A legislative proposal to legalize hemp in New Jersey has been passed by its initial committee.

Assembly Bill 1330 was passed today by the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. According to its official text; “This bill establishes an industrial hemp license for planting, growing, harvesting, possessing, processing, distributing, buying, or selling industrial hemp in the State.” The bill also “establishes procedures and requirements for persons applying to the Secretary of Agriculture for a license, including procedures and requirements for fingerprinting and criminal background checks for license applicants.”

The proposal defines industrial hemp as “an agricultural product that is part of the plant of any variety of Cannabis sativa L. with a delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of 0.3% or less on a dry weight basis, and that is permitted pursuant to this act to be planted, grown, harvested, possessed, processed, distributed, bought, or sold by a person licensed pursuant to section 3 of this act.”

“Clothing and rope and food and oil, shampoos—it’s a very versatile crop that would be an economic engine for many New Jersey farmers,” says Assembly Majority Leader Reed Gusciora (D), who introduced the measure.

For the full text of Assembly Bill 1330, click here.