US considers buying industrial cannabis from Ukraine to improve its economy
The US Department of Agriculture is looking to boost imports of hemp seeds from Ukraine, hoping this will help the country’s battered economy. However, they still do not know what it will be used for.
“We are now involved in trying to figure out ways in which we might be able to use the industrial hemp seeds that are created in Ukraine in the US,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Bloomberg in an interview Tuesday.
Ukraine is the world’s fourth-biggest producer of industrial hemp seed, the term used to refer to cannabis strains cultivated for non-drug use. Unlike another, most known type of Cannabis grown for marijuana, industrial hemp lacks that same ingredient, THC, which causes physical or psychological effects and gives smoker a high.
Industrial hemp, being one of the earliest domesticated plants known, has many uses from healthy food to making paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction and even fuel.
Easy to cultivate, uses for industrial hemp are growing rapidly.
Ukraine is currently angling for aid from the International Monetary Fund, as much as $20 billion, while it has also been struggling with months of political crisis.
The Obama administration is planning to provide a $1 billion loan for the coup-imposed government of Ukraine, and is working with European allies on a broader package.
State ag commissioner updates Boyle chamber on hemp production
Posted: Thursday, March 27, 2014 8:17 am
By VICTORIA ALDRICH
Of all the plants that humans have cultivated throughout history, few are as versatile as hemp. Its fibers easily convert into rope, clothing and furniture material, insulation, plastics, paper and mulch. Its seeds are perfect for birdseed, hemp milk, protein powder and fish bait. Hemp oil is a cheap, nonallergenic base for paints and cosmetics. The leaves taste great in a warm loaf of bread or a salad.
One day, your Kentucky-made car may sport a hemp-based dashboard, state Commissioner of Agriculture James R. Comer told Danville-Boyle County Chamber of Commerce members Wednesday at the year’s first AT&T Public Policy luncheon.
“We successfully passed legislation to allow hemp to be grown in Kentucky this year,” Comer said, through a provision in the newly passed federal Farm Bill. “We are going to have six pilot projects at six universities.”
Since taking office in 2012, Comer has gained attention for drastic measures taken to reduce waste of funds, including monitoring employee vehicle usage through GPS systems. He also increased public accountability by publishing his office’s entire expenditure report. A critical goal this year is stimulating agricultural production and research, factors he describes as key to stimulating Kentucky’s struggling east side.
Few projects are as ambitious as a hemp cultivation program legalized at six state universities through the Farm Bill.
Each university will cultivate a specific variety, Comer explained, and focus on creating a specific finished product.
The University of Kentucky will grow an Asian cultivar to study industrial hemp production and also biomedical canniboid research.
The University of Louisville will study bioremediation techniques, and Kentucky State University will grow state heirloom seeds for industrial use in conjunction with the Homegrown by Heroes veterans program.
Murray State University will grow European cultivars for fiber studies.
Eastern Kentucky University and Morehead State University both will grow Canadian seeds for industrial and renewable energy projects.
“They will work with private-sector farmers to study production aspects and the types of products they can produce,” Comer said. “We farmers want to know what is the cost of production per acre, what is the yield per acre, what is the best time to plant, so we are very excited,” Comer said. “I perceive the hemp being grown on marginal land, on land that is currently being underutilized. You can grow it on land with a greater slope or on land where you wouldn’t grow other things.”
“Boyle County, from a historical perspective, was ground-zero for industrial production for hemp, and we’d like to be at that spot again. Can you give us a hand?” chamber member Mike Perros asked.
“What grows best in western Kentucky may not grow best in Boyle County so we have at least two good years of research that has to be done,” Comer said. “We’re making progress, and it’s not at the level some people would like, but a year ago it was illegal to grow it.”
Few agricultural endeavors generate as much controversy in the United States as hemp production, an established industry throughout the world.
