Wyoming jumps headfirst into hemp market, allowing sales ‘without restriction’

Wyoming plans to launch a hemp industry in a matter of weeks after Gov. Mark Gordon signed the first state-level hemp law since passage of the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill.

Wyoming’s law gives the state an opportunity to chart its own course on the new industry instead of waiting for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to draw up regulations.

Things to know about Wyoming’s new hemp law:

• Hemp products can be sold “without restriction,” opening the door for the sale of CBD in food and dietary supplements, still considered off-limits under federal law.
• The Wyoming Department of Agriculture has 30 days to submit proposed hemp rules to the USDA.
• Hemp licenses will cost $750 a year for private farmers; $500 a year for nonprofit groups and schools.
• Fees are the same for hemp production and for hemp processing.
• THC testing will be random, with no additional expense to the licensee.
• The law bans drug felons for 10 years.

Wyoming authorized hemp in 2018, but the state didn’t fund regulations, meaning the industry there hasn’t yet taken shape.