Colorado working on instituting hemp reform

DENVER - A Colorado legislative committee began work on a bill Wednesday to regulate industrial hemp for growers.
When Colorado voters legalized marijuana last year, they also legalized its industrial cousin, hemp. Since then, Colorado lawmakers have spent a lot of time reviewing marijuana, but they're just starting work on regulating hemp.
If passed, the bill would direct the state Agriculture Department to license hemp growers starting next year.
Industrial hemp looks like marijuana, but it lacks most of the psychoactive properties of its better-known cousin.
Finished hemp is legal under federal law, but growing it is not, so states that legalize hemp must regulate it themselves.
The committee voted 5-0 to create a registry for farmers seeking to raise hemp. The Legislature may also ask the federal government to repeal its industrial hemp ban.