Complete the Pre-Application and Pre-Application Research Proposal and send it to the Kansas Department of Agriculture, attn. Industrial Hemp Research Program, 1320 Research Park Dr., Manhattan, KS 66502 or KDA.IndustrialHemp@ks.gov. The deadline is Dec. 1, 2018.  

No, the full license process has not yet begun. The form now available is a Pre-Application and Pre-Application Research Proposal; it is not an application for a license. Once the regulations become effective (projected to be early 2019), you will be required to complete a research license application and submit it to KDA to be considered for participation in the Industrial Hemp Research Program.

No, you are not required to submit a Pre-Application and Pre-Application Research Proposal in order to participate in the Industrial Hemp Research Program. When the licensing process begins, you may apply for a full research license application in the Industrial Hemp Research Program whether or not you submitted a Pre-Application. In addition, submitting a Pre-Application does not obligate you to apply for a license or to apply for the same type of license indicated in your Pre-Application.

First, those who submit a Pre-Application with a Pre-Application Research Proposal will have an opportunity for the Industrial Hemp Research Advisory Committee to informally review the research proposal to determine the likelihood of its approval when the regulations are effective. In addition, those who submit the Pre-Application will get direct notification as soon as the full research license application process is available.

You will be asked to to explain in detail the research you plan to conduct in your participation in the Industrial Hemp Research Program, including your experimental design, how the project will be implemented, what data will be collected, and what conclusions will be drawn. Again, submitting this information provides an opportunity for the Industrial Hemp Research Advisory Committee to informally review your research proposal to determine the likelihood of its approval when the regulations are effective.

There is no cost for submitting a Pre-Application and Pre-Application Research Proposal. A fingerprint-based state and national criminal history record check completed by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is not required for you to submit the Pre-Application. However, when the licensing process becomes effective, you will be required to both pay a fee and submit to a record check to receive a license to participate in the Industrial Hemp Research Program.

For more information on how to write a research proposal, please visit https://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Bulletins/How-to-Conduct-Research-on-Your-Farm-or-Ranch. KDA can answer questions but will not provide direct assistance in completing the Pre-Application or the Pre-Application Research Proposal.

Samples of unrelated research proposals:
Farmer Food Hub proposal
Mushroom Bed proposal
Flax Farm proposal

The Pre-Application and Pre-Application Research Proposal are designed to be completed as a fillable PDF. If that doesn’t work for you, you can print the Pre-Application and fill out the contact information and questions by hand, neatly and legibly. We strongly recommend that the actual Research Proposal be written up on a computer — not handwritten. If the fillable form doesn’t work for you, please write it on a separate document (a Word document is fine) — just remember to label the separate sections (sections A-F).

When SB 263 was published in the Kansas Register, industrial hemp was no longer categorized as a controlled substance in Kansas. However, the cultivation, growth, research, transportation, processing or distribution of industrial hemp or industrial hemp seed will only be allowed with a license as part of the research program. The regulations to acquire a license and otherwise carry out the provisions of the alternative crop research act will be complete in early 2019.

Regulations for the Industrial Hemp Research Program have been developed and were sent to the Kansas Division of the Budget earlier this fall, along with an economic impact statement, for approval. 

Once they are approved by the DOB, the timeline will continue as follows:

1. Upon approval by the DOB, they were forwarded to the Department of Administration for approval.
2. Upon approval they were forwarded to the Attorney General for review.
3. Upon approval by the A.G., notice of a public hearing will be published in the Kansas Register 60 days prior to the public hearing.
4. During that time, the Legislative Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and Regulations will review the regulations.
5. A public hearing will be held and any revisions made following the hearing must be approved.
6. Upon final approval of the rules and regulations, they will be adopted and published in the Kansas Register.
7. The rules and regulations will take effect 15 days following publication.

This process will take place in the final few months of 2018; the process could be delayed at any of these points if significant revisions take place. 

October 30, KDA announced the availability of a Pre-Application and Pre-Application Research Proposal for interested participants to submit, sharing their initial interest and research proposal. This Pre-Application is available at the top of the Industrial Hemp webpage. 

Once the regulations become effective, those wishing to participate in the Industrial Hemp Research Program will need to apply for an annual license, demonstrating the research plan, to be approved by the advisory board. In addition, applicants will need to submit to fingerprinting and a fingerprint-based background check. Anyone with a drug-related felony on their record will not be granted a license to grow industrial hemp. More information about the license application and the guidelines for the research plans will be outlined in the regulations.

Yes, the Kansas Department of Agriculture will oversee and annually license all those participating in the cultivation, growth, research, oversight, study, analysis, transportation, processing or distribution of certified seed or industrial hemp. More information about the license application will be outlined in the regulations.

Applications for permits will not be accepted until the regulations become effective. The earliest this will take place is likely to be mid-January.

Until the rules and regulations procedure is complete, and a system is in place to acquire a license to grow industrial hemp, it remains unlawful to grow the crop in Kansas.

Initially, the short-term advisory board includes industry representatives and research scientists. A list can be found further down on this webpage. In the future, the makeup and function of the advisory board will be defined in the regulations. 

Industrial hemp is a variety of Cannabis sativa and is of the same plant species as marijuana. However, hemp is genetically different and distinguished by its use and chemical makeup. Industrial hemp refers to cannabis varieties that are primarily grown as an agricultural crop. Industrial hemp is defined by Kansas Senate Bill 263 as all parts and varieties of the plant cannabis sativa L that contain a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of no more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. Any cannabis with a percentage of THC above 0.3% is considered to be marijuana and is not legal for production or sale.