Illinois’ Republican Governor Bruce Rauner has signed legislation into law authorizing the state to license individual farmers to grow hemp for commercial purposes.

The new law, which took immediate effect, expands the state’s existing hemp program. Under the 2014 pilot program, only universities were permitted to produce hemp for research purposes.

The new act allows “any individual, partnership, firm, corporation, company, society, [or] association” to apply for a hemp cultivation license.

See the original article at The Daily Chronic