MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG
Mo. Digital News
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Mo. Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG
Mo. Digital News
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Mo. Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
JEFFERSON CITY - After having been banned for almost fifty years, some Missouri lawmakers want to see industrial hemp production legalized again in Missouri.
"Hemp is an economically and ecologically viable product", insists Sen. Jerry Howard, R-Dexter and sponsor of a Senate bill to promote hemp production as a commercial crop for Missouri's agriculture.
Although industrial hemp in fact contains the hallucinatory chemical tetrahydrol-cannabinol (THC) of marijuana, the amount of this substance found in industrial hemp is insignificant, promoters of the bill claim.
According to research, a person would need to smoke about 12 hemp cigarettes over a very short period of time in order to "get stoned" - technically almost impossible and not enjoyable to the smoker either.
"We have to treat the commercial production of hemp and marijuana drug abuse as two different issues", Howard said.
"We do not want in any way to jeopardize the Public Safety Department's ability to fight marijuana drug abuse...this bill does not decriminalize the growing of marijuana in any way." Under the bill, industrial hemp would be cultivated under strict control requiring a license for every grower.
While the bill is drawing strong support from agricultural and business lobbying groups on both the state and the national level, the state's Public Safety Department questions both the economic viability of hemp and the research supporters are citing.
"Low THC-hemp can easily be converted into higher THC-level plants. It's no big trick to increase the THC-level in a field", said Sgt. Ed Moses from the State Highway Patrol. "The control of the crops would logistically be a nightmare", the sergeant warned, adding that legalizing the growing of hemp would give a mixed message to young people.
The worldwide demand for hemp is rising steadily. Currently, U.S. industries are forced to import already processed, expensive hemp from countries like China, Hungary, Romania and Thailand. Great Britain, France and Germany have only recently enacted legislation to make hemp cultivation legal again.
Howard decried the fact that the University of Missouri is not allowed to do research on hemp. "So far we are drawing on research from other countries." Practical research is needed to explore the economic potential and the technical prerequisites for a successful cultivation of hemp, Howard said.
Missouri farmers and producers of hemp goods ranging from cloth to paper to floor covering and carpet would benefit greatly from the legalization of hemp production, proponents argue.
Hemp is a fascinating crop: It is a renewable resource whose fibers can be used to produce things like paper, yarn, cloth, furniture, carpets, fuel and even cosmetics. Rapid growth rates and low maintenance requirements make hemp a highly cost-effective crop and an environmental smash hit. Research has found that hemp does not require pesticides - it actually suppresses the growing of weeds.
Howard expressed cautious optimism that the bill will pass this time - it had failed to pass the House last year on the grounds that there was not enough research data available.