Kentucky hemp supporters seek next victory in Washington
by Joseph Gerth
Apr. 5, 2013 4:22 PM
Gov. Steve Beshear will allow legislation permitting hemp production in Kentucky to become law without his signature, and now supporters of the measure say they plan to turn their attention toward Washington in hopes of knocking down federal barriers to the crop.
The bill will officially become law at the end of the day Saturday but will have no real effect until the federal government takes action to declassify hemp as an illegal drug or to grant Kentucky a waiver that would allow people to start growing the plant, which is native to Kentucky.
“We’re going to be figuring out a strategy about going to Washington and trying to get a waiver or trying to get them to lift the ban,” said state Rep. Paul Hornback, the primary sponsor of the bill.
Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, of Tompkinsville, a key proponent of the legislation, said he plans to talk next week with U.S. Sen. Rand Paul and U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth about how to move forward to obtain federal permission to grow the crop. “I hope farmers can start putting seeds in the ground next spring.”
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Hornback hopes to arrange meetings with people from the White House, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and hemp processors to demonstrate how the state would license hemp farmers and conduct tests to make sure they are growing hemp and not marijuana, which looks identical to the industrial plant.
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Paul and Yarmuth have promised to work together in an effort to get a waiver for Kentucky that would allow hemp production to begin when the framework set out by the new law is in place.
Massie, a Lewis County Republican, has already filed a bill that would nullify the federal prohibition of hemp in states that have laws allowing it.
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