INDIANAPOLIS — A bill being considered by lawmakers would regulate the production of hemp and its uses, but some say it’s a step in the wrong direction.

The bill puts a committee in place to come up with specific details and regulations for growing hemp and it would make some CBD products that are already for sale in Indiana illegal.

Hemp products contain less than .3 percent of THC, which is the psycho-active chemical found in marijuana.

The amendment concerning CBD products was added last Thursday. It bans smokable CBD products and makes it illegal to buy or sell CBD flower.

Senator Randy Head, who authorized the bill, says law enforcement is having problems with certain CBD products and the new bill will illuminate some of those issues.

But State Senator Karen Tallian – who had previously supported the bill – pointed out to lawmakers that CBD products with less than .3 percent of THC are already legal in the state.

“I think this bill the way that it’s drafted now goes backwards,” Tallian said.

Tallian says the way the bill is written would likely make several CBD products illegal – not just the flower. In the bill, it says smokable hemp and defines it as anything that can be introduced through inhalation of smoke or vapor, meaning users of CBD will no longer be able to buy the CBD flower or consume CBD oil through a vape pen.

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives.

