Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has signed a bill giving hemp farmers in the state some peace of mind regarding water use rights for hemp cultivation. The new law protects hemp farmers who use federal water sources for their crops by recognizing industrial hemp as an agricultural product.
Some state hemp farmers had feared they might lose their water rights because hemp is still considered illegal at the federal level under the Controlled Substance Act.“Our farmers grow hemp with that water, our ag researchers use that water for hemp, and this bill clarifies it is Colorado water being put to beneficial use,” said Sen. Don Coram, who put the bill forward on behalf of the state’s hemp industry.
