Robert Celt
New Member
Oregon hemp growers would be free to propagate the crop from cuttings and grow it in greenhouses under a bill that's won the approval of the House.
Under current law, hemp can only be seeded directly outdoors in fields at least 2.5 acres in size, which was intended to facilitate industrial production but proved too inflexible for growers.
At the time Oregon lawmakers originally legalized hemp production in 2009, they enacted these restrictions with the expectation the crop would be used for oilseed and fiber instead of human consumption.
Since then, the Oregon Department of Agriculture found that many hemp producers were more interested in growing the crop for cannabidiol, a compound used for medicinal purposes, than for such traditional products.
To this end, they wanted to use greenhouses, clone desirable plants and produce the crop on a smaller scale.
Under House Bill 4060, which was passed 54-4 by the House on Feb. 16, the minimum 2.5 acre field requirement would be scrapped and hemp farmers would be given the same flexibility in production and propagation methods as growers of other crops.
The Oregon Farm Bureau supports HB 4060 because it wants hemp treated like other crops.
The bill includes an amendment approved by the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources that clarifies hemp would be subject to the same Oregon Department of Agriculture water and pesticide regulations as other crops.
The amended version of the bill also clarifies that growers can cultivate all varieties of hemp and that the crop won't be considered a food adulterant, among other provisions.
Growers can also send crop samples to accredited laboratories for required testing, which is expected to be cheaper than using ODA staff and facilities.
The Senate will now consider H.B. 4060, though it has yet to be assigned to a committee.
Another bill that was approved by the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resource, House Bill 4007, passed the House 59-1 on Feb. 15. The bill creates a new way to form rangeland protection association that fight wildfires.
Landowners must currently win approval from the Oregon Board of Forestry to create such associations, but HB 4007 would also allow them to be approved by county governments.
Currently, 20 rangeland protection associations staffed by volunteers protect 4.6 million acres in Eastern Oregon.
New associations organized by counties would still have to submit annual budgets to the Oregon Board of Forestry and enter into cooperative agreements with the Oregon Department of Forestry.
The Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources will now review HB 4007.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Relaxed Oregon Hemp Rules Pass House
Author: Mateusz Perkowski
Photo Credit: SA 3.0
Website: Capitol Press
Under current law, hemp can only be seeded directly outdoors in fields at least 2.5 acres in size, which was intended to facilitate industrial production but proved too inflexible for growers.
At the time Oregon lawmakers originally legalized hemp production in 2009, they enacted these restrictions with the expectation the crop would be used for oilseed and fiber instead of human consumption.
Since then, the Oregon Department of Agriculture found that many hemp producers were more interested in growing the crop for cannabidiol, a compound used for medicinal purposes, than for such traditional products.
To this end, they wanted to use greenhouses, clone desirable plants and produce the crop on a smaller scale.
Under House Bill 4060, which was passed 54-4 by the House on Feb. 16, the minimum 2.5 acre field requirement would be scrapped and hemp farmers would be given the same flexibility in production and propagation methods as growers of other crops.
The Oregon Farm Bureau supports HB 4060 because it wants hemp treated like other crops.
The bill includes an amendment approved by the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources that clarifies hemp would be subject to the same Oregon Department of Agriculture water and pesticide regulations as other crops.
The amended version of the bill also clarifies that growers can cultivate all varieties of hemp and that the crop won't be considered a food adulterant, among other provisions.
Growers can also send crop samples to accredited laboratories for required testing, which is expected to be cheaper than using ODA staff and facilities.
The Senate will now consider H.B. 4060, though it has yet to be assigned to a committee.
Another bill that was approved by the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resource, House Bill 4007, passed the House 59-1 on Feb. 15. The bill creates a new way to form rangeland protection association that fight wildfires.
Landowners must currently win approval from the Oregon Board of Forestry to create such associations, but HB 4007 would also allow them to be approved by county governments.
Currently, 20 rangeland protection associations staffed by volunteers protect 4.6 million acres in Eastern Oregon.
New associations organized by counties would still have to submit annual budgets to the Oregon Board of Forestry and enter into cooperative agreements with the Oregon Department of Forestry.
The Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources will now review HB 4007.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Relaxed Oregon Hemp Rules Pass House
Author: Mateusz Perkowski
Photo Credit: SA 3.0
Website: Capitol Press
