Last year, the House overwhelmingly passed a bill doing something similar, but failed to remain intact in the Senate by being turned into a summer study committee instead.

Now that hemp has been removed from the federal controlled substance list, bill author Sen. Randy Head (R-Logansport) says Indiana legislators need to make the state’s rules.

“According to the federal farm bill, states can now come up with their own program to grow industrial hemp,” says Head. “And if we don’t do it, then the federal government will do it for us and as always I think Hoosiers know best and what’s best for us.”

Head notes the bill had some changes made between the version passed in committee and the one passed on the Senate floor, including changing the hemp committee that advises the governor will include regulators and not members of the industry.

The bill passed 47-1.