State Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, passed out chocolate truffles topped with industrial hemp seeds at the House Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday. The nutritious seeds are legal to buy in Minnesota as food, but once they sprout, they are considered marijuana and subject to harsh legal penalties. A bill Kahn sponsored that would allow for the agricultural production of hemp passed the committee on Wednesday.
"It's the one product that we can buy here, but we can't grow it here," said Thom Peterson of the Minnesota Farmers Union. Peterson hopes that one day farmers will have an alternative crop in industrial hemp.
The chief supporter of industrial hemp in the United States is an unlikely figure: David Monson, the Republican Speaker of the North Dakota House. He's a farmer near the Canadian border whose neighbors were growing hemp while his barley crop was failing because of a blight. His efforts helped Minnesota's neighbors to the west move forward with industrial hemp and its production.
Kahn said concerns that hemp farmers would clandestinely grow the similar-looking marijuana plant among fields of hemp were unfounded. "They would both cross-pollinate and ruin each other," Kahn said, and the marijuana plants would be rendered useless as a drug, she said. "I understand you'd have to smoke an eighth before [feeling any effects]."
One bit of testimony came from the chair of the committee, Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba, DFL-Long Prairie, who said she loves using hemp fibers in her sewing: "I really like hemp fabrics. They are very strong garments. It's very easy to use."
She added while laughing, "I just want to say that I do not smoke my fabrics."
Kahn's bill would begin the process of setting up a system of regulation for hemp production in Minnesota. But the bill stipulates that nothing can move forward until the Drug Enforcement Agency issues a permit, something the agency has fought in North Dakota.
The bill passed the committee by a voice vote and now heads to the Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee.
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: The Minnesota Independent
Author: Andy Birkey
Contact: The Minnesota Independent
Copyright: 2009 The Minnesota Independent
Website: Industrial Hemp Still Alive in Legislature
"It's the one product that we can buy here, but we can't grow it here," said Thom Peterson of the Minnesota Farmers Union. Peterson hopes that one day farmers will have an alternative crop in industrial hemp.
The chief supporter of industrial hemp in the United States is an unlikely figure: David Monson, the Republican Speaker of the North Dakota House. He's a farmer near the Canadian border whose neighbors were growing hemp while his barley crop was failing because of a blight. His efforts helped Minnesota's neighbors to the west move forward with industrial hemp and its production.
Kahn said concerns that hemp farmers would clandestinely grow the similar-looking marijuana plant among fields of hemp were unfounded. "They would both cross-pollinate and ruin each other," Kahn said, and the marijuana plants would be rendered useless as a drug, she said. "I understand you'd have to smoke an eighth before [feeling any effects]."
One bit of testimony came from the chair of the committee, Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba, DFL-Long Prairie, who said she loves using hemp fibers in her sewing: "I really like hemp fabrics. They are very strong garments. It's very easy to use."
She added while laughing, "I just want to say that I do not smoke my fabrics."
Kahn's bill would begin the process of setting up a system of regulation for hemp production in Minnesota. But the bill stipulates that nothing can move forward until the Drug Enforcement Agency issues a permit, something the agency has fought in North Dakota.
The bill passed the committee by a voice vote and now heads to the Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee.
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: The Minnesota Independent
Author: Andy Birkey
Contact: The Minnesota Independent
Copyright: 2009 The Minnesota Independent
Website: Industrial Hemp Still Alive in Legislature
