Source: abc27.com
A black and white picture from Hanover, Pennsylvania circa 1908 shows a farmer harvesting his field of hemp. Thirty years later, it was illegal to grow the plant.
“Hemp was grown in Pennsylvania for hundreds of years and all of sudden, in the reefer madness craze of the 1930s, it got taken off the availability for farmers, so we are going to try and bring it back here in Pennsylvania,” state Rep. Russ Diamond (R-Lebanon) said.
Diamond introduced House Bill 967 to create a pilot program for industrial hemp research. The plant could be grown in special programs under the Department of Agriculture and at universities.
“It puts us in line with over two dozen other states who have already done this,” Diamond said.
“I think there is great potential to create jobs, protect the environment, and buy American hemp,” said Shawn House, CEO of Lancaster Trading House Inc.
House sells hemp products, but he has to import the hemp from Canada.
“My company’s goal has always been to contract with Pennsylvania regional farmers,” he said. “We will never stop dealing with our Canadian counterparts because of the volume, but we definitely want it for the seed, for the nutritional aspect, to eat and to use in our soft pretzels, sour dough pretzels, and mustard.”
His only concern is limiting who can grow it.
“We definitely want to make sure that it is open up to all universities,” House said. “I think that will inspire the kids to get back involved with agriculture.”
House BIll 967 passed out of committee unanimously and is headed to the House floor for a vote.
“We can grow it right here and make our farmers wealthy again,” Diamond said.
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