New law to allow Penn State to research hemp growing and applications

In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a law on July 20 allowing the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and institutions of higher education to grow hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) for research purposes. Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is working with the state department of agriculture to develop the policies, procedures and applications needed to facilitate and guide such research projects.

Specifically, the new law establishes an Agricultural Pilot Program intended to promote the study of the growth, cultivation and marketing of industrial hemp. It requires that industrial hemp be grown only by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture or institutes of higher education and only on sites that are certified by and registered with the agriculture department.