JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A Rankin County hemp farmer claims legislation being considered at the Capitol will drive him out of business by overstepping with regulations. But the bill’s author maintains it is an effort to stop CBD from being recreational medical marijuana.
“The bills you’re enacting now are what we call knee jerk reactions,” is a message to lawmakers from David Singletary.
He owns a 50-acre hemp farm in Florence, growing mainly for CBD products.
The Rankin County property owner said it is regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture and new guidelines proposed in House Bill 1502 would drive up his operating costs.
The farm produces about 270,000 pounds of hemp each year.
“They’re gonna bring me up and cost me more money for permits, cost me more money for the P.O.S. [Point of Sale] system, cost me more money for updating my facility, cost me more money with record keeping,” said Singletary.
“These products are stronger than what can be purchased in a medical cannabis dispensary,” said Representative Lee Yancey.
He authored the bill and said hemp has not had restrictions and proposes a finished CBD product containing less than three-tenths percent THC.
“These products are being sold in gas stations. Principals complain to me that kids are vaping these products all day,” said Yancey. “They’re high at school. It’s a problem, and it needs to be regulated.”
Singletary isn’t opposed to the proposed 21-year age limit to purchase CBD products.
Yancey wants hemp regulated like the medical cannabis program with safety testing.
The bill is currently in the Senate. Tuesday is the deadline for it to come out of the committee.
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