Source: salina.com
LINCOLN -- The biggest misconception about industrial hemp is that you can get high from it.
That's not the case at all, said David Mulford, treasurer of the nonprofit grassroots organization Kansas for Change.
Industrial hemp, he said, has less than 3/10 of 1 percent of the mind-altering ingredient THC found in cannabis marijuana. "You could smoke a bale of it and not get high," he said.
Mulford, who lives in Hutchinson, spoke to a small group of farmers and area citizens Saturday during an informational meeting to explain how growing industrial hemp in Kansas can benefit the local economy.
The meeting, which took place at the Lincoln Grade School gymnasium, was sparked by the new bipartisan farm bill that President Barack Obama signed Feb. 6 to promote agriculture, provide more money for research into the environment and energy and help feed hungry Americans through the food stamp program.
The bill also contains an amendment that would legalize hemp production for research purposes, as long as each state votes for it to be legalized in their state.
In the midwest, Nebraska already has passed a bill, and Oklahoma has introduced it, Mulford said.
A motion is set to be introduced by Kansas House members at the next legislative session in January, he said. If it passes, farmers could begin growing hemp by 2016.
"This is a big thing in ending cannabis prohibition," he said. "But more important, this is an economic decision. Every civilized nation on Earth grows hemp except the U.S."
Industrial hemp has been used to make many everyday items, including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, health food and perhaps most importantly, biodegradable fuel, Mulford said.
Hemp seeds will produce about 300 gallons of biodesiel fuel per acre, Mulford said, as opposed to 55 to 56 gallons from soybeans. Moreover, biofuel made from hemp doesn't gel until temperatures reach 20 degrees below zero centigrade.
"A farmer could used the biodeisel fuel from hemp throughout the year," he said.
Other advantages of growing hemp is that hemp material and fiber is extremely durable; it is easy to grow and requires no special equipment; it is valuable as a commodity crop or rotation crop that cleans and nourishes the soil as it grows; and perhaps most important to state farmers, it requires less water and little to no pesticides or fertilizers to flourish in Kansas soil.
"Kansas has a problem with water, but the root system of hemp penetrates the soil over 12 inches," he said.
Hemp also is a rapidly growing plant, it helps choke out weeds, has a strong resistance to most pests, can be grown with other legume crops and matures in just 8 to 12 weeks.
Mulford said there has been a misunderstanding about growing hemp that needs to be corrected; he urged those attending to talk to family and friends about the issue and contact their legislators.
"You don't have to be a pothead to support Kansas farmers," he said.
Meeting organizer Sharon Thompson, a Lincoln beautician, said the intention of Saturday's gathering was to educate the public and explain the differences between hemp and marijuana.
"A lot of people think it's the same," she said. "To pass this, it has to be a collaborative effort between (Kansas) counties. Hopefully in the next session it will happen."
Thompson taped the meeting and said she intends to put it on YouTube to help inform people who couldn't make it Saturday. Future meetings also will be scheduled in Beloit and Ellsworth.
Mulford said big oil companies should not fear hemp growers when they all should be partners in an industry that will profit them both.
If hemp growing is legalized in Kansas, one thing Mulford doesn't want to see is it become the monopoly of big corporate farms.
"I want this to be a mom-and-pop thing, something for the family farm," he said.
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