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Water Access will Cause Issues for Hemp in 2018

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Although there is much hope for the progress of the recreational and medical cannabis industry in 2018, hemp is continuing at a slow, gradual pace. To start off 2018, it seems that states with legal hemp laws are facing an issue concerning the right to use water.

The issue lies with the fact that licensing deadlines are approaching, and it’s not yet clear whether hemp farmers will be able to properly irrigate their crops. According to Marijuana Business Daily, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (the country’s largest source of water) will not allow water to be used for hemp irrigation, even if the hemp being grown is approved under federal law.

There is currently a bill in Congress to fix this, the Industrial Hemp Water Rights Act. Like many bills regarding hemp, the bill is currently stalled. So far it has not received a hearing, even though five co-sponsors have signed on to the bill. “This is a necessary measure to fix conflicting federal policies that are slowing the implementation of the [hemp] pilot program and stifling new business opportunities,” Michael Bennet, one of the U.S. senators that sponsored the bill, told Marijuana Business Daily. “At the very least, Colorado’s farmers deserve a clear path to boost growth in our agriculture economy.”

Already, farmers are complaining that they cannot get the water they need for their crops.

“It really is killing me,” said Kimberly Phillips, a hemp farmer from Montana who currently doesn’t have access to enough water for her crops. “I’m in the hunt now for land that’s legal to irrigate, but there are not a lot of options.”

So far, the hemp industry is already experiencing setbacks, including the stalls to Hawaii’s highly anticipated hemp program. Despite these obstacles, this is bound to be a major year for production as legalization continues to spread.

 

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