Newly Signed SC Law Allows For Hemp Program to License Processors
Staff Report From South Carolina CEO
Thursday, April 18th, 2019
On March 28, 2019, South Carolina Governor Henry D. McMaster signed into law a bill which expands the state’s hemp farming program. The hemp farming program, administered by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA), and set forth by state law, now allows for the department to license processors throughout the state.
“SCDA is excited to announce a new hemp processor licensing program to enhance the credibility and validity of new hemp processors throughout the state. This new measure will help protect our growers by establishing licensed, compliant, and recognized hemp processors in South Carolina,” says Derek Underwood, Assistant Commissioner for Consumer Protection.
Details on the processor licensing application and procedures can be found at https://agriculture.sc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/SCHempProcessorApplication2019.pdf. Hemp Processors must also obtain a SCDA Dealers and Handlers license, a SCDA Weighmasters License, and successfully pass a federal and state background check (“No person who has been convicted of a felony relating to a controlled substance under state or federal law during a ten-year period from the date of the conviction shall be eligible to obtain a license to cultivate, handle, or process hemp”). Hemp Processors will be subject to routine audits by the SCDA Consumer Protection Division.