Cannabis andHumulus lupulus are both members of thefamilyCannabaceae, and a number of similarities in the botany and human use of the two species have been noted.[4][a]Humulus lupulus produceshops, a crop grown in quantity west of the Cascades historically (especially the Snoqualmie and Puyallup River valleys) and is a major 21st century crop in theYakima Valley.[b]
All cannabis was made illegal by the Washington State Legislature in 1923.[7]Although Washington voters legalized marijuana in 2012 withI-502, the initiative did not authorize hemp cultivation or sales.[8]
In accordance with the Federal2014 Farm Bill, the state legislature created an Industrial Hemp Research Pilot (IHRP) in 2016 following passage of ESSB 6206 (codified asRevised Code of Washington Chapter 15.120), with regulation by the Washington State Department of Agriculture.[9] Industrial hemp is defined in Washington as cannabis with a THC concentration of 0.3 percent or less by dry weight.[10][c] Under the2018 farm bill, the state's Department of Agriculture is recognized by the United States federal government as the regulator for industrial-scale non-experimental hemp production.
State law defines hemp-derived products containing less than 0.3% THC as "Cannabis Health and Beauty Aids".[11][12]
Following the2018 United States farm bill, the state legislature passed SB 5276, and it was signed by the governor on April 26, 2019, establishing a full-scale agriculture program and allowing acquisition of crop seed without federal approval.[13]Revised Code of Washington chapter 15.140 was added as a result.[14]
The state's first post-Prohibition experimental hemp crop was planted atMoses Lake in 2017.[15][d] A total of 180 acres (73 ha) was planted statewide 2017.[16] The first crop on tribal land in the United States may have been planted by theConfederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in 2017.[17]
