For immediate release: March 24, 2021
Program contact: Gina Alessandri, 517-284-5637
Media contact: Jennifer Holton, 517-284-5724
Whitmer signs bill to update Michigan's Industrial Hemp Growers Act
Key updates bring state into compliance with final USDA rule
LANSING, Mich. - Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Senate Bill 0816, sponsored by Senator Dan Lauwers (R-Brockway Township), which updates Michigan's Industrial Hemp Growers Act (Public Act 220 of 2020) to ensure the state's hemp program is in alignment with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) final hemp rule, which went into effect on March 22, 2021.
"Updating our industrial hemp growers act was a critical step in maintaining regulatory certainty for hemp cultivation in Michigan," said Gary McDowell, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. "This helps our hemp growers and processors ensure they're aligned nationally and signals the importance of supporting this emerging part of our agriculture economy. I appreciate the bi-partisan support and swift movement ensuring Michigan's legislative framework meets federal requirements."
Key revisions and updates to the state's Industrial Hemp Growers Act include the following:
A copy of SB 186 can be found here.
Additional information about the Michigan industrial hemp program is available at www.michigan.gov/industrialhemp. To receive email updates from MDARD-which include important program news, including updates on the federal hemp rules, changes to state hemp laws, and regulatory reminders for hemp licensees-click on the red envelope found on the right-hand side of the webpage.
###