Pubdate: Thu, 24 Sep 2015
Source: Alaska Dispatch News (AK)
Copyright: 2015 Alaska Dispatch Publishing
Contact:  http://www.adn.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/18
Note: Anchorage Daily News until July '14
Author: Johnny Ellis
Note: Sen. Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage, represents District D, 
including downtown, Fairview, Mountain View and Airport Heights.

IT'S TIME TO LET ALASKA FARMERS GROW INDUSTRIAL HEMP

It is hard for me to comprehend that we live in a state where it will 
soon be legal to cultivate commercial marijuana, but it is still 
against the law to grow industrial hemp, one of the world's most 
versatile and useful crops. Last session I introduced Senate Bill 8 
to change that. The bill moved out of the Senate Resources Committee 
last session, but has yet to be heard in Judiciary. Although the main 
issue we will be focusing on in the upcoming session is how to deal 
with the fiscal crisis at hand, it is critical we pass SB 8 before 
the 29th Legislature comes to an end.

I introduced SB 8 as one, but an important, way to diversify Alaska's 
economy at a time when we are staring down a huge revenue shortfall, 
and the price of oil continues to drop. One bill, and the addition of 
one crop to our agricultural portfolio won't save us from the current 
fiscal crisis, but it can be an important part of a broader plan to 
diversify and to find our way to a more stable economy.

Hemp has been grown around the world for centuries and the spectrum 
of refined products is impressive, making it a valuable crop. Hemp 
can be processed and used for fuel, paper, rope, clothes, resin, seed 
food and much more. The plant was commonly grown and commercially 
available in the United States until the 1930's, and George 
Washington grew it in order to sell hemp for rope and sail canvas, 
two materials in high demand at the time.

It is legal to produce hemp all over the world, including in Spain, 
Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Egypt, Ukraine and many others, but not 
in the United States. Countries the world over continue to produce 
hemp, with thriving industries in China and Canada, whose exports 
account for half a billion dollars in hemp products annually shipped 
to the United States. Strict federal law bans the growing and 
cultivation of hemp under the Controlled Substances Act in the United 
States, with laws in Oregon, Vermont, California, North Dakota, and 
Colorado enabling hemp licensure. SB 8 in Alaska would add us to the 
list of those states allowing farmers to participate in this booming industry.

Of course, many people associate hemp with marijuana, two different 
species of the same genus, cannabis, contributing to its illegal 
status in the United States. To clarify, hemp comes from the genus of 
cannabis, but contains only minute amounts of the psychoactive 
compounds found in marijuana. SB 8 would make it clear, in statute, 
that any hemp grown, produced, harvested, sold, or bought may only 
contain .3 percent THC

The criminalization of hemp in the United States dates back to the 
hysteria of the 1930s, but recent changes at the state and federal 
level indicate that policymakers, and Americans alike, may be finally 
ready to reap the benefits of growing this amazing crop once more.

At a time when bipartisanship is at a premium, hemp has brought 
together such diverse allies as Sen. Mitch McConnell (R- Ky.), Sen. 
Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Sen. Jeff Merkley 
(D-Ore.). A provision included in the 2014 Farm Bill allows 
institutions of higher education and State Divisions of Agriculture 
to grow or cultivate industrial hemp with 31 other states introducing 
pro-hemp legislation.

It is my strong belief that Alaska farmers should have the option to 
add this valuable industrial crop to their options, and SB 8 is a 
bill whose time has come. Legal hemp may not be a lifeline out of the 
current revenue shortfall, but it can be one small but helpful tool 
for Alaska farmers.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom