PIERRE, S.D. (AP) – The South Dakota Senate is voting on a proposal to legalize industrial hemp, but legislators and Gov. Kristi Noem still have not agreed on how much the program will cost.
With just days left in the legislative session, their difference over what the state should spend on a hemp program presents a final hang-up to resolving a year-long dispute.
Noem has argued the hemp program will change the way the state enforces its marijuana laws. She wants $3.5 million in the state budget for testing equipment, drug storage and beefed-up law enforcement.
Lawmakers argue the governor’s estimates are excessive and have put forward an estimate of around $1 million.
