Gov. Whitmer Signs Bill To Update Michigan's Industrial Hemp Growers Act

(CBS DETROIT) - Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Senate Bill 0816 on Wednesday, which updates Michigan's Industrial Hemp Growers Act.

Key revisions and updates to the state's Industrial Hemp Growers Act include the following:

The hemp harvest window has increased from 15 to 30 days.
The grower registration cycle has been changed from December 1 – November 30 to February 1 – January 31. This means grower registrations already issued for the 2021 growing season will be valid until January 31, 2022.
USDA modified sampling provisions allowing states to develop performance-based sampling requirements. This added flexibility lets the MDARD consider seed certification, grower compliance, variety performance, etc., when developing its sampling plan.
Growers can now remediate non-compliant hemp instead of disposing of it. Specific options for remediation are identified and require post-remediation sampling to ensure compliance with acceptable THC levels.
The negligence threshold has been raised from 0.5 percent to one percent. The maximum number of negligent violations a grower can receive in a growing season (a calendar year) has been limited to one.
Effective December 31, 2022, all laboratories testing industrial hemp, including those laboratories testing hemp throughout the growing season to monitor THC levels, must be registered with the United States Drug Enforcement Agency.

The full senate bill can be found here.