FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Tiny hemp seeds that produced a drawn-out legal fight were freed from confinement and delivered Friday to Kentucky's Agriculture Department for experimental plantings, marking a limited comeback for the nonintoxicating cousin of marijuana. The seeds from Italy that drew so much suspicion from federal drug officials were unceremoniously unloaded from a UPS truck and then weighed by state agriculture officials. The shipment featuring 13 seed varieties came in at 286 pounds. It marked an uneventful conclusion to a standoff that pitted the state's Agriculture Department against the federal government. [continues 146 words]
LOUISVILLE - A week after suing the federal government for the release of a shipment of hemp to plant, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture appears to be on the verge of getting its seeds. After a second conference with U.S. District Judge John Heyburn on Wednesday, the KDA and the Drug Enforcement Administration reached a deal: the state, now a licensed importer of controlled substances as of Tuesday, will file paperwork for a permit to plant. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Schecter, representing the Justice Department and the DEA, said once the permit is approved the seeds could be released immediately. [continues 485 words]
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky's industrial hemp commission on Tuesday approved regulations setting guidelines for research projects that are meant to reintroduce the crop but are being stalled by a legal fight over distribution of seeds. The regulations aimed at keeping track of test hemp plots were drafted by the state Agriculture Department. The guidelines next go to Gov. Steve Beshear for his review. Later Tuesday, Holly Harris VonLuehrte, Agriculture Commissioner James Comer's chief of staff, said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had approved an import permit for hemp seeds. State officials have been assured they will be able Wednesday to get a shipment of hemp seed that has been held up. [continues 583 words]
After a week of legal drama, the hemp seed will be freed. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture was informed around 5 p.m. Thursday that the Drug Enforcement Administration has granted the state's permit to import hemp seed, according to Holly Harris VonLuehrte, chief of staff for Agriculture Commissioner James Comer. "It's historic," Comer said Thursday night from Louisville. "We've paved the way for the rest of the nation to be able to do this, and I think it's exciting. Judging by interest exhibited by so many states wanting to get into this, that shows it's economically viable. ... We're in the lead here in Kentucky, and I hope it will be very profitable." [continues 516 words]
A federal judge in Louisville has scheduled a hearing for Friday on the Kentucky Department of Agriculture's motion to force the U.S. Justice Department to release imported hemp seeds. U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II has set a 1 p.m. hearing on a motion for a restraining order and preliminary injunction filed Wednesday by Agriculture Commissioner James Comer. The state has imported 250 pounds of Italian hemp seed that must be planted by June 1. U.S. Customs in Louisville has detained the seeds for more than a week. [continues 863 words]
LOUISVILLE - Kentucky's Agriculture Department sued the federal government Wednesday, seeking the release of imported hemp seeds that have been held up by customs officials. The 250-pound shipment from Italy has been held for more than a week by customs officials in Louisville. "No state should have to endure what Kentucky has gone through in this process. We must take a stand against federal government overreach," Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said. Defendants in the lawsuit include the Justice Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Attorney General Eric Holder. Hemp is the same species as the marijuana plant but has a negligible amount of THC, the chemical that gets users high. The new federal farm bill lets state agriculture departments designate hemp projects for research. [end]
I don't know about you, but I have a hard time believing that heroin and marijuana should be lumped together in the same class of drug. But that is exactly what the DEA does. They list them both as Schedule I drugs, and that is the main reason marijuana is illegal. The DEA website describes these types of drugs as having "no accepted medical use" and having "a high potential for abuse." It also calls them "the most dangerous drugs ... with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence." [continues 406 words]
Rep. Robert Benvenuti, the most vocal opponent of the medical marijuana legalization bills in the Kentucky Legislature, is not the only one concerned about the growing acceptance of what is still considered a Schedule I drug under federal law. Benvenuti has called for more research on cannabis use, a sentiment echoed last week by Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health. Collins' comments were regarding the legalization of marijuana in general, not just for medicinal purposes. "I'm afraid I'm sounding like this is an evil drug that's going to ruin our civilization and I don't really think that," he told USA TODAY. "But there are aspects of this that probably should be looked at more closely than some of the legalization experts are willing to admit." [continues 464 words]
It's encouraging to read in Sen. Rand Paul's Feb. 6 column that American farmers may finally grow hemp - just like communist Chinese farmers. I've been purchasing products made with hemp for many years, which is all imported and I would prefer to purchase those products made with hemp grown by American farmers. A sane or moral argument to prohibit American farmers from cultivating hemp doesn't exist. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
Regarding Sen. Rand Paul's thoughtful Feb. 6 column, the U.S. is indeed one of the few countries in the world that denies farmers the right to grow industrial hemp. Apparently federal bureaucrats can't tell the difference between a tall hemp stalk and a squat marijuana bush. Prior to passage of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, few Americans had heard of marijuana, despite widespread cultivation of industrial hemp. The first anti-marijuana laws were a racist reaction to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched federal bureaucracy began funding "reefer madness" propaganda. [continues 74 words]
Frustration with Washington is pervasive. There is dissatisfaction because of revelations of what our government has been up to behind our backs. Just think of the Internal Revenue Service and the National Security Agency. There is also dismay that the federal government is locked in to the same old way of doing things - that, even when confronted with a sensible and reasonable alternative, some things just can't be changed. I've tried to challenge that idea and stand up when things aren't right, even if I knew the odds of success might be long. [continues 520 words]
Two law enforcement groups on Monday criticized efforts to revive hemp production in Kentucky as economically unsound. In a joint news release, the Kentucky Narcotic Officers' Association and Operation UNITE said they opposed Senate Bill 50 and House Bill 33, both of which would license farmers to grow industrial hemp. "All the rhetoric you're hearing from the small group of proponents seeking to reintroduce hemp cultivation is based on desired outcomes, not reality," said Dan Smoot, vice president of Operation UNITE, an anti-drug organization covering 32 counties in southern and Eastern Kentucky. Its name is an acronym for Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education. [continues 446 words]
Has it come to this? Kentucky State Representative Robert Benvenuti claimed, at the recent House Health and Welfare Committee hearing on SB43 the Cannabis Compassion Act, that he could, "fill this committee room with first responders, law enforcement officers and parents of dead children based on the effects of marijuana!" Are the arguments for continuing the prohibition of marijuana, even for the sick and disabled, so bereft of science and logic that our legislators must embarrass themselves with such ridiculous and inflammatory statements? [continues 509 words]
Part 3 (for part 2 refer to this link, http://www.state-journal.com/citizen%20news/2013/10/25/to-end-marijuana-prohibition-for-responsible-adults-or-not ) Recently in the news, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid embraced medical marijuana, political leaders from other countries are beginning to legalize marijuana and even President Obama stated marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol along with voiced his support to the states which have legalized it already. (If you've missed that last one here is an article about it, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/19/obama-marijuana-alcