PIERRE, S.D. (WNAX) – South Dakota Farmers Union leaders say they’ll continue working with state legislators on an interim committee to come up with a bill to allow the growing of industrial hemp. That’s despite comments this week by Governor Kristi Noem that she’ll veto any hemp measure that comes up in the 2020 legislature. Farmers Union Lobbyist Mitch Richter says they had the votes initially last time to override a veto and will work to get even more this time around.

He says the key to differentiate hemp from marijuana will be to have the right testing in place.

Richter says while the Governor has more questions about hemp than answers, it’ll be up to the legislature to come up with the policy for the rules that the health and agriculture department will have to come up with.

Noem said in an OP ED piece in the Wall Street Journal that she’ll continue to oppose legalizing industrial hemp until law enforcement can differentiate between hemp and marijuana.