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Industrial hemp is a crop that was grown all across Kentucky and was very important to the state's economy prior to World War II.
According to research by the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission: "After the war, the nylon industry, seeking to replace industrial hemp with nylon, successfully lobbied the federal government to group industrial hemp with marijuana as an illegal drug, despite the fact that industrial hemp has virtually none of the toxicity found in marijuana. The U.S. is now the only industrialized nation in the world that does not allow the production of industrial hemp. However, millions of dollars' worth of hemp products are sold in this country every year."
The possibility exists on the horizon for Kentucky to capitalize on legal hemp production.
The federal government has not legalized industrial hemp, but support has been mounting for years. Our current position is targeted at encouraging the Kentucky General Assembly to recognize a potential opportunity may soon exist — not "if," but "when" hemp is legalized. We want Kentucky to be in a position to capitalize on the opportunity. A regulatory framework should be developed to allow Kentucky to be at the forefront in re-introducing this crop to its agricultural community. The Northern Kentucky Chamber joins the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and other business groups in this opinion.
So what is the opportunity? The U.S. is the largest consumer of industrial hemp, yet we do not grow it and must import all we use. Because industrial hemp is an extremely versatile crop, it can be used to manufacture automotive parts, textiles, cosmetics, animal bedding, fuel and other products. If legalized at the federal level, Kentucky has the potential to reduce production costs by placing the raw materials closer to manufacturing facilities, thereby creating Kentucky jobs from agriculture, processing and product production.
Why grow it in Kentucky? Kentucky's climate and soil, versus other possible sites, make our location one of the most ideal places for the crop to flourish. Growing industrial hemp creates a new agricultural crop for farmers looking for alternative crops to replace their diminishing tobacco revenue.
Many question whether industrial hemp production would lead to a greater opportunity to produce illegal marijuana. There are several reasons why this is a myth:
- Industrial hemp is grown for its fibers and the oil in its stalk. Hemp grows quickly, produces few leaves and does not possess enough of the narcotic chemical to make a person "high" like marijuana.
- Marijuana is grown exclusively for its leaves and is much shorter than hemp. Visually, the two plants look completely different.
- Industrial hemp and marijuana are not compatible when grown together and would actually negatively affect each others' growth. These plants may cross-pollinate each other up to a mile away, giving little incentive to grow the two in the same field or in close proximity. Hemp grows much quicker and taller than marijuana, and would be harvested before marijuana is mature and would expose the illegal plants.
Additional safeguards would include:
- Under the state's proposed regulatory program, the seeds for industrial hemp would have to be "certified" before they are sold to farmers to verify the plant variety, which would eliminate any confusion between this variety and the narcotic marijuana.
- Each farmer would be required to provide the state with GPS coordinates for the plot of land being used to grow industrial hemp. Law enforcement would then be able to monitor the crop precisely.
Kentucky needs jobs and must continue to look for innovative ways to grow its economy. One way to do so is to be prepared for opportunity when it presents itself ... and get there first.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: news.cincinnati.com
Author: H Lytle Thomas
Contact: letters@enquirer.com
Website: Cincinnati Enquirer | cincinnati.com
According to research by the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission: "After the war, the nylon industry, seeking to replace industrial hemp with nylon, successfully lobbied the federal government to group industrial hemp with marijuana as an illegal drug, despite the fact that industrial hemp has virtually none of the toxicity found in marijuana. The U.S. is now the only industrialized nation in the world that does not allow the production of industrial hemp. However, millions of dollars' worth of hemp products are sold in this country every year."
The possibility exists on the horizon for Kentucky to capitalize on legal hemp production.
The federal government has not legalized industrial hemp, but support has been mounting for years. Our current position is targeted at encouraging the Kentucky General Assembly to recognize a potential opportunity may soon exist — not "if," but "when" hemp is legalized. We want Kentucky to be in a position to capitalize on the opportunity. A regulatory framework should be developed to allow Kentucky to be at the forefront in re-introducing this crop to its agricultural community. The Northern Kentucky Chamber joins the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and other business groups in this opinion.
So what is the opportunity? The U.S. is the largest consumer of industrial hemp, yet we do not grow it and must import all we use. Because industrial hemp is an extremely versatile crop, it can be used to manufacture automotive parts, textiles, cosmetics, animal bedding, fuel and other products. If legalized at the federal level, Kentucky has the potential to reduce production costs by placing the raw materials closer to manufacturing facilities, thereby creating Kentucky jobs from agriculture, processing and product production.
Why grow it in Kentucky? Kentucky's climate and soil, versus other possible sites, make our location one of the most ideal places for the crop to flourish. Growing industrial hemp creates a new agricultural crop for farmers looking for alternative crops to replace their diminishing tobacco revenue.
Many question whether industrial hemp production would lead to a greater opportunity to produce illegal marijuana. There are several reasons why this is a myth:
- Industrial hemp is grown for its fibers and the oil in its stalk. Hemp grows quickly, produces few leaves and does not possess enough of the narcotic chemical to make a person "high" like marijuana.
- Marijuana is grown exclusively for its leaves and is much shorter than hemp. Visually, the two plants look completely different.
- Industrial hemp and marijuana are not compatible when grown together and would actually negatively affect each others' growth. These plants may cross-pollinate each other up to a mile away, giving little incentive to grow the two in the same field or in close proximity. Hemp grows much quicker and taller than marijuana, and would be harvested before marijuana is mature and would expose the illegal plants.
Additional safeguards would include:
- Under the state's proposed regulatory program, the seeds for industrial hemp would have to be "certified" before they are sold to farmers to verify the plant variety, which would eliminate any confusion between this variety and the narcotic marijuana.
- Each farmer would be required to provide the state with GPS coordinates for the plot of land being used to grow industrial hemp. Law enforcement would then be able to monitor the crop precisely.
Kentucky needs jobs and must continue to look for innovative ways to grow its economy. One way to do so is to be prepared for opportunity when it presents itself ... and get there first.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: news.cincinnati.com
Author: H Lytle Thomas
Contact: letters@enquirer.com
Website: Cincinnati Enquirer | cincinnati.com
