Farm bill could pave way for hemp in Ky.
January 29, 2014
By Becca Clemons
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell announced Tuesday that he included language in the federal farm bill to let universities or state departments of agriculture cultivate industrial hemp in states that had previously legalized the process.
Federal law currently prohibits growing industrial hemp, but if the bill passes with the language included, it would pave the way for states to “study the growth, cultivation or marketing of industrial hemp,” according to the text of the bill.
State officials have worked with Kentucky’s Congressional delegation to loosen federal regulations on hemp, which had been outlawed because of its similarity to marijuana. The Kentucky Legislature legalized cultivation of industrial hemp last spring but was unable to establish a market for it without federal approval.
Pilot programs could help boost Kentucky’s economy, McConnell, a Republican from Louisville, said. Proponents of growing industrial hemp say thousands of products could be produced with it, including clothing, lotions, paper, food and building materials, according to a study conducted by the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment in 2013.
“This is an important victory for Kentucky’s farmers, and I was pleased to be able to secure this language on behalf of our state,” McConnell said in a news release. With approval, he said, “we are laying the groundwork for a new commodity market for Kentucky farmers.”
Opponents worry that growing industrial hemp could perpetuate illegal drug use, according to the UK study.
Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rodney Brewer said last year that hemp and marijuana plants look identical to the naked eye, and that having legal hemp could complicate enforcement of marijuana laws.
Kentucky has a long history as a hemp producer. It was the dominant producer from the 1840s through the 1850s, according to the UK study. Production peaked again during World War II because of demand for rope and other products.
Industrial hemp — like marijuana — was restricted as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 because it contains THC, according to a College of Agriculture fact sheet.
But U.S. consumers have spent more than $500 million in recent years on imported hemp products, the study notes.
Among supporters of industrial hemp in the state are McConnell; U.S. Sen. Rand Paul; U.S. representatives from Kentucky; and state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer.
“For months, we have tried to get some assurance at the federal level that Kentucky producers can grow industrial hemp without fear of government harassment or prosecution,” Comer said in a news release. “This is what we’ve been waiting for.”
Nancy Cox, the dean of the College of Agriculture, said in a statement that she had not seen the bill’s final language, but that UK researchers were planning to help the state agriculture department with industrial hemp pilot projects if the bill passes.
The legislation’s broad language could be interpreted to allow farmers or other producers to use hemp for commercial purposes, “as long it is done in conjunction with some potential research component,” said Holly Harris VonLuehrte, Comer’s chief of staff.
“I think this is a great potential private-public partnership,” she said.
The five-year farm bill, officially titled the Agricultural Act of 2014, is expected to pass this week with bipartisan support.
Industrial hemp, according to the bill’s text, refers to cannabis with a concentration of 0.3 percent or less of THC. It comes from a different variety of cannabis than traditional marijuana.
