Hemp in Washington

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Hemp in Washington has grown as an experimental crop in the 21st century. There was no hemp production recorded in Washington in 1890, 1914, or 1922. Hemp and hops are related plants in the Cannabaceae family. Hops (Humulus lupulus) have long been grown in western Washington, especially in the Snoqualmie and Puyallup valleys, and today are a major crop in the Yakima Valley.

Cannabis was made illegal in Washington in 1923. Marijuana was legalized by voters in 2012 with Initiative 502, but that measure did not authorize hemp farming or sales. Following the 2014 federal Farm Bill, Washington set up an Industrial Hemp Research Pilot (IHRP) in 2016, under ESSB 6206 (RCW 15.120), regulated by the Department of Agriculture. Industrial hemp is defined as cannabis with 0.3% or less THC by dry weight. The 2018 federal Farm Bill also recognized Washington’s Department of Agriculture as the regulator for non-experimental hemp production. State law later defined hemp products with less than 0.3% THC as “Cannabis Health and Beauty Aids.”

After the 2018 Farm Bill, SB 5276 was signed into law on April 26, 2019, establishing a full hemp program and allowing seed purchase without federal approval (RCW 15.140). Washington planted its first post-prohibition hemp crop in Moses Lake in 2017, with about 180 acres statewide that year. The Colville Tribes on tribal land may have grown hemp in 2017 as well.