Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Thanks to a gubernatorial veto, Arizona is now a place where it's OK to grow medical marijuana but illegal to grow hemp, a non-toxic version of marijuana plants.
Gov. Doug Ducey's veto of state Sen. Sonny Borrelli's hemp bill is unfortunate because it deprives the desert state a business opportunity with a low water use crop.
It's unfortunate because Ducey favors reducing regulatory barriers to business. Except when he doesn't.
Based on the 16 states where hemp production is legal, there appears to be a commercial market for the product. For many, though, including apparently Arizona's governor, the product is just too close to marijuana to be acceptable.
Borrelli's bill, similar to the structure in other states, would have created licenses and fees charged to growers to assure industrial hemp isn't above a very low toxic level.
We understand the concerns, though they seem overblown given the large number of both legal and illegal marijuana growing operations in Arizona.
Yes, it's possible to use a hemp field as visual cover for marijuana, but that mixing potentially threatens the quality of both crops.
Besides, that's a lot of work when medical marijuana grower licenses are available, though with some tight restrictions.
Mostly, we want farmers to be among those businesses that can pursue innovation without the deadening effect of excessive regulation.
Ducey, an opponent of recreational marijuana, may have let his feeling about legal weed overshadow his commitment to freeing businesses from regulation.
In truth, the one part of the hemp bill that was problematic was the cost for the state to license and keep tabs on hemp growers' products.
The bill pegged the cost at close to $675,000. Really? To set up and administer a hemp mini-bureaucracy?
We're not carrying the water for hemp in particular, but the hemp bill illustrates just how little Arizona government gets about truly being a pro-business state.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Our View: Hemp veto reveals limits of Arizona pro-business claims | Opinion | havasunews.com
Contact: Letter to the Editor | havasunews.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: havasunews.com | Serving Lake Havasu City & The lower Colorado River Area
Gov. Doug Ducey's veto of state Sen. Sonny Borrelli's hemp bill is unfortunate because it deprives the desert state a business opportunity with a low water use crop.
It's unfortunate because Ducey favors reducing regulatory barriers to business. Except when he doesn't.
Based on the 16 states where hemp production is legal, there appears to be a commercial market for the product. For many, though, including apparently Arizona's governor, the product is just too close to marijuana to be acceptable.
Borrelli's bill, similar to the structure in other states, would have created licenses and fees charged to growers to assure industrial hemp isn't above a very low toxic level.
We understand the concerns, though they seem overblown given the large number of both legal and illegal marijuana growing operations in Arizona.
Yes, it's possible to use a hemp field as visual cover for marijuana, but that mixing potentially threatens the quality of both crops.
Besides, that's a lot of work when medical marijuana grower licenses are available, though with some tight restrictions.
Mostly, we want farmers to be among those businesses that can pursue innovation without the deadening effect of excessive regulation.
Ducey, an opponent of recreational marijuana, may have let his feeling about legal weed overshadow his commitment to freeing businesses from regulation.
In truth, the one part of the hemp bill that was problematic was the cost for the state to license and keep tabs on hemp growers' products.
The bill pegged the cost at close to $675,000. Really? To set up and administer a hemp mini-bureaucracy?
We're not carrying the water for hemp in particular, but the hemp bill illustrates just how little Arizona government gets about truly being a pro-business state.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Our View: Hemp veto reveals limits of Arizona pro-business claims | Opinion | havasunews.com
Contact: Letter to the Editor | havasunews.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: havasunews.com | Serving Lake Havasu City & The lower Colorado River Area
