Jarrod Otta, plant manager for Glanbia Nutritionals in Sioux Falls, told the House committee the company has been contacted by two "very large customers" to process hemp protein. Otta said he couldn't disclose the companies but called them "large household names that you would all know."

"Every month we go by with the hemp laws written the way they are is a lost opportunity for our state," said Otta, noting the company has a facility built to process plant proteins. "Please help us legalize hemp so we can add another product to our portfolio and grow the plant here in this state."

House Bill 1191 contains safeguards to permit state regulation of hemp and prevent abuse. Growers must be licensed and pass background checks. State officials can obtain samples for testing. Only hemp strains that contain trace amounts of the active ingredient in marijuana would be allowed.

Hemp and marijuana are both cannabis plants but with important differences. They may look alike but one is pot and the other rope. Attempting to grow pot among hemp plants would result in cross-pollination and yield unsaleable marijuana, according to Canadian law enforcement.