State Senator Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, announced Thursday the Senate has approved a bill aimed at “streamlining” the hemp industry in California, officials said.

Senate Bill 153 would ensure California law is in full compliance with changes to federal law regarding the cultivation of industrial hemp, according to the text of the legislation.

“Industrial hemp presents such an exciting opportunity for California, especially in areas like the Antelope Valley,” said Wilk. “SB 153 is about getting it right so we are in full compliance with federal law and can take advantage of every opportunity this plant has to offer our farmers and manufacturers. Hemp is used in 25,000 different products, so the opportunities are endless.”

In 2018, with the passage of SB 1409, California streamlined industrial hemp production rules and became compliant with the existing federal law.

Later in the year, the president signed H.R. 2, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the farm bill, resulting in new requirements. A state’s plan to license and regulate hemp can only commence by complying with federal law, according to Wilk’s office

SB 153 would revise California’s provisions regulating the cultivation and testing of industrial hemp to conform to the requirements for a state plan under the federal farm bill.

This requires the secretary of California Department of Food and Agriculture, in consultation with the governor and the attorney general, to develop and submit a state plan to the secretary of the USDA on or before January 31, 2020, according to the legislation.

“The sails of the Pinta, the Niña and the Santa Maria were made from hemp, as were the boats’ caulking. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, and Betsy Ross weaved the first flag out of hemp,” said Wilk. “Industrial hemp is going to revolutionize agriculture in California and should be seen as our ‘back to the future.”

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