Senator Cisco McSorley, the bill’s sponsor, says industrial hemp production is a “no-brainer… Few places have the competitive advantage that New Mexico does when it comes to producing this low water cash crop that has the potential to create jobs while opening our doors to the manufacturing and agricultural renaissance our state has long been waiting for.”
The bill, which authorizes the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to implement rules on industrial hemp cultivation, had passed handily in 2015 but was ultimately vetoed by the Governor.
New Mexico joins at least 30 other states in allowing state agriculture departments and universities to grow industrial hemp for research purposes.