LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – A bill aimed at redefining hemp in Nebraska was passed over Friday after failing to gain enough support from lawmakers.
The final reading of LB 316, introduced by Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, was the last item on the agenda for the day. Lawmakers debated the bill for about two hours before Speaker of the Legislature John Arch passed over it.
Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering told 10/11 this happened because Sen. Kauth didn’t have enough votes to invoke closure.
The bill could potentially return during the second session of the 109th Nebraska Legislature.
LB 316 would have amended three sections of the Nebraska Hemp Farming Act and one section of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act. It aimed to redefine hemp and related terms, prohibit certain conduct involving hemp products other than cannabidiol, revise rules for hemp transportation, and regulate cannabidiol products.
READ ALSO: Proposed hemp regulations worry growers, businesses in Nebraska
The Nebraska Hemp Farming Act, signed into law in 2019 by then-Governor Pete Ricketts, defined hemp in line with the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill: as cannabis sativa L. and any part of it with a THC concentration of no more than 0.3% on a dry weight basis.
LB 316 would have maintained that definition while adding one for “processed hemp,” such as CBD products. Under the bill, processed hemp could not exceed 0.3% total THC by total weight or 10mg of total THC per package.
The bill also sought to ban cannabinoids created through chemical conversion, modification, or synthesis.
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A bill aimed at redefining hemp in Nebraska was passed over Friday after failing to gain enough support from lawmakers. Read More
