420
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Reporters love irony, and Washington's experimental marijuana laws provide lots of it.
The state allows pot; the federal government does not. Some cities allow marijuana sales; some don't. Smokers celebrate their new "freedom" by toking up in public parks, which is and has always been against the law.
Here's another one: Recreational marijuana is now legal but its by-product, hemp – which has little THC, the high-causing chemical in pot – is illegal to grow.
State Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, and fellow lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are trying to fix that with Senate Bill 5012. The measure would allow the industrial growing, processing and sale of hemp, the fibrous portion of the cannabis plan used in everything from clothes to cosmetics. (I once owned a pair of hemp sandals. Comfortable.)
The United States is the world's largest importer of hemp, according to a news release from the Legislature Tuesday.
The bill also would instruct Washington State University to compile a study about how to implement a hemp industry.
The bill received its first committee hearing Tuesday in the Senate Agriculture, Water & Rural Economic Development Committee and a public hearing.
"It just makes common sense to have that a legal crop to grow in Washington state," said Sen. Brian Hatfield, D-Raymond, when introducing the bill at Tuesday's hearing.
News Moderator: 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Yakima Herald Republic | New bill would legalize industrial hemp after pot
Author: Ross Courtney
Contact: rcourtney@yakimaherald.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Yakima Herald Republic | Home
The state allows pot; the federal government does not. Some cities allow marijuana sales; some don't. Smokers celebrate their new "freedom" by toking up in public parks, which is and has always been against the law.
Here's another one: Recreational marijuana is now legal but its by-product, hemp – which has little THC, the high-causing chemical in pot – is illegal to grow.
State Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, and fellow lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are trying to fix that with Senate Bill 5012. The measure would allow the industrial growing, processing and sale of hemp, the fibrous portion of the cannabis plan used in everything from clothes to cosmetics. (I once owned a pair of hemp sandals. Comfortable.)
The United States is the world's largest importer of hemp, according to a news release from the Legislature Tuesday.
The bill also would instruct Washington State University to compile a study about how to implement a hemp industry.
The bill received its first committee hearing Tuesday in the Senate Agriculture, Water & Rural Economic Development Committee and a public hearing.
"It just makes common sense to have that a legal crop to grow in Washington state," said Sen. Brian Hatfield, D-Raymond, when introducing the bill at Tuesday's hearing.
News Moderator: 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Yakima Herald Republic | New bill would legalize industrial hemp after pot
Author: Ross Courtney
Contact: rcourtney@yakimaherald.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Yakima Herald Republic | Home
