BOSTON — In a continued effort to strengthen Massachusetts’ rural economy and agricultural industry, state environmental officials today announced a new hemp policy for the commercial growing and processing of industrial hemp in the Commonwealth. Under the policy, licensing applications for commercial growers and processors of industrial hemp are now available through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR). Industrial hemp was authorized in Massachusetts through the Act to Ensure Safe Access to Marijuana, which recognized that while both hemp and marijuana are species of the same plant, Cannabis sativa L, and hemp is a non-psychoactive variety of the plant specifically cultivated for industrial uses.
“The introduction of industrial hemp to the Massachusetts agricultural industry will create new locally grown products and provide economic and job opportunities in rural Massachusetts,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “Through this new policy developed with the input of stakeholders to ensure the safe and regulated growing and processing of hemp, the Baker-Polito Administration builds on its efforts to preserve and support the Commonwealth’s historic and vibrant agricultural sector that keeps Commonwealth residents healthy, helps the environment and preserves open space.”
Industrial hemp can be cultivated for commercial purposes, such as for use as a fiber crop, seed crop, or production of beneficial compounds found in the flowers. Products manufactured from the fibrous stalks and seeds include rope, clothes, food, paper, textiles, plastics, insulation, oil, and biofuel.
“As hemp is a versatile plant offering many new opportunities for local farmers, we are proud to announce this policy and licensing process that will ensure farmers can start growing hemp this year,” said MDAR Commissioner John Lebeaux. “Hemp will not only create a new agricultural market in the Commonwealth, but also offer dividends in return as a plant whose ability to clean the soil offers an environmentally friendly way to rejuvenate poor quality land for future use.”
MDAR will inspect and test crops to ensure continued policy compliance for public safety, and will promulgate regulations on industrial hemp for future growing seasons. Visit MDAR’s Commercial Industrial Hemp Program webpage to find information on the program and forms for commercial grower and processor applications.
—Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
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