(a) The department or an institution of higher education in the state may create and administer an agricultural pilot program to study the growth, cultivation, or marketing of industrial hemp.
(b) An institution of higher education in the state, the division of the department with responsibility for agriculture, or an individual registered under AS 03.05.076 may participate in an agricultural pilot program created under (a) of this section or engage in industrial hemp research.
(c) The department may adopt regulations to implement this section.