House Dems to hold hearing on Pa.’s hemp industry

RecordStaffMay 7, 2022Last Updated: May 7, 2022

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Hemp plants hang beneath a tent at a rally to legalize recreational cannabis outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol on April 20, 2021. (Capital-Star photo by Stephen Caruso)

By Cassie Miller – Capital-Star

HARRISBURG, PA – On Monday the House Democratic Policy Committee, which is chaired by state Rep. Ryan Bizarro, D-Erie, will meet in Philadelphia to discuss Pennsylvania’s Hemp Industry and how build the industry to generate revenue for the commonwealth’s farmers.

Hemp, which can be used to make everything from textiles and construction materials to cannabidiol (CBD) oils and extracts, was removed from the federal Controlled Substance Act in 2018.

Around the same time, Pennsylvania began its Industrial Hemp Pilot Research Program, and in 2019 became one of the first states to have a commercial program.

However, the specialty crop hasn’t been an easy source of income for its growers, who report that regulations, strict growing standards, and a young market make it hard to turn a profit.

So far in 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, which oversees the hemp permitting in the commonwealth, has issued 250 permits for growers.

In 2021, the department reported that it issued 426 hemp growing permits.