Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Hemp would be a good replacement crop for tobacco. It has many uses ranging from fiber to fuel to food for both humans and animals. It can be used for construction materials and paper. Hemp from Mike Lewis' farm in Kentucky has been used to make tool handles, textiles and even a U.S. flag.
But Lewis is nearly alone. Most hemp used in the U.S. comes from places like China and Canada. Textile mills in regions such as Western North Carolina lie dormant while we import about $500 million worth of hemp annually.
So why don't we grow our own? Because the hemp plant is a variety of the same species as marijuana and therefore is subject to the same restrictions, even though it contains so little tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical that gives marijuana its psychoactive qualities, that it is useless as a drug.
The federal government took the first small step toward sanity last year by allowing the cultivation of hemp for research purposes in states which permit it. Kentucky has done so. North Carolina is about to.
The state has authorized and provided money for an Industrial Hemp Commission, which will set up rules for a pilot program of cultivation. There are no statutory limits on the number or size of the plots involved. The first permits could be issued next year.
But what happens once a crop is ready? The federal law did not remove hemp from the list of controlled substances. Could farmers be prosecuted for selling the hemp they grew? We hope not, but who knows.
Change can't come soon enough for state Rep. John Ager, a Buncombe Democrat and a farmer. "We see it as a competitive problem," Ager said. "Apparently this is a great state to grow hemp in and, if we don't get this set up, then we're going to lag behind other parts of the country like Kentucky."
Blake Butler, organizer of Asheville's HempX Festival, agrees. "We don't think it's a magic bullet, but part of a way to build the economy in rural communities that need it the most," Butler said.
It may be, but not for a while. "The whole point of all of this," said Jeff Cartonia, director of the North Carolina Industrial Hemp Association "is to do a pilot research study not only to see if it will grow, how it will grow and how you need to grow it, then there's the whole market component of if you grow it, will there be market suitors for it, and at what value?"
As Cartonia indicated, there are a lot of questions. Those dormant textile mills might require a lot of work before they are useable. "If you can't sell it, there's no reason to grow it," Cartonia said.
And then there's the continued misinformation. The North Carolina bill became law last year without Gov. Pat McCrory's signature. He cited the relationship of hemp to marijuana and wanted the Drug Enforcement Agency involved in crop testing and seed distribution. McCrory did sign a bill last month making some modifications, notably in setting up penalties.
The DEA already is involved in Kentucky. Its helicopters check Lewis' fields on a daily basis. "Well, you have good timing," he told the Citizen-Times' Mackensy Lunsford, as a loud whining was heard in the background while they talked by telephone. "Here comes the DEA right now over my farm."
The educational process about hemp will be a long one, but at least we're getting started.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: State Showing Some Common Sense On Hemp
Author: Staff
Contact: news@citizen-times.com
Photo Credit: Ben Droz
Website: Citizen-Times
But Lewis is nearly alone. Most hemp used in the U.S. comes from places like China and Canada. Textile mills in regions such as Western North Carolina lie dormant while we import about $500 million worth of hemp annually.
So why don't we grow our own? Because the hemp plant is a variety of the same species as marijuana and therefore is subject to the same restrictions, even though it contains so little tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical that gives marijuana its psychoactive qualities, that it is useless as a drug.
The federal government took the first small step toward sanity last year by allowing the cultivation of hemp for research purposes in states which permit it. Kentucky has done so. North Carolina is about to.
The state has authorized and provided money for an Industrial Hemp Commission, which will set up rules for a pilot program of cultivation. There are no statutory limits on the number or size of the plots involved. The first permits could be issued next year.
But what happens once a crop is ready? The federal law did not remove hemp from the list of controlled substances. Could farmers be prosecuted for selling the hemp they grew? We hope not, but who knows.
Change can't come soon enough for state Rep. John Ager, a Buncombe Democrat and a farmer. "We see it as a competitive problem," Ager said. "Apparently this is a great state to grow hemp in and, if we don't get this set up, then we're going to lag behind other parts of the country like Kentucky."
Blake Butler, organizer of Asheville's HempX Festival, agrees. "We don't think it's a magic bullet, but part of a way to build the economy in rural communities that need it the most," Butler said.
It may be, but not for a while. "The whole point of all of this," said Jeff Cartonia, director of the North Carolina Industrial Hemp Association "is to do a pilot research study not only to see if it will grow, how it will grow and how you need to grow it, then there's the whole market component of if you grow it, will there be market suitors for it, and at what value?"
As Cartonia indicated, there are a lot of questions. Those dormant textile mills might require a lot of work before they are useable. "If you can't sell it, there's no reason to grow it," Cartonia said.
And then there's the continued misinformation. The North Carolina bill became law last year without Gov. Pat McCrory's signature. He cited the relationship of hemp to marijuana and wanted the Drug Enforcement Agency involved in crop testing and seed distribution. McCrory did sign a bill last month making some modifications, notably in setting up penalties.
The DEA already is involved in Kentucky. Its helicopters check Lewis' fields on a daily basis. "Well, you have good timing," he told the Citizen-Times' Mackensy Lunsford, as a loud whining was heard in the background while they talked by telephone. "Here comes the DEA right now over my farm."
The educational process about hemp will be a long one, but at least we're getting started.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: State Showing Some Common Sense On Hemp
Author: Staff
Contact: news@citizen-times.com
Photo Credit: Ben Droz
Website: Citizen-Times