Liberal and conservative backers agree on its endless industrial potential, ease of growth and lack of hallucinogenic content. Critics dislike its low THC levels compared to its notorious cousin, marijuana, and how easy it is to confuse both plants during air surveillance, the most common way police discover illegal cultivation.
“We can pretty much grow it anywhere we want to. The language of the Farm Bill requires it to be administered through a university pilot project,” Comer said.
“This was illegal a few months ago so we’ve made a giant step, but we are going to have to go through a lot of bureaucracy. We found out customs and border patrol hadn’t read the Farm Bill so we had a container of seeds that was turned around and is headed back to China. As I understand it, we have very few seeds in Kentucky.”
Securing companies to process and sell finished goods is critical to jump starting research.
Comer said one company, Caudill Seed, will process seed-based products at plants in Louisville, Morehead and Winchester. Industrial hemp grown in western Kentucky will be purchased by a company in western Minnesota to make plywood and other items for the construction industry.
“Anything that you can make from a tree, you can just about use from hemp. That’s why it’s more sustainable,” Comer said.
Production in eastern Kentucky will focus on creating renewable energy options and possibly automotive manufacturing, Comer added.
“In Germany, Mercedes and BMWs are manufactured using dashboards and other products from the hemp fibers. If you can replace plastic with hemp, that’s taking a giant step toward being sustainable and that’s great for the farmers.”
The project also complements another initiative the state has launched to replace eastern Kentucky’s dead coal industry. Locally produced crops and finished goods will feature a new symbol, Appalachia Proud: Mountains of Potential, similar to the Kentucky Proud program.
“The University of Pikeville is going to produce ginseng,” Comer said.
“You look at the landscape out there and it is obviously mountains and rough terrain. What can you grow or produce in that region? Ginseng grows in the woods, and all that is harvested in Kentucky ends up in Japan or Asia to be processed. We want to develop a processing industry in Kentucky. That’s a unique, outside-the-box partnership between the university and outside industry.”
New Geodesic Bio-Dome kit perfect to save water and grow great plants
We really like this new development in making the most of nothing to benefit everyone.
They call this an open source project for humans since the goal is to create the most with the least – for the benefit of all. They used barrels, containers, and parts found everywhere for free or cheap. Also incorporated is 3-D Printing technology to design, teach, and test construction. They to raise enough funds with a new Kickstarter.com campaign so we can produce the kits quickly with a ShopBot next time.
Check it out:
Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970
Shortly after the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act went into effect on October 1, 1937, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Denver City police arrested Moses Baca for possession and Samuel Caldwell for dealing.
^ “The First Pot POW”. Retrieved 2011-03-18. “On the day the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act was enacted — Oct. 2, 1937 — the FBI and Denver, Colo., police raided the Lexington Hotel and arrested Samuel R. Caldwell, 58, an unemployed labourer and Moses Baca, 26. On Oct. 5, Caldwell went into the history trivia books as the first marijuana seller convicted under U.S. federal law. His customer, Baca, was found guilty of possession.”
Baca and Caldwell’s arrest made them the first marijuana convictions under U.S. federal law for not paying the marijuana tax.[19] Judge Foster Symes sentenced Baca to 18 months and Caldwell to four years in Leavenworth Penitentiary for violating the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act.
After the Philippines fell to Japanese forces in 1942, the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Army urged farmers to grow fiber hemp. Tax stamps for cultivation of fiber hemp began to be issued to farmers. Without any change in the marijuana Tax Act, 400,000 acres (1,600 km2) were cultivated with hemp between 1942 and 1945. The last commercial hemp fields were planted in Wisconsin in 1957.
In 1967, President Johnson’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of justice opined, “The Act raises an insignificant amount of revenue and exposes an insignificant number of marijuana transactions to public view, since only a handful of people are registered under the Act. It has become, in effect, solely- a criminal law, imposing sanctions upon persons who sell, acquire, or possess marijuana.”
