over not receiving a state budget from lawmakers, Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee last week vetoed a raft of 27 bills that had been sent to his desk, including a bipartisan measure in support of hemp farming.

The bill, which sailed through the legislature with just a single dissenting vote in the Senate, would have created a research program that policymakers could have used to evaluate the further buildup of hemp production. It would have licensed farmers and overseen cultivation, according to Capital Press.

Inslee, however, decided to punish lawmakers for failing to agree on a budget for the state. Inslee even went so far as to call the hemp bill “worthy,” but said in a statement, “Until a budget agreement is reached, I cannot support this bill.”

Hopeful hemp farmers can remain optimistic, however – Capital Press noted that the legislature can simply repass the same bill during a new 30-day legislative session that convened March 11.