Event highlights ways to harness hemp

By Liam Migdail-Smith
Source: readingeagle.com


Reading Eagle: Liam Migdail-Smith | Les Stark, executive director of the Keystone Cannabis Coalition, shows state Sen. Judy Schwank a stone that had been part of an old Lancaster County hemp mill at a Heidelberg Township event on Saturday that showcased uses of industrial hemp. State lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow the plant to be farmed in Pennsylvania. 

Advocates for industrial hemp farming aren't waiting around for Pennsylvania to legalize the crop before planning how the state could benefit from it.

A workshop Saturday in Heidelberg Township sought, among other goals, to match potential hemp growers with product makers who would be looking to buy their crops.

That way, the industry will be ready to hit the ground running once the state gives its OK, organizers said. 

And there's good reason to start planning now, said Les Stark, an Exeter Township resident and executive director of the Keystone Cannabis Coalition.

Recent federal legislation has cleared the way for states to allow hemp growing. A few other states have started their own hemp programs, and if Pennsylvania doesn't join them soon, it will miss a chance to cash in on all the jobs and business a thriving hemp industry could bring, Stark said.

"We are just very worried that if Pennsylvania doesn't act with a degree of urgency, we're going to be left in the dust," he said.

In honor of national Hemp History Week, advocates set up a workshop in a parking lot off Route 422 to showcase the bamboo-like plant's many uses, which range from textiles to beauty products to food.

Headlining the event was a presentation on building with hempcrete, a cement-like material made with hemp and lime. Attendees could also learn about other hemp products and sample soft pretzels, mustard and other foods made with hemp seeds.

Former Philadelphia Flyers left wing Riley Cote helped organize the effort, and had a booth with information on his nonprofit Hemp Heals.

Outlining the efforts to make local hemp-farming legal were three state lawmakers: Sens. Judy Schwank and Mike Folmer and Rep. Russ Diamond.

Hemp was a staple crop in Pennsylvania before it was banned along with its cousin, marijuana. Both names refer to the same plant, cannabis, but different varieties, like feed corn versus sweet corn.

Hemp contains only trace amounts of THC, the compound that gives marijuana its psychoactive effect, Stark said. So it can't be used to get high. But scientists didn't know that when marijuana was banned in the 1930s, all strains of the plant became illegal to grow, he said.

Hemp products are available locally, but the ingredient has to be imported.

Schwank, a Ruscombmanor Township Democrat, and Folmer, a Lebanon County Republican, have teamed on a bill that would allow Pennsylvania farmers to grow industrial hemp. That proposal is being considered by the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, of which Schwank is minority chairwoman.

Diamond, a Lebanon County Republican, has introduced a similar bill in the House.

Schwank said the bill would create a system to start hemp farming's return to Pennsylvania.

"The idea is to get it growing everywhere, get more people exposed to the plant and get supply side of the operation up and running," she said.

Few issues are as much of a no-brainer, Folmer said. But the bill's success will rely on advocates making sure lawmakers understand its purpose.

"This is truly about education," he said.

The hemp push comes as state lawmakers consider allowing doctors to prescribe medical marijuana. And with marijuana now decriminalized in Philadelphia, there have been calls for an expanded, statewide decriminalization.

Saturday's event focused on hemp, though some speakers discussed the other issues as well.

Contact Liam Migdail-Smith: 610-371-5022 or lsmith@readingeagle.com.