In 1969 in Leary v. United States, part of the Act was ruled to be unconstitutional as a violation of the Fifth Amendment, since a person seeking the tax stamp would have to incriminate him/herself. In response the Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act as Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970.[23] The 1937 Act was repealed by the 1970 Act.
Indiana Senate Committee Unanimously Approves Industrial Hemp Bill
INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Allowing farmers to grow hemp in Indiana could help boost the economy and dispel myths about a crop that can be used to make everything from paper to car parts, supporters told lawmakers Friday.
The testimony helped convince the Senate’s agriculture committee to unanimously approve a bill, Senate Bill 357, that would enable farmers to legally grow industrial hemp, but only if they or the state gets federal approval. Hemp is marijuana’s non-intoxicating cousin but it cannot be grown under federal law, though many products made from hemp, such as oils and clothing, are legal.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Richard Young (D-Milltown), said hemp fields flourished in Indiana before and during World War II, but petrochemical industries and other industries later lobbied against hemp — which can also be used to make fuel — to cut competition.
“This is a plant that has been used for centuries throughout the world and has tremendous potential,” Young said.
But lingering stereotypes have haunted efforts to legalize the crop ever since, said Neal Smith, chairman of Indiana National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Kentucky passed similar legislation last year, and eight other states have done the same, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The 1970 Controlled Substances Act requires hemp growers to get a permit from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The last permit was issued in 1999 – and expired in 2003 – for an experimental plot in Hawaii. U.S. Sens. Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky are co-sponsoring legislation that would federally legalize industrial hemp farming.
The economic benefits remain unclear, however, and whether Indiana would receive a permit is uncertain.
Still, Indiana farmers said waiting on state legislation would be a disadvantage.
“I wish Kentucky wouldn’t always be in front of us,” Indiana Farmers Union member Pam Patrick told the committee. “When I see industrial hemp, I see money.”
University of Kentucky research from last year suggested Kentucky could support about 80,000 acres of hemp that would bring in between $200 and $300 per acre, although increasing supplies could cut that to about $100 per acre. The research shows the current national market for the crop is small, and likely could only support a few dozen jobs in Kentucky.
Also in speaking in favor of the Indiana legislation were two mothers of children with Dravet syndrome, a rare childhood disease that causes frequent seizures. Cannabidiol, a chemical in hemp, is sometimes used to stop the seizures.
Brandy Barrett broke down in tears while telling lawmakers how her 7-year-old son can’t visit the zoo because overstimulation can trigger seizures.
“Help me and help all the state of Indiana be a voice for these children,” Barrett said. “Support this bill.”
No one spoke against the bill, which now moves to the full Senate.
Over thirty countries produce industrial hemp, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey and Ukraine.
The United States is the only developed nation that fails to cultivate industrial hemp as an economic crop, according to the Congressional Resource Service.
The world’s leader in hemp production is China.
Controlled Substances Act , hemp , hemp cultivation , hemp farming , IN SB 357 , Indiana , Indiana hemp , industrial hemp , Richard D. Young , Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
On “Legalization”: When the U.N. comes a marching along, we will all be singing a brand new song…
January 2, 2014
The following synopsis which I have found across the internet and put together here pretty much sums up the value of our “legalization” initiatives, whether they be “anti-prohibition”, tax and regulate, Repeal, ‘…”my God given right!”, or “Damn, we are all a bunch of fools to think that prohibition has ended…”.
With the passage of the new recreational and medical cannabis use laws in Colorado and Washington alongside all of the other “medical cannabis” states, everyone is/was jumping for joy at midnight on the 31st of December 2013. Prohibition has ended they proclaim, yet still remains illegal at the Federal and U.N. levels. The U.N. has already jumped on the bandwagon prior to the new year to make sure that Uruguay’s legalization was “in violation of international law”.
The Executive Branch of our U.S. Government seems to be just sitting back and watching, never giving a clear indication of what they will (or won’t) do. In fact, they just do not seem to be doing much of anything anymore with the exception of disagreements on what should be done.
