Robert Celt
New Member
A hearing Wednesday about whether Missouri should join the states that allow industrial hemp cultivation turned into a debate about the possibility that it could open the door to marijuana legalization.
Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown, for the second year is sponsoring a measure that would create a pilot program for industrial hemp cultivation, with growers licensed and regulated by the state Department of Agriculture. A similar measure passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate as other issues upset the consideration of bills during the final week.
"I think this could be a very viable industry we could look forward to in Missouri," Munzlinger said during a hearing of the Senate Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Committee, noting that federal economic reports show the United States imports more than $550 million worth of hemp-based products annually.
Munzlinger is chairman of the committee. It did not vote on the bill.
State and federal laws do not make a distinction between hemp and marijuana. Both are forms of the cannabis plant, but Munzlinger's bill defines hemp as having less than 0.3 percent THC, the chemical in marijuana that produces a high. Tests of legal marijuana in Colorado show concentrations of nearly 18 percent to more than 30 percent in some marijuana varieties, NBC News reported last year.
Two initiatives, one to allow medical marijuana and another to make all forms of marijuana and hemp legal without controls, are being circulated for possible inclusion on the November ballot.
St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar and Jason Grellner, vice president of the Missouri Narcotics Officers Association, testified together and said they were not opposed to the bill but believe it will set a bad precedent.
"It is no secret that many would look at a bill such as this as the first step to legalizing marijuana," Lohmar said.
"My science says that any amount of THC can be extracted," Grellner said.
In response, Sen. Jason Holsman, D-Kansas City, said they were mixing two issues that should remain separate. Holsman has sponsored hemp legalization bills in the past and is the sponsor of a medical marijuana legalization proposal in this year's session.
"It is all part of the same thing because you refuse to separate the industrial hemp that can't get you high and marijuana that can get you high," he said.
Munzlinger also disputed the assertions that hemp cultivation will lead to pot legalization. He described an ongoing debate between hemp farmers and marijuana growers in Oregon, where hemp pollen is fertilizing the flowers of marijuana plants, making them less marketable and future plant generations less potent. There is also a danger of marijuana pollen making seeds from hemp unusable because they would produce plants too high in THC, the chemical in marijuana that produces a high.
Munzlinger's bill requires testing of plants while they are growing to ensure THC levels remain below the limit. If the plants exceed the threshold, they would be destroyed. The crops are not compatible in the same field, he said.
"I am not really concerned with people saying you can cover up marijuana in an industrial hemp field because of cross-pollination," he said.
Kentucky and Tennessee have already approved industrial hemp cultivation, legalized for research purposes under the 2014 Farm Bill. Businessman Tom Smith of Columbia, owner of Flat Branch Pub & Brewing, said he has 2,000 acres near the Moniteau-Cooper county line where he would like to raise hemp.
Hemp can be processed into ethanol for fuel, the seed oils can substitute for petroleum-based diesel fuel and the fibers can be used to make paper and cloth, Smith said.
"Due to decades of senseless prohibition, the U.S. lags the rest of the world in modern industrial hemp cultivation and processing," he said.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Missouri: Senate Committee Hears Support, Concerns About Industrial Hemp Proposal
Author: Rudi Keller
Photo Credit: Nick Nelson
Website: Columbia Daily Tribune
Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown, for the second year is sponsoring a measure that would create a pilot program for industrial hemp cultivation, with growers licensed and regulated by the state Department of Agriculture. A similar measure passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate as other issues upset the consideration of bills during the final week.
"I think this could be a very viable industry we could look forward to in Missouri," Munzlinger said during a hearing of the Senate Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Committee, noting that federal economic reports show the United States imports more than $550 million worth of hemp-based products annually.
Munzlinger is chairman of the committee. It did not vote on the bill.
State and federal laws do not make a distinction between hemp and marijuana. Both are forms of the cannabis plant, but Munzlinger's bill defines hemp as having less than 0.3 percent THC, the chemical in marijuana that produces a high. Tests of legal marijuana in Colorado show concentrations of nearly 18 percent to more than 30 percent in some marijuana varieties, NBC News reported last year.
Two initiatives, one to allow medical marijuana and another to make all forms of marijuana and hemp legal without controls, are being circulated for possible inclusion on the November ballot.
St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar and Jason Grellner, vice president of the Missouri Narcotics Officers Association, testified together and said they were not opposed to the bill but believe it will set a bad precedent.
"It is no secret that many would look at a bill such as this as the first step to legalizing marijuana," Lohmar said.
"My science says that any amount of THC can be extracted," Grellner said.
In response, Sen. Jason Holsman, D-Kansas City, said they were mixing two issues that should remain separate. Holsman has sponsored hemp legalization bills in the past and is the sponsor of a medical marijuana legalization proposal in this year's session.
"It is all part of the same thing because you refuse to separate the industrial hemp that can't get you high and marijuana that can get you high," he said.
Munzlinger also disputed the assertions that hemp cultivation will lead to pot legalization. He described an ongoing debate between hemp farmers and marijuana growers in Oregon, where hemp pollen is fertilizing the flowers of marijuana plants, making them less marketable and future plant generations less potent. There is also a danger of marijuana pollen making seeds from hemp unusable because they would produce plants too high in THC, the chemical in marijuana that produces a high.
Munzlinger's bill requires testing of plants while they are growing to ensure THC levels remain below the limit. If the plants exceed the threshold, they would be destroyed. The crops are not compatible in the same field, he said.
"I am not really concerned with people saying you can cover up marijuana in an industrial hemp field because of cross-pollination," he said.
Kentucky and Tennessee have already approved industrial hemp cultivation, legalized for research purposes under the 2014 Farm Bill. Businessman Tom Smith of Columbia, owner of Flat Branch Pub & Brewing, said he has 2,000 acres near the Moniteau-Cooper county line where he would like to raise hemp.
Hemp can be processed into ethanol for fuel, the seed oils can substitute for petroleum-based diesel fuel and the fibers can be used to make paper and cloth, Smith said.
"Due to decades of senseless prohibition, the U.S. lags the rest of the world in modern industrial hemp cultivation and processing," he said.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Missouri: Senate Committee Hears Support, Concerns About Industrial Hemp Proposal
Author: Rudi Keller
Photo Credit: Nick Nelson
Website: Columbia Daily Tribune
