NEWS

Louisiana Industrial Hemp Promotion and Research Advisory Board Holds First Meeting

November 17, 2022

For Immediate Release:              
November 17, 2022

Contact:
Jennifer Finley, Press Secretary – 225-922-1256
Megan Moore, Public Information Director – 225-935-2179
presssecretary@LDAF.la.gov

Louisiana Industrial Hemp Promotion and Research Advisory Board Holds First Meeting

Baton Rouge, La. –  The inaugural meeting of the Louisiana Industrial Hemp Promotion and Research Advisory Board was held on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Baton Rouge office.

Created by Act 462 of the 2022 Louisiana Regular Legislative Session, the board serves as an instrument of the Louisiana Industrial Hemp Promotion and Research Program, which seeks to support the growth and development of the industrial hemp industry in Louisiana by enhancing research, education, promotion, facilities, and industrial hemp-related activities throughout the state.

“In 2019, the Industrial Hemp Law first authorized the commercial cultivation and processing of hemp in Louisiana,” said LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M. “Since that time, we’ve crafted regulations and instituted a hemp licensing program. With the creation and convening of the Louisiana Industrial Hemp Promotion and Research Advisory Board, we’re taking the next big step toward making the hemp industry in Louisiana as successful it can be.”

The board consists of the following members, each appointed by a specific authority in partnership with the program: Blaine Jennings; Dr. Reeve Legendre; Dr. Janana Snowden (Board Secretary-Treasurer); Timmy Thompson; Rep. C. Travis Johnson (Board Chair); James Emerson Smith III, MD; Laura Kelley Shivers; Paige Christopher Melancon; Arthur L. Walker; Christopher Wayne Fontenot; John Ford; Willis Nelson; Matthew Paul Moreau (Board Vice Chair); and two vacant seats which will be filled by appointments from the President of the LA Senate and the Gulf South Hemp Association.

Additionally, Dr. Ansel T. Rankins, Sr. serves as the LDAF Commissioner’s designee in an advisory capacity to the board.

Newly elected Board Chair Rep. C. Travis Johnson, who authored the 2022 legislation, said, “I am elated with the wealth of knowledge that has been assembled for the Louisiana Industrial Hemp Promotion and Research Program. Our state is definitely moving in the right direction with this sustainable commodity.”

The board’s next meeting is Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

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