Argus Leader South Dakota lawmakers will discuss this week whether industrial hemp is a potentially lucrative value-added crop for farmers or a headache for law enforcement. The House Agriculture Committee takes up a proposal Tuesday that could open the door to hemp production in South Dakota.
Supporters say hemp is the honest but misunderstood cousin of the illegal drug marijuana.
The plant produces oil, seeds and a fiber that can be used to make clothing and other products. It's a value-added crop. There is one significant difference between hemp and marijuana, supporters say. Hemp doesn't pack enough of the chemical substance tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, to get someone high. Both plants are varieties of the same species, Cannabis sativa, which is a controlled substance in the United States regardless of its narcotic content.