Noem vetoes increase to THC production cap for hemp-based goods

Industry sought to increase cap as legal protection from THC concentration

Gov. Kristi Noem on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have increased the cap on THC during the production of hemp products.

House Bill 1209 permits THC levels to go as high as 5 percent during the production process of hemp-based products, although retail products would still not exceed the federal limit.

“Federally, marijuana is classified as anything that contains over 0.3 percent THC,” Noem said in a release announcing the veto. “If this bill were to become law, South Dakota would allow hemp products and crops to contain over sixteen times more THC than is currently allowed at the federal level.”

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