Maybe, just maybe it is because they know something we may not. Maybe, they know that we are truly walking in the age of the NWO and the Global takeover by the U.N. It has already been written in stone and now we just sit back and watch what is going to happen. The U.N. is in control. The U.S. is not. The U.N. owns the World. We do not. No one owns anything, anywhere, anymore. Including the right to our own bodies and minds. The U.N. does. Even the thought that we actually had a chance to control our own lives is not very lucid. The U.S. and every other country within the U.N. are incorporated businesses with “us” as the “stock certificates”. Here are a few links to information on that:
UNITED STATES THE CORPORATION:THE TRUTH
King James 1st Chacter of Virgina of 1606 / Act of 1871
CORPORATION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
UNITED STATED OF AMERICA is a CORPORATION PR
Moving right along, New Year’s Eve 2013 will be one for the history books. Though I doubt actual hardcopy books will exist very much longer and the history can now be changed at the tap of a keyboard, so what that is worth I am not sure. But I know I sure feel sorry for the people who are out there actually believing that they have accomplished anything with their legalization antics. We have all led ourselves into a hole. I damn sure hope it is not too late to climb out of it.
So hear my happy New Year’s Song,
I saw it coming all along,
Yes I did, I know I did,
I sure the Hell saw it coming before YOU did!
So now your free, or so you think,
To smoke your pipe and drink your drink,
The Bell’s were ringing the whole damn time!
Why did you not listen?
Why did you not try?
To educate the masses, by pointing a finger in their eye?
Why did we wait so long,
That the whole damn illusion of freedom,
Flew by, said goodbye, and then was fucking gone?
@SMKRIDER
March 30, 2005
United Nations biosphere reserve land grabs
By Nathan Tabor
What do the Statue of Liberty, Independence Hall, and Monticello have in common? The average American with a smattering of historical knowledge might say that those historic sites are all symbolic of America’s unique heritage of freedom.
Monticello, of course, was the home of Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence. That document (as well as the U.S. Constitution, later) was signed in Independence Hall. The Statue of Liberty memorializes the free nation under God that those founding documents created.
What about the Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone Park, and the Grand Canyon? Well, these priceless natural resources are all managed by the U.S. National Parks Service. They are among the most frequently visited natural recreation areas in America, where millions of American families vacation every year.
Would it surprise you to learn that every one of these unique American landmarks is also controlled by the United Nations?
December 11, 2013
…”VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW”.
Friday, 13 December 2013 18:30
UN Claims Uruguay Not Allowed to End Marijuana Prohibition
…”NOT ALLOWED…”
…”The 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, of which Uruguay and 183 other nations are parties, “aims to combat drug abuse by coordinated international action.”
Marijuana is listed alongside heroin as a Schedule VI substance according to the Convention, the most severe designation outlined by the U.N.’s International Narcotics Review Board.
The Schedule VI designation empowers member states to, “adopt any special measures of control which in its opinion are necessary having regard to the particularly dangerous properties of a drug so included.”
…”In the United States, the administration has so far refused to entirely acknowledge the legitimacy of state nullification efforts on the issue. However, despite strong warnings and opposition from the UN, the Justice Department adopted “guidelines” this year purporting to allow regulated marijuana-market schemes to move forward under close federal scrutiny. Whether national governments will continue to defy the increasingly power hungry UN remains to be seen, but according to analysts, it appears that the planetary outfit will eventually end up on the losing side of the prohibition battle.”
Alex Newman, a foreign correspondent for The New American, is normally based in Europe. He can be reached at [email protected].
December 13, 2013
Confronting Converging Threats and the Dark Shadows of the Global Economy: Preventing Downward Spirals of Chaos, Insecurity, and Instability
…”The illegal economy includes narcotics trafficking, wildlife trafficking, human trafficking, illegal logging, counterfeit consumer goods and medications, and other illicit enterprises. It is a network of shadowy markets in which illegal arms brokers and narcotics kingpins act as the new CEOs and venture capitalists….”
