An increasing number of states are beginning to realize the
enormous environmental and economic benefits of growing, rather than importing,
industrial hemp. As the movement toward industrial hemp cultivation continues,
more state officials are positioning their states to cash-in on the economic
rewards.
Hemp, Inc. this morning reported that House Bill 967, which
would allow industrial hemp to be grown or cultivated through special programs
in the state of Pennsylvania, has advanced to the state’s House floor – and it
didn’t take long. As reported in the article below, “the vote in the House
Agriculture committee this week took just 10 minutes.”
Chris Goldstein of Philly.com, and associate editor of
Freedom Leaf magazine reports…
William Penn is smiling. One of his favorite crops is on the
way to a comeback in Pennsylvania.
Sponsored by Rep. Russ Diamond (R-Hershey) the bill seeks to
bring back a crop that was a staple in the Keystone State for hundreds of
years. Hemp is a cousin of marijuana that has been prohibited since the end of
World War II.
“The feds are catching on to the enormous environmental and
economic benefits of the use of industrial hemp, and this pilot program
anticipates the full legalization of hemp crops for industrial purposes in the
future,” said Diamond in a statement. “My bill will put Pennsylvania in
position to reap the economic rewards that will come when further barriers are
removed.”
Almost all of the hemp used in the United States for fiber
and food is imported from Canada and Europe. China has been making inroads into
hemp production in recent years as well. According to a Congressional Research
Service report from earlier this year, the current U.S. market for hemp
products is $580 million annually.
Traditionally hemp was used to make rope. Think of the miles
of the stuff needed on the sailing ships of yesteryear. Hemp is versatile.
Cables on ski lifts are hemp cordage wrapped in woven steel. Its fibers can be
refined and made into soft cloth.
Hemp seeds are a valuable food source that have become
available in mainstream grocery stores. The seeds can be roasted and eaten on
their own or milled into a protein-packed flour that is completely gluten-free.
In Canada, Motive Inc. is making a car called the Kestrel
from hemp. The body panels, seat covers and pretty much everything but the
engine are hemp. Several Canadian companies are even making hemp guitars.
In Germany, thousands of acres of hemp are farmed every
year. According to a report from the U.S. Congress we are the only
industrialized nation on the planet that doesn’t farm this crop.
This year industrial hemp was harvested in Colorado,
Kentucky and a handful of other states. Still there are only a few hundred
acres being farmed in these nascent programs in the US. If hemp could be
brought back in force it could be a real boon to family farmers. Remarkably
resilient and low maintenance it is far less costly to produce than other fiber
or food crops such as cotton or soybeans.
Rep. Diamond pointed out that the federal government has
eased the way for states to begin allowing hemp. The U.S. Farm Act of 2014 made
it official with language that allows states to pass such laws. This makes it
easy for Pa. to green light production. Under the Pa. hemp bills, university
programs and some farms, under a special license, will begin to produce
research crops to prove the viability of the resource. Down the road full
production can be ramped up.
The vote in the House Agriculture committee this week took
just 10 minutes. There were no amendments. A companion bill in the Senate
sponsored by Senator Judy Schwank (D- Fleetwood) is expected to be voted
through the corresponding Senate committee in the next few weeks. They will
then go to floor votes in both chambers.
Amazing how swift and smooth things can work in Harrisburg.
Yet the polar opposite process is happening for medical cannabis. Last week a
task force of House Representatives released a long-awaited set of
recommendations for a compassionate use bill. The Senate passed a limited
medical marijuana bill last May. Since then the House has done nothing but
stall.
The bi-partisan group of thirteen reps was formed at the
behest of House Majority Leader Dave Reed. The group met frequently over the
summer. But the result was more legislative theater than forward momentum.
The task force considered everything from delivery methods
to the number of dispensaries. In the end they agreed with the Senate that no
smoking of medical marijuana should be allowed. Only pills, oils, tinctures and
liquids for vaporizers should be permitted. They seemed to agree with SB3 on
most points, including that there should be about 65 locations for medical
marijuana dispensaries across the state.
Rep. Ron Marsico (R-Dauphin) has already introduced a
competing bill that would cut the number of dispensaries to less than a dozen.
The House now seems poised to amend SB3 rather than go with a new, separate
bill. But that is not set in stone. There have been active medical marijuana
bills in the Pa. House since 2009. Dozens of “information gathering” hearings
have been held over the years but not a single House committee has actually
voted on a bill.
Patients who already use underground cannabis and those who
are hoping for something legal have been left in a terminal holding pattern.
Some families have already relocated from Pennsylvania to Maine, Colorado and
other states.
The current excuse from House leadership is the ongoing
trench warfare over the budget between the GOP and Gov. Wolf. Because Wolf is
supportive of the issue it is being held hostage. There was significant
momentum to medical marijuana in the last 24 months. But the prospect of having
a true, working program has dwindled. By all but assuring that patients will
get only processed products and no whole plant cannabis, there will be little
incentive for most patients to register. Even if a bill is signed into law
sometime in 2016 it could take 2 to 3 years for a program to be regulated and
put into place.
By that time Pa. residents might be able to take a short
drive to Ohio or even New Jersey and buy some fully legal buds. We could
legalize marijuana for medical and personal use as well as allow large scale
hemp farming all at once. The combination would help severely ill
Pennsylvanians, stop more than 17,500 arrests per year and net more than $500
million in new tax revenue. Such a move could reform criminal justice,
revitalize agriculture and provide real compassion. Far from a pipe dream, we
are watching this strategy work in other states.
The continued momentum in several U.S. states also
emphasizes the value of Hemp, Inc’s operations. Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp,
Inc., noted how his company’s 70,000-square-foot processing plant is in the
prime position to contribute to, and reap, the economic rewards of what it
calls the Industrial Hemp Revolution.
“As more people become educated on the myriad benefits of
industrial hemp, including how it can help the economy, I believe many more
states will vote in favor of legalizing hemp. Our multipurpose hemp processing
plant is the first and only commercial factory to be built in the United States
in almost a century. We have been meticulously building the infrastructure to
be able to vertically integrate growing, decortication, and milling and this is
no small feat. We aim to spark a new clean green American Agricultural and
Industrial Hemp Revolution for the American farmers and hemp product
manufacturers,” he stated in this morning’s press release.
For more information, visit www.hempinc.com
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