Gov. Ducey Signs New Law Legalizing Hemp In AZ

PHOENIX, AZ — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law a bill that funds a program for growing industrial hemp on Monday. The Copper State joins dozens of other U.S. states that have legalized the plant.

Hemp is the fibrous and seed part of a cannabis plant, and has a multitude of uses from rope to clothing, and from paper to biodegradable plastics. The new law allows only for hemp with less that .3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the chemical in cannabis that gets people high. For comparison, the average THC level in Colorado's legal pot is 18 percent, NBC reported.

“This bill opens Arizona to the possibility of a new agricultural product,” said Gov. Ducey, according to his website. “I’m glad to sign a bill that could have a positive economic impact for the state.”

Hemp has long been considered a cash crop, and was grown by Presidents Washington and Jefferson, according to the Hemp Industries Association. Its growth was even encouraged up until World War II. But, the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 lumped hemp into the same category as marijuana, effectively killing its production.

All cannabis, including hemp, is a Schedule 1 drug, according to federal law. This means it is federally considered non-medicinal and as abusable and dangerous as heroin, LSD, ecstasy, roofies and more, according to drugs.com. Schedule 1 drugs are considered the most dangerous.

Schedule 2 drugs, which are considered abusable and but have medicinal qualities, include methamphetamine and fentanyl, which is many times more potent and deadly than heroin.

Hemp growers will either have to be affiliated with a university or have a license to grow, the law mandates.

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