Pubdate: Tue, 25 Mar 2014
Source: Minnesota Daily (U of MN,  Minneapolis, MN Edu)
Copyright: 2014 Minnesota Daily
Contact:  http://www.mndaily.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1280
Author: Roy Aker
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hemp.htm (Hemp)

HEMP BILL COULD BENEFIT U RESEARCH

College of Biological Sciences Professors Say the Bill Could Expand 
Crop Studies.

Legislation that would authorize the University of Minnesota to 
perform agricultural or academic research on hemp is moving through 
the state Capitol this session, gaining support from some faculty members.

Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, is sponsoring a bill that would 
authorize higher education institutions to perform industrial hemp 
research by allowing the Commissioner of Agriculture to administer 
the growth and cultivation of the crop through a pilot program.

Plant biology professor David Marks said the College of Biological 
Sciences is currently restricted to industrial hemp research in a 
small-scale growth facility and that the state's legal restrictions 
make it challenging to study.

"There's all kinds of different possibilities," Marks said. "The door 
would be opened if we could grow more plants."

He said that if the University would make larger-scale hemp research 
legal, researchers would study genetic mutations of the industrial 
crop and study new uses. Research funding would also be more 
accessible then, Marks said.

Due to provisions in the recently passed federal farm bill that 
allows academic researchers to cultivate industrial hemp, Kahn said 
support for the proposal this session is strong. Individual states 
need to pass laws for the research to be legal in respective areas.

If Minnesota made it legal, Kahn said, industrial hemp research would 
benefit the economy because of the high demand for the crop's oil, 
seed and fiber used in pharmaceuticals, foods and building materials.

Currently, Minnesota manufacturers process hemp into various products 
by importing the raw crop from Canada or China, where growth is legal.

But opponents of the bill say that by loosening the restrictions to 
grow hemp, people who are allowed permits could potentially grow 
illegal marijuana on the plots, Kahn said.

Because people with the licenses would be required to disclose the 
location of their plots, Kahn said, law enforcement would be able to 
easily track any illegal growth.

Marks said that the argument is flawed because cross-pollinating the 
two types spoils the marijuana crop and industrial hemp contains 
fewer mind-altering ingredients than marijuana.

The plant biology department is exploring the genetic differences 
between industrial hemp and marijuana by looking at the crops' levels 
of tetrahydrocannabinol, a mind-altering ingredient, he said.

According to the bill text, only 0.3 percent of THC, the active 
ingredient in marijuana, would be allowed in the industrial hemp. The 
average THC concentration in marijuana is 1 to 5 percent.

"The main thing about hemp is that it doesn't contain enough 
tetrahydrocannabinol to be considered a drug," Marks said.

Regardless of its lower levels of THC, the Department of Justice 
currently views hemp the same as marijuana, Marks said.

Thom Petersen, a representative of the Minnesota Farmers Union, said 
to a House committee meeting Friday that if the bill passes, farmers 
could benefit financially because hemp is a highly valued crop.

Currently, North Dakota State University is allowed to import and 
resell industrial hemp seed, and any resident is allowed to grow the 
crop if it meets certain stipulations, according to a state statute.

Legislators will review the proposal in the Ways and Means Committee 
in the coming weeks, but an official date for a hearing hasn't been 
set yet. A Senate version of the bill is gaining traction as well.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom