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Oregon's two senators, Democrats Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, on Thursday once again joined with their Kentucky colleagues to introduce a bill that would sweep away federal barriers to growing commercial hemp in the United States.
While the same measure didn't go anywhere in the last two sessions of Congress, one of the sponsors -- Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky -- is now the Senate majority leader.
On top of that, hemp supporters also showed their growing clout last year when Congress agreed to allow hemp cultivation for research purposes and told federal drug authorities not to hinder this work.
Hemp is a non-psychoative form of marijuana used for a growing range of products, including biofuel, clothing, rope fibers and food and beauty products. It was long grown in the U.S. until tougher anti-marijuana laws forced farmers to abandon the crop in the middle decades of the 20th Century.
"Sen. McConnell has made it clear this is a priority for him," said Eric Steenstra, president of Vote Hemp, the political arm of the hemp industry. "The fact he is majority leader gives it some pretty good prospects."
Oregon is one of 18 states that allows hemp production, and the Oregon Department of Agriculture is working on regulations allowing farmers to grow hemp under the restrictions of the new federal law. Currently, the crop is being grown in Colorado, Vermont and Kentucky.
Federal drug authorities have long complained that hemp crops could mask marijuana cultivation and that even hemp plants low in THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, could be refined to produce an intoxicant. Hemp supporters dispute those arguments and Steenstra said that marijuana growers don't want to get near hemp fields because the pollen could contaminate their crops.
With many Oregon companies making products from imported hemp, the state's congressional delegation has strongly supported allowing farmers to grow the crop locally.
"The U.S. ban on hemp farming is an outrageous restriction on free enterprise and does nothing but hurt economic growth and job creation," Wyden said in a press release also issued by Merkley and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., said she and Rep. Tom Massie, R-Ky., will soon introduce the same bill in the House. "It's legal to have so it should be legal to grow," she said in an interview.
News Moderator: 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Hemp bill once again pushed by Oregon senators -- and new Majority Leader Mitch McConnell | OregonLive.com
Author: Jeff Mapes
Contact: jmapes@oregonian.com
Photo Credit: Pablo Alcala
Website: Oregon Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - OregonLive.com
While the same measure didn't go anywhere in the last two sessions of Congress, one of the sponsors -- Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky -- is now the Senate majority leader.
On top of that, hemp supporters also showed their growing clout last year when Congress agreed to allow hemp cultivation for research purposes and told federal drug authorities not to hinder this work.
Hemp is a non-psychoative form of marijuana used for a growing range of products, including biofuel, clothing, rope fibers and food and beauty products. It was long grown in the U.S. until tougher anti-marijuana laws forced farmers to abandon the crop in the middle decades of the 20th Century.
"Sen. McConnell has made it clear this is a priority for him," said Eric Steenstra, president of Vote Hemp, the political arm of the hemp industry. "The fact he is majority leader gives it some pretty good prospects."
Oregon is one of 18 states that allows hemp production, and the Oregon Department of Agriculture is working on regulations allowing farmers to grow hemp under the restrictions of the new federal law. Currently, the crop is being grown in Colorado, Vermont and Kentucky.
Federal drug authorities have long complained that hemp crops could mask marijuana cultivation and that even hemp plants low in THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, could be refined to produce an intoxicant. Hemp supporters dispute those arguments and Steenstra said that marijuana growers don't want to get near hemp fields because the pollen could contaminate their crops.
With many Oregon companies making products from imported hemp, the state's congressional delegation has strongly supported allowing farmers to grow the crop locally.
"The U.S. ban on hemp farming is an outrageous restriction on free enterprise and does nothing but hurt economic growth and job creation," Wyden said in a press release also issued by Merkley and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., said she and Rep. Tom Massie, R-Ky., will soon introduce the same bill in the House. "It's legal to have so it should be legal to grow," she said in an interview.
News Moderator: 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Hemp bill once again pushed by Oregon senators -- and new Majority Leader Mitch McConnell | OregonLive.com
Author: Jeff Mapes
Contact: jmapes@oregonian.com
Photo Credit: Pablo Alcala
Website: Oregon Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - OregonLive.com
