industrial

Republicans who took control of the Legislature are supposed to be pro-business – but they clumsily undercut a brand-new West Virginia industry that might create Mountain State jobs. The state Agriculture Department issued permits for various landowners to grow industrial hemp, a valuable...

Industrial hemp is most commonly confused with marijuana. The biggest difference is industrial hemp does not have the psychoactive component of the marijuana that creates a "high". After being made illegal almost a century ago, legislation is now moving through the state capitol that would...

Pennsylvania was a leader among states processing and growing industrial hemp in early America. Two centuries ago there were over 100 water-powered mills for processing hemp fiber in Lancaster County alone, with more throughout the state. Industrial hemp dominated Pennsylvania's agricultural...

The Colorado Department of Agriculture has unveiled a new program that's a first for the country, reports Westword.com. Under Colorado's seed certification program, the state will tag hemp seeds with a "CDA Approved Certified Seed" label. The new certification aims to give the industrial hemp...

Even before the Federal Farm Bill passed in March 2014, several states were investigating the viability of growing industrial hemp. This was seen as a way to help farmers and the production of textiles and plastics, among other industries. One early advocate of industrial hemp in Virginia...

To Steven Wilson's knowledge, Missouri is one of the most misinformed states about industrial hemp. He founded the Central Missouri Industrial Hemp Network to educate Missourians about the potential positive effects of legalizing the product. On Wednesday morning, Wilson and other members of...

It is a green week in Pennsylvania, and not only because today is Saint Patrick's Day. Two pieces of legislation passed yesterday that put the state closer to reviving its cannabis industry. First, the Senate passed an industrial hemp bill with 49 members voting yes. The passage of the...

Colorado's fledgling hemp industry just got one step closer to turning some of the state's amber waves of grain into fields of emerald green. State agriculture officials, research scientists at Colorado State University and the state's Seed Growers Association are launching what they say is...

Companion bills in the Alabama Senate and House of Representatives is aimed at opening a new market by allowing farmers to grow industrial hemp. Sen. Paul Bussman, R-Cullman, and Rep. Ken Johnson, R-Moulton, are sponsoring the bills. The legislation would authorize the state Department of...

The Hemp Road Trip made a stop in Downtown Johnson City on Tuesday. A group of hemp advocates from across the United States are following the presidential primaries and traveling cross country in a bus filled with items made from industrial hemp. The purpose of this national grassroots...

A cash crop banned in Virginia for decades will soon be legally grown in the commonwealth, thanks to some new legislation. Governor Terry McAuliffe signed a bill this week that will let people legally manufacture industrial hemp products. That law goes into effect July first this year. The...

House lawmakers unanimously passed a bill Friday that would authorize the Board of Agriculture to regulate the growing of industrial hemp for research purposes. House Bill 2555, introduced by Rep. Kaniela Ing and 34 other co-signers, will now cross over to the Senate for its consideration...

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is looking for farmers to participate in a pilot hemp program ordered by the state legislature last year. It will be the first time that hemp has been grown legally in Minnesota in 60 years. However, those interested must provide land...

Bills that would allow the state Department of Agriculture to create pilot research programs for industrial hemp are moving through both chambers of the state Legislature. "I'm very happy that the bill is alive at this point," state Sen. Russell Ruderman, D- Puna, said of Senate Bill 2659, the...

Farmers may soon be able to grow a controlled substance as part of pilot project with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The move stems from the Minnesota Industrial Hemp Development Act, which was passed in last year's legislative session. Earlier this month, the U.S. Drug Enforcement...

Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo will address a panel on industrial hemp in New York state on Saturday at Cooper Union, New York City. Lupardo authored the 2014 assembly bill that created the state's industrial hemp research pilot program. She will discuss the legislation and the future of the...

An important measure to help the state's Industrial Hemp industry with expanded cultivation options and a pathway to market for hemp-derived products has cleared the Oregon Legislature and now awaits the governor's signature. State Representative Carl Wilson of Grants Pass sponsored House...

States like Indiana continue to fight to define their position on industrial hemp farming and its effect on the state. The state passed a law in 2014 that legalized the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp, pending approval from the United State Drug Enforcement Administration...

Considered dangerous drugs by the federal government, marijuana and industrial hemp are still listed in the Controlled Substances Act as Schedule I drugs. While the federal government has issued legislative promises to not spend money in prosecution of cannabis activity in states in which it is...

After passing the House by a 57-11 margin on Feb. 4, five Republican senators killed a bill that would have legalized industrial hemp for commercial production and distribution in South Dakota. Rep. Mike Verchio (R-Hill City) along with a bipartisan coalition of 39 cosponsors introduced House...