Intoxicating hemp products remain legal in Indiana as a proposed ban failed to advance before the legislative deadline, leaving the industry's future uncertain.
A bill that would have banned intoxicating and synthetic hemp-derived products died after the House failed to call it for a second reading ahead of a Monday deadline.
Filed by Sen. Aaron Freeman (R-Indianapolis), Senate Bill 250 mirrored the language of federal legislation last November that placed severe restrictions on intoxicating cannabinoids. That bill limited hemp to plants containing less than .03 percent total THC (not just delta-9 THC) and limited the amount of THC per serving container to 0.4 mg.
The bill would also have created a regulatory apparatus for low-potency outdoor hemp.
Hemp industry representatives testified that customers would not buy low-THC substitutes for currently available higher-THC products.
Sen. Freeman was critical of his House colleagues for failing to move on his bill, saying: "Another example of why we should be a unicameral Legislature."
The bill had previously passed the Senate on a 35-13 vote, but House bill sponsor Rep. Garrett Bascom (R-Lawrenceburg) said he thought there were not enough votes in his chamber to win passage. He said he would try again.
He may not have to wait until next year, though. There is still a chance that SB 250 could be folded into another bill in conference committee.