South Carolina cannabis fight persists in farmer’s lawsuit

By JAMES POLLARD
Associated Press/Report for America

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina hemp farmer is suing several state agencies for violating his due process rights. The federal lawsuit alleges that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Department of Agriculture and Attorney General’s office conspired to deny John Trenton Pendarvis due process after officials say he violated sections of the state’s hemp farming program. After the Department of Agriculture discovered in 2019 that Pendarvis had grown hemp in unreported areas, law enforcement eventually destroyed the crop. But Pendarvis says government officials did not follow the proper procedures to do so. In an emailed statement to the AP, South Carolina Attorney General’s Office Communications Director Robert Kittle said the lawsuit “lacks merit.”