Kentucky Industrial hemp bill gains support; 12 members of House sign on

by

Gregory A. Hall

Source: courier-journal.com

FRANKFORT, KY. — Twelve Kentucky House members — including a former speaker — signed on to support a bill filed Thursday to promote industrial hemp production in the state.

Supporters of House Bill 286 acknowledge that the federal government’s regulations control — and effectively prohibit — production of the non-hallucinogenic plant.

But Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, a former House member, said passage of a legalization bill would provide an impetus to push for a needed federal permit for Kentucky to be a pilot program.

“It sends a message that this is something that we’re serious about in Kentucky,” Comer said.Industrial hemp can be used to make products including twine, paper and clothing. 

Comer and other supporters say it could help diversify Kentucky’s agricultural economy, which is still dealing with the decline of its once-dominant tobacco crop. Rep. Keith Hall, D-Phelps, said it also could be a revenue source for reclaimed coal mining sites.

The bill was filed Thursday by Rep. Richard Henderson, D-Jeffersonville, with co-sponsors including former Democratic House Speaker Jody Richards of Bowling Green, Prospect Republican David Osborne and Louisville Democrat Mary Lou Marzian.

The bill requires industrial hemp growers to obtain an annual license from the state agriculture department. It makes local sheriff’s departments responsible for monitoring and randomly testing fields to see that hallucinogenic marijuana, which comes from hemp plants, isn’t being grown.

According to a University of Kentucky College of Agriculture report, federal law technically allows industrial hemp production, but it requires a government permit. Federal regulation and Drug Enforcement Administration security requirements currently “make hemp production prohibitive, even at the research level,” the report said.