SC farmer first to be arrested for growing hemp.
Law enforcement mowed down 10 acres of hemp near Harleyville on Thursday and arrested John Pendarvis — the first farmer in the state to be charged with growing the crop on unlicensed land.
Because of a mapping error, Pendarvis is accused of violating the 2019 Hemp Farming Act.
That law doesn’t specify any punishment for breaking the S.C. Department of Agriculture’s strict licensing rules.
SAFE Banking Act on House floor this week
Sept 23, 2019 — The House is expected to consider the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act (H.R. 1595) this week. The bill would provide protections for financial institutions that serve cannabis-based businesses in states where it is legal.
The vote will be under suspension of the rules — a procedure reserved for bills with at least a two-thirds majority support. If rules are suspended on the bill, there will be only 40 minutes of discussion and no amendments allowed. Lawmakers and lobbyists whipping votes told POLITICO they felt confident they have the votes.
“I think we’ll have —we could have 300 votes. There’s overwhelming support for it,” Rep. Earl Blumenauer told Natalie on Thursday.