Pubdate: Sun, 11 Jan 2015
Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Copyright: 2015 Chicago Tribune Company
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/IuiAC7IZ
Website: http://www.chicagotribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/82
Author: Lexy Gross

NEW LAW FREES STATE UNIVERSITIES TO UNDERTAKE RESEARCH ON HEMP

4 Eligible Schools Taking It Slow on Rule in Effect Jan. 1

Illinois universities can legally grow industrial hemp now, but it 
may be awhile before seeds are planted.

A new law, effective Jan. 1, allows state institutions that offer 
four-year agriculture degrees to research hemp with a license from 
the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Two of the four eligible 
schools have expressed interest - the University of Illinois at 
Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State University.

Rob Rhykerd, chairman of the Department of Agriculture at Illinois 
State, said research at the school would focus on production and 
increasing fiber content in the plant. After that, it would be up to 
agricultural industries in Illinois to take the research and pursue 
hemp production.

"It probably wouldn't happen this growing season, but conversations 
will continue," Rhykerd said.

Hemp's close association with marijuana has been a roadblock for 
advocates. Hemp and marijuana are separate parts of the same species 
of the cannabis plant. The marijuana portions include the flowering 
tops or buds, the leaves and the resin. The rest of the plant - 
stalks and seeds - is considered hemp.

Industrial hemp has less than 0.3 percent THC, the psychoactive 
chemical that gives marijuana users a high. The average THC level in 
pot was 15 percent in 2012, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Studies show hemp fibers can be used in the manufacture of hundreds 
of products, ranging from paper to carpeting.

The seeds can be used to make personal care products, and the crop 
has potential as a biofuel and could aid crop rotations.

Peoria native Eric Pollitt, who runs Global Hemp, a hemp product 
reseller and industrial hemp advocacy organization, has been pushing 
to open the hemp market for years.

Pollitt works with Luke Haverhals, assistant professor of chemistry 
and biochemistry at Bradley University, and Brent Tisserat, a 
researcher for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to find natural 
ways to make building materials.

Although Bradley University isn't one of the four schools eligible to 
produce industrial hemp, Haverhals said Bradley could potentially 
partner with a university to conduct research. The researchers 
currently use processed hemp imported from outside the U.S.

Haverhals and Tisserat are working on several production methods, one 
of which combines hemp fiber, sawdust, cotton and a recyclable 
solvent to replace polypropylene - a type of plastic widely used to 
make car parts and other everyday materials. Haverhals said that if 
hemp could be grown and processed locally, it could be used to make 
paper, building materials and much more.

"We wouldn't have to cut down a forest in Washington and transport 
plywood to the Midwest," Haverhals said.

A changing political climate, combined with a 2014 federal measure, 
opened the door for industrial hemp in Illinois. The Illinois 
legislation mirrors a section of the Agricultural Act of 2014, which 
gave federal permission to states to grow hemp for research.

State Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria, said he decided to sponsor 
Illinois' bill after hearing from advocates. The General Assembly 
passed an industrial hemp bill in 1999 and 2000, but former Gov. 
George Ryan vetoed the legislation each time.

Illinois is one of 19 states with laws allowing industrial hemp 
production and one of 23 states that have legalized medical 
marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Dan Linn, chairman of the Illinois chapter of the National 
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said some hemp 
advocates are trying to separate themselves from the legalization of 
marijuana because of cultural stereotypes both groups face.

Farmers in the U.S. can't legally grow hemp because it's classified 
as a Schedule I substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration. 
Other Schedule I drugs include heroin, LSD and ecstasy - all 
considered to have no medical use in the U.S.

The Controlled Substances Act does not distinguish between hemp and 
marijuana. The Agricultural Act of 2014 exempted hemp research from 
the Controlled Substances Act, but not hemp use for commercial purposes.

In Kentucky - it's a state Pollitt classified as a leader in 
industrial hemp studies - universities worked together at campus farms in 2014.

David Williams, agriculture professor at the University of Kentucky, 
said the studies focused on finding the best variety of hemp to grow 
in Kentucky's climate. He said the biggest success was getting 
through all the necessary legal protocol.

Kentucky moved quickly to start research at its universities because 
industrial hemp is in sync with the school's agricultural mission. 
Williams expects the University of Kentucky to continue the program this year.

Illinois is taking a slower approach. Western Illinois University and 
Southern Illinois University, the other two universities eligible to 
pursue research in Illinois, don't have plans for industrial hemp any 
time soon, according to university spokeswomen.

The U. of I. doesn't have a specific proposal, but professor Trudy 
Kriven thinks it's important to undertake research. Kriven, an 
affiliate professor of mechanical science and engineering who works 
on ceramics and sustainability, studies hemp for its fiber use and 
said she thinks the university will move full speed ahead on the program.
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