…”The growing illegal economy supports and enables corrupt officials, criminals, terrorists, and insurgents to mingle and conduct business with another. We must build our own networks to fight these illicit networks and break their corruptive influence…”
…”corruption and crime exist in every corner of the globe. So do terrorism and climate change. They occur in many of our communities, and on those occasions when they converge, they can bring disorder and instability. In this scenario, shadowy markets, criminal entrepreneurs, and illicit networks could become de facto service providers as governments collapse and chaos and insecurity increase, and in the worst case scenario, prey on the victims of pandemics, storms, and other disasters…”
…”We must build a community of responsible governments, businesses, and civil society organizations, working together to build market resiliency, safeguard government integrity, and preserve our common security.”
…”The United States has recently taken steps to make countering the convergence of illicit threats a national security priority. On July 25, 2011, the White House released the Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime: Addressing Converging Threats to National Security, which aims to protect Americans and citizens of partner nations from violence and exploitation at the hands of transnational criminal networks.”
…”Of growing concern are illicit financial hubs and their potentially complicit banks and market-based facilitators and super fixers—such as corrupt lawyers, accountants, black market procurers of commodities and services,…”
…”Moving forward, the United States will continue to build collaborative partnerships and knowledge-based platforms with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the World Bank, the G8/G20, INTERPOL, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), World Customs Organization (WCO), the European Union, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Organization of American States (OAS), African Union (AU), and other regional and sub-regional bodies.”
…”We also need to better coordinate diplomatic efforts to identify and uproot safe havens and exploitable sanctuaries that enable criminals, terrorists, and other illicit actors and networks to corrupt governments, access illegal markets, and stage operations without fear of reprisal from law enforcement.”
…”Some of the thinking and research which helped to inform our dialogues on combating crime-terror pipelines can be found in a book published in May 2013 by the National Defense University, “Convergence: Illicit Networks and National Security in the Age of Globalization.”
Promoting the consistent application of the international drug control treaties
In discharging its mandate under the international drug control treaties, the Board maintains an ongoing dialogue with Governments through various means, such as regular consultations and country missions. That dialogue has been instrumental to the Board’s efforts to assist Governments in complying with the provisions of the treaties. The Convention Evaluation Section of the INCB Secretariat assists the Board in these task. In addition, the Section publishes the quarterly Newsletter of INCB.
The International Narcotics Control Board
From left: A. Samak, W. Sipp, F. Thoumi, M. Moinard, S. Suryawati, R. Yans, G. Korchagina, V. Sumyai, W. Hall,
D. Johnson, R. Ray
INTERPOL “CONNECTING POLICE FOR A SAFER WORLD”
United States
INTERPOL Washington Operations and Command Center
Based on principles embodied in its Constitution, there is no single, national police agency in the United States of America. Instead, a decentralized network of nearly 18,000 different agencies enforces criminal laws according to their respective jurisdiction and mission, which may be local, state, federal or tribal.
Local police and sheriff departments, which make up the majority of national law enforcement agencies, perform traditional functions, including:
- Crime prevention, detection and investigation;
- Criminal incident response;
- Responding to calls for assistance;
- Patrol;
- Arrest of criminal suspects;
- Execution of warrants;
- Traffic control;
- Accident investigation;
- Drug enforcement;
- Crime prevention education.
At federal level, more than 65 separate agencies enforce Congress laws with a view to:
- Fighting organized crime and terrorist networks;
- Conducting foreign intelligence operations;
- Investigating financial and cyber offences;
- Tackling child exploitation and trafficking in human beings;
- Tackling drug trafficking;
- Preventing the smuggling of illicit goods;
- Controlling borders and maintaining national security.
