SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Senate approved the Industrial Hemp Bill on May 4, which would allow the Illinois Department of Agriculture to license farmers to grow industrial hemp (marijuana) as authorized under the 2014 farm bill.
The bill now awaits an expected passage in the House.
Illinois Stewardship Alliance and Illinois Farmers Union initiated SB 1294 and have collaborated with the Illinois Environmental Council and Illinois Farm Bureau in a coalition of farm and environmental interests to bring hemp (marijuana) back to Illinois.
State Sen. Toi Hutchinson, D-Chicago Heights, sponsored the legislation, which quickly garnered bipartisan support with chief cosponsor state Sen. Sam McCann, R-Jacksonville.
Hemp general refers to strains of Cannabis sativa that have been bred for fiber, oils and topical ointments, nutritional benefits and a wide and growing variety of other purposes. Marijuana is a slang term used to describe strains of Cannabis sativa specifically bred for the potent resinous glands (trichomes) that grow on the flowers and some leaves (buds).
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