Robert Celt
New Member
Marijuana may have a hard time taking root in the Louisiana Legislature, but another form of cannibis – industrial hemp – found a fertile field in the House Tuesday.
The House voted 67-25 to approve Rep. Jack Montoucet's House Bill 1085 that would allow any state college or university to develop pilot programs growing and studying industrial hemp.
Montoucet, D-Crowley, spent most of the floor debate defending the difference between marijuana and hemp, both of which remain illegal in the United States. Medical marijuana is legal in Louisiana, but not yet grown.
"I'm concerned that we are authorizing our universities to grow industrial hemp, which we all know is a variation of marijuana," said state Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Shreveport. "The next step is legalizing marijuana."
Montoucet told members hemp fiber is used to manufacture ropes, clothes, plastics and other products. He said hemp, unlike marijuana, contains a minute amount of THC, the chemical in cannibis that creates a high when smoked or consumed.
Although hemp is illegal to grow in the United States, many products made with hemp or imported to the US, said state Rep. Nancy Landry, R-Lafayette.
"You can already buy a hemp shirt from whole foods and put it in a pipe and smoke it," said Landry, who said one acre of hemp produces the fiber equivalent of two to three acres of cotton.
"When I was in college hemp was a fabric," said Rep. Dorothy Sue Hill, D-Dry Creek.
Montoucet said hemp could eventually become a valuable cash crop for Louisiana.
"It's very inexpensive to grow, and it can be grown on almost any kind of land," he said. "It could give our farmers another option in the future."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: First Weed, Now Hemp: Cannabis Pilot Program Wins Louisiana House Approval
Author: Greg Hilburn
Contact: The News Star
Photo Credit: None found
Website: The News Star
The House voted 67-25 to approve Rep. Jack Montoucet's House Bill 1085 that would allow any state college or university to develop pilot programs growing and studying industrial hemp.
Montoucet, D-Crowley, spent most of the floor debate defending the difference between marijuana and hemp, both of which remain illegal in the United States. Medical marijuana is legal in Louisiana, but not yet grown.
"I'm concerned that we are authorizing our universities to grow industrial hemp, which we all know is a variation of marijuana," said state Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Shreveport. "The next step is legalizing marijuana."
Montoucet told members hemp fiber is used to manufacture ropes, clothes, plastics and other products. He said hemp, unlike marijuana, contains a minute amount of THC, the chemical in cannibis that creates a high when smoked or consumed.
Although hemp is illegal to grow in the United States, many products made with hemp or imported to the US, said state Rep. Nancy Landry, R-Lafayette.
"You can already buy a hemp shirt from whole foods and put it in a pipe and smoke it," said Landry, who said one acre of hemp produces the fiber equivalent of two to three acres of cotton.
"When I was in college hemp was a fabric," said Rep. Dorothy Sue Hill, D-Dry Creek.
Montoucet said hemp could eventually become a valuable cash crop for Louisiana.
"It's very inexpensive to grow, and it can be grown on almost any kind of land," he said. "It could give our farmers another option in the future."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: First Weed, Now Hemp: Cannabis Pilot Program Wins Louisiana House Approval
Author: Greg Hilburn
Contact: The News Star
Photo Credit: None found
Website: The News Star