INTERPOL Washington
Domestic Focus…International Reach
The National Central Bureau (NCB) for the United States of America is the unique designated INTERPOL point of contact, acting on behalf of the Attorney General, the chief law enforcement officer of the United States.
INTERPOL Washington supports US law enforcement agencies and other INTERPOL member countries who seek assistance in criminal investigations which go beyond national borders. INTERPOL Washington coordinates national law enforcement action and response, ensuring that it is consistent with national interests and law, as well as with INTERPOL policies, procedures, and regulations.
INTERPOL Washington is composed of a multi-sector workforce which includes full-time employees, contractors, and personnel seconded from more than 20 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The staff includes senior criminal investigators, analysts, attorneys, information technology specialists and administrative support personnel.
Organization
At the core of INTERPOL Washington’s criminal investigative support activities is the Operations and Command Center (IOCC). It provides a permanent communications interface between domestic and international law enforcement partners, as well as support to its operational divisions, namely:
- Alien / Fugitive Division;
- Counterterrorism Division;
- Drugs Division;
- Economic Crimes Division;
- Human Trafficking and Child Protection Division;
- State and Local Liaison Division;
- Violent Crimes Division.
Strategic Goals
INTERPOL Washington has developed four strategic goals to promote cooperation and support to its national law enforcement community and foreign counterparts:
- Combat transnational crime and terrorism;
- Strengthen the security of America’s borders;
- Facilitate international law enforcement cooperation and partnerships;
- Cultivate and develop America’s workforce, management, and operations.
These goals are in keeping with the strategic priorities of Americas Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and INTERPOL. They reflect the investigative interests of partner law enforcement agencies, and provide the framework for international investigative assistance that is critical to preventing and solving transnational crime.
Agencies represented at INTERPOL Washington
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives;
- Capitol Police;
- Citizenship and Immigration Service;
- Coast Guard;
- Customs and Border Protection;
- Department of Defense, U.S. Marine Corps;
- Department of Homeland Security;
- Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations;
- Department of State;
- Drug Enforcement Administration;
- Environmental Protection Agency;
- Federal Bureau of Investigation;
- Fish and Wildlife Service;
- Food and Drug Administration;
- Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General;
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement;
- Internal Revenue Service;
- Marshals Service;
- New York Police Department;
- Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office;
- Postal Inspection Service;
- Secret Service.
“Tribal police are officers hired by native American tribes which have a constitutional government on Reservations. They work closely with local, state, and federal police agencies”
15 December 2010
INTERPOL and United States Federal Law Enforcement Training Center hold advanced police technology and research exercise
History
Over the past 100 years, the idea of international police cooperation has become firmly grounded in practice, with 190 countries now members of INTERPOL. While its vision and mission remain in line with the original goals of the first meeting in 1914, the Organization continues to evolve in response to the needs of its member countries, the emergence of new crime trends, and innovations in technology.
Kentucky Ag Commissioner Gives Farmers Green Light To Grow Hemp
Agriculture Commissioner James Comer says he hopes Kentucky farmers plant hemp in April.
Reported by: Aaron Adelson
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AAdelsonABC36
Agriculture Commissioner James Comer says he hopes Kentucky farmers plant hemp in April.
“We used to grow tobacco on the farm and now basically we just have cattle and grow hay, and it just
seems like a good alternative crop,” said Steven Albert, a farmer from Green County.
Albert came to a Hemp Commission meeting to learn more.
The state legalized industrialized hemp if federal law would allow it.
Well, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would not prosecute the two states that legalized marijuana. Furthermore,
Comer says the man who wrote the memo testified the government would not prosecute hemp farmers.
Comer says this gives Kentucky the green light.
“This is a very exciting first step, and we’ll just have to see.
History will decide whether this was a defining moment in Kentucky agriculture, or not,” said Comer.
He and Senator Rand Paul plan to send the DOJ a letter announcing the state’s intent to move forward.
“I can’t imagine why they would be opposed to it,” said Comer.
