ATLANTA — A proposal to allow industrial hemp to be grown in Georgia has cleared a key hurdle, moving the state closer to joining the majority of states that have already green-lighted some form of hemp cultivation. 

The House overwhelmingly backed a measure that would let a dozen producers grow the new-to-Georgia crop, but that didn’t happen without some behind-the-scenes work, said Rep. John Corbett, a Republican from Lake Park, who sponsored the measure. 

“The biggest hurdle we had initially was just educating everybody on the difference between industrial hemp and marijuana,” Corbett said in an interview. “It lacks the psychoactive properties that marijuana has so it doesn’t get you high.

“It’s a philosophical thing where you hear ‘hemp,’ everyone automatically thinks ‘marijuana,’” he said. 

Hemp is related to cannabis, but it has less than 0.3 percent of THC, which is the psychoactive element in marijuana. Cultivation of the plant was legalized nationwide through last year’s federal farm bill. 

Growers can apply for a permit through the state Department of Agriculture if they pay a $100,000 fee, which drops to $25,000 in subsequent years. 

“The goal of the whole thing is to give our farmers an opportunity to grow it and compete with the 41 other states that are already doing this,” Corbett said. 

Corbett said he sees CBD oil, which is increasingly used for its health benefits, as the hemp product with the most potential demand, as least initially. The plant has thousands of other uses, from clothing to makeup to construction material. 

“Georgia’s a very diverse agricultural state, all the way from apples in north Georgia to peaches in middle Georgia to blueberries,” said Rep. Robert Dickey, a Republican from Musella and a peach grower. “And this is another tool in the belt of farmers that we can diversify.” 

The bill passed Wednesday with a 163-to-3 vote and now moves to the Senate. Rep. Clay Pirkle, a Republican from Ashburn, who is also a farmer, declined to comment on why he voted against the measure. 

“I hope it proves to be an invaluable tool for farmers of this great state,” Pirkle said. 

Jill Nolin covers the Georgia Statehouse for CNHI’s newspapers and websites. Reach her at jnolin@cnhi.com.