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Minnesota Hemp Association Protests Arrest Of Driver In South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The Minnesota Hemp Association is protesting the arrest of a hemp driver in South Dakota.

The group's executive director, former Minnesota legislator Joe Radinovich, accuses South Dakota of violating the 2018 Farm Bill by arresting the driver. The Argus Leader reports the driver was arrested in July while delivering 300 pounds of non-intoxicating hemp from Denver to a Minnesota processor.

Radinovich says the case highlights the need for consistent state laws on hemp cultivation, transportation, processing and selling.

Hemp Fiber
A farmer holding hemp fibers (credit: Thierry Zoccolan/AFP/Getty Images)

The 2018 Farm Bill federally legalized industrial hemp, but South Dakota legislators failed to override Gov. Kristi Noem's veto of a bill legalizing hemp in the state this year.

The Department of Public Safety points out that hemp is still illegal in South Dakota and that includes transporting it across the state.

(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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