Things are moving quickly, but farmers like Albert need to learn how to grow hemp.
“Farmers in Green County know how to grow tobacco, tomatoes, anything you can think of,
but when I ask them how do you grow hemp? How do you harvest hemp? Most of them say they don’t know,” said Albert.
The state needs to work out some regulatory issues before anybody puts seeds in the ground.
Kentucky Ag Commissioner Gives Farmers Green Light To Grow Hemp
Agriculture Commissioner James Comer says he hopes Kentucky farmers plant hemp in April.
Reported by: Aaron Adelson
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AAdelsonABC36
Agriculture Commissioner James Comer says he hopes Kentucky farmers plant hemp in April.
“We used to grow tobacco on the farm and now basically we just have cattle and grow hay, and it just
seems like a good alternative crop,” said Steven Albert, a farmer from Green County.
Albert came to a Hemp Commission meeting to learn more.
The state legalized industrialized hemp if federal law would allow it.
Well, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would not prosecute the two states that legalized marijuana. Furthermore,
Comer says the man who wrote the memo testified the government would not prosecute hemp farmers.
Comer says this gives Kentucky the green light.
“This is a very exciting first step, and we’ll just have to see.
History will decide whether this was a defining moment in Kentucky agriculture, or not,” said Comer.
He and Senator Rand Paul plan to send the DOJ a letter announcing the state’s intent to move forward.
“I can’t imagine why they would be opposed to it,” said Comer.
Things are moving quickly, but farmers like Albert need to learn how to grow hemp.
“Farmers in Green County know how to grow tobacco, tomatoes, anything you can think of,
but when I ask them how do you grow hemp? How do you harvest hemp? Most of them say they don’t know,” said Albert.
The state needs to work out some regulatory issues before anybody puts seeds in the ground.
Comer says decision greenlights Kentucky hemp
Ralph B. Davis [email protected]
FRANKFORT — Kentucky’s agriculture commissioner says a recent decision by the U.S. Department of Justice now clears the way for Kentucky farmers to once again grow industrial hemp.
Last week, the Justice Department announced it would not seek to challenge state laws regarding the medical or recreational use of marijuana. On Friday, Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said he interprets that announcement as an opening for Kentucky to begin implementing Senate Bill 50, which sets guidelines for the production of industrial hemp, that passed earlier this year.
“It’s about time!” Comer said in a statement released Friday. “This is a major victory for Kentucky’s farmers and for all Kentuckians.”
Comer said the DOJ announcement marks a major change in policy.
“Two years ago, the Obama administration would not even discuss the legalization of industrial hemp,” Comer said. “But through a bipartisan coalition of Kentucky leaders, we forced their hand. We refused to listen to the naysayers, passed a hemp bill by a landslide, and our state is now on the forefront of an exciting new industry. That’s called leadership.”
Comer also announced that Brian Furnish, chairman of the Kentucky Industrial Hemp Commission, has called a meeting of the group for Sept. 12, at which Comer and Furnish will urge the commission to move forward with the administrative framework established by the hemp bill.
“My hope is that we can issue licenses and get industrial hemp in the ground within a year,” Furnish said.
Comer said he believes the passage of the hemp bill will allow Kentucky to be proactive, rather than reactive, in creating jobs.
“Had we not passed the framework to responsibly administer a program, we would be lagging behind right now, rather than leading the pack,” Comer said. “I am so grateful to our federal delegation for its support, especially Sen. Rand Paul and Congressmen John Yarmuth and Thomas Massie, who courageously testified in support of this job-creating legislation.”
On Wednesday, Sen. Paul issued a statement, supporting Comer’s move.
“I support Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer in his efforts to move forward with the production of industrial hemp in the Commonwealth,” Paul said. “This fight has always been about jobs and providing another opportunity for Kentucky’s farmers, and I expect the Obama Administration to treat all states equally in this process. I will continue to fight at the federal level to enact legislation to secure this new industry for Kentucky.”