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PIERRE, S.D. — A South Dakota Senate panel approved a bill Thursday that would make it legal to grow industrial hemp, despite the governor’s assertion that the state isn’t ready yet.

The Senate agriculture committee voted 7-2 to send the bill to the floor. If approved by the full chamber without any changes, the measure would go to Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, who has asked lawmakers not to pass such a bill this year.

Several administration officials urged the committee to oppose the measure during the hearing, which included a Highway Patrol official showing members evidence bags of hemp and marijuana and a video of a drug detection dog flagging both to illustrate the difficulty of distinguishing between them.

Craig Price, the Department of Public Safety secretary, said hemp and marijuana look alike and pointed out that they are both forms of cannabis. Only marijuana could produce a high. He said officials believe allowing hemp cultivation would come with a multi-million dollar price tag and lead to another push to legalize marijuana in South Dakota. Industrial hemp would extend law enforcement resources even further and hurt current drug-fighting efforts, he said.