A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO CLARIFY THE DEFINITION OF ALLOWABLE RESEARCH PURPOSES FOR THE INDUSTRIAL HEMP PILOT PROGRAM, AS RECOMMENDED BY THE AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY AWARENESS STUDY COMMISSION.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 106‑568.53 reads as rewritten:
"§ 106‑568.53.  Powers and duties of the Commission.
The Commission shall have the following powers and duties:
(1)	To establish an agricultural program to grow or cultivate industrial hemp in the State. The Commission shall pursue any permits or waivers from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency or any other federal agency that are necessary for the establishment of the industrial hemp cultivation pilot program established by this Article.
(2)	To issue licenses allowing a person, firm, or corporation to cultivate industrial hemp for research purposes to the extent allowed by federal law, upon proper application as the Commission may specify. For purposes of this Article, research purposes include the growth, cultivation, and marketing of industrial hemp. Each licensee shall provide a complete and accurate legal description of the location of the industrial hemp farming operation, including GPS coordinates, and the license shall be issued for cultivation only in those locations identified in the application and shall include on its face the description of those areas. The Department shall provide administrative support to the Commission for the processing of applications and issuance of licenses.
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SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.