This week the Alaska State Legislature unanimously passed, by a 20-0 vote, Senate Bill 6 which is looking to legalize industrial hemp in the state.
If it gets implemented, the new bill would legalize the crop for commercial purposes and would seek to have the program be structured similar to those programs in other states that are already growing industrial hemp. The bill was only introduced at the beginning of this year and it's reported that there is a likely chance that it is going to be fully passed.
But changes might take a long time, as we have seen be the case in many areas that have moved forward with legalization. It takes many years in most cases and as with Senate Bill 6 in Alaska, the new rules set up the process to reevaluate the regulation of the crop within 7 years.
Aside from Alaska, there are other efforts looking to legalize or make changes to their industrial hemp programs as well: Hawaii, Washington, North Carolina, and more.
There are a number of states aside from those that have already established industrial hemp programs for their state.
Agriculture officials in Kentucky for example, just recently burned a fraction of their hemp crops because it was found to be over the THC limit. So they'd rather see it wasted and burned than possibly go to someone that it could help.
The grower of the wasted hemp crop, Lyndsey Todd, was understandably devastated by the move to destroy the hemp. And for now, state officials haven't threatened to take away Todd's growing license.
Any hemp grown in the state needs to be found with less than 0.3 per cent THC.
That limit was one that has been set by Congress and Kentucky decided to adhere to it. The law enforcement officials there say that their industrial hemp program is heavily scrutinized at the federal level and so they want to do what they can to not rustle any feathers. They see it as they were only being good stewards of law enforcement. However, some might say that their move to destroy the crop did a lot more harm than good.
At least 13 states at the moment allow for industrial hemp farming for either research (and/or) commercial purposes.
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Sources:
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?session=30&bill=SB0006
http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/hemp-inc-reports-alaskas-industrial-hemp-bill-passes-senate-industry-update-pinksheets-hemp-2209251.htm
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/agriculture/kentucky-burning-commercially-grown-hemp-with-too-much-thc-419398994.html
@doitvoluntarily/progress-for-industrial-hemp-legalization-in-hawaii
@doitvoluntarily/dozens-of-new-hemp-research-projects-recently-get-approved
@doitvoluntarily/north-carolina-officials-call-for-farmers-to-grow-industrial-hemp