Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Vermont's four medical marijuana dispensaries got legislative approval to begin cultivating and distributing hemp products Thursday.
The Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules unanimously passed the rule, which was amended to address concerns aired by Vermont hemp farmers at a committee meeting last month.
Hemp is a plant similar to marijuana, but it has a lower content of tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical that produces a euphoric reaction. While oils extracted from hemp are sometimes used for medicinal purposes, such as the treatment of epilepsy, the plant has a wide variety of other uses – including as a fiber or in food.
Hemp is tightly regulated under federal laws, but Vermont permits farmers to cultivate the plant for agricultural purposes.
After the Department for Public Safety proposed changes to the rules at an August meeting of the legislative committee, some farmers became concerned that the language could create an additional barrier to Vermonters cultivating hemp for agricultural purposes.
The new rule approved Thursday assures that dispensaries are regulated by the Department of Public Safety for both pot and hemp cultivation, according to Lindsey Well, marijuana program administrator. Meanwhile, hemp farmers outside of dispensaries answer only to the Agency of Agriculture.
Joel Bedard, a hemp grower in Chittenden County who had previously raised questions about the proposed rule, told lawmakers Thursday that he supported the amended language. As passed, he is confident that the regulation for dispensaries will not have any impact on farmers who cultivate hemp for agricultural purposes.
"It was mostly to prevent any regulatory oversight being placed upon farmers," Bedard said after the meeting.
Bedard doesn't have an interest in growing hemp for medicinal purposes. He is researching the use of hemp to clean soil, and says that the plant could also be used to clean watersheds.
Bedard estimated that there are some two-dozen people in Vermont with permits to grow hemp agriculturally.
The set of rule changes OK'd Thursday also will allow dispensaries to begin a home delivery service for pot and hemp products – much like some pharmacies offer with prescriptions.
Dispensaries can also now begin seeing more than one patient at a time, so long as they meet the necessary requirements for privacy. Officials expect that the change will help cut down on wait times at dispensaries.
About 2,200 Vermonters are on the medicinal marijuana registry, according to Well. Several hundred others are registered caregivers, who can grow marijuana plants on behalf of a qualified patient.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Dispensaries Approved To Grow Hemp
Author: Elizabeth Hewitt
Contact: Contact Page
Photo Credit: Bruce Schreiner, The Associated Press
Website: Vermont Digger News
The Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules unanimously passed the rule, which was amended to address concerns aired by Vermont hemp farmers at a committee meeting last month.
Hemp is a plant similar to marijuana, but it has a lower content of tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical that produces a euphoric reaction. While oils extracted from hemp are sometimes used for medicinal purposes, such as the treatment of epilepsy, the plant has a wide variety of other uses – including as a fiber or in food.
Hemp is tightly regulated under federal laws, but Vermont permits farmers to cultivate the plant for agricultural purposes.
After the Department for Public Safety proposed changes to the rules at an August meeting of the legislative committee, some farmers became concerned that the language could create an additional barrier to Vermonters cultivating hemp for agricultural purposes.
The new rule approved Thursday assures that dispensaries are regulated by the Department of Public Safety for both pot and hemp cultivation, according to Lindsey Well, marijuana program administrator. Meanwhile, hemp farmers outside of dispensaries answer only to the Agency of Agriculture.
Joel Bedard, a hemp grower in Chittenden County who had previously raised questions about the proposed rule, told lawmakers Thursday that he supported the amended language. As passed, he is confident that the regulation for dispensaries will not have any impact on farmers who cultivate hemp for agricultural purposes.
"It was mostly to prevent any regulatory oversight being placed upon farmers," Bedard said after the meeting.
Bedard doesn't have an interest in growing hemp for medicinal purposes. He is researching the use of hemp to clean soil, and says that the plant could also be used to clean watersheds.
Bedard estimated that there are some two-dozen people in Vermont with permits to grow hemp agriculturally.
The set of rule changes OK'd Thursday also will allow dispensaries to begin a home delivery service for pot and hemp products – much like some pharmacies offer with prescriptions.
Dispensaries can also now begin seeing more than one patient at a time, so long as they meet the necessary requirements for privacy. Officials expect that the change will help cut down on wait times at dispensaries.
About 2,200 Vermonters are on the medicinal marijuana registry, according to Well. Several hundred others are registered caregivers, who can grow marijuana plants on behalf of a qualified patient.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Dispensaries Approved To Grow Hemp
Author: Elizabeth Hewitt
Contact: Contact Page
Photo Credit: Bruce Schreiner, The Associated Press
Website: Vermont Digger News
