In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Governor Kristi Noem says she will veto any industrial hemp legislation that reaches her desk next session.
She says law enforcement is unable to distinguish between hemp and it’s cousin marijuana. Noem says states that legalize industrial hemp have legalized marijuana.
The federal government says states cannot prohibit interstate transportation of hemp.
South Dakota is one of three states without any sort of commercial, research or pilot program for hemp, alongside Idaho and Mississippi.
A state legislative committee is studying the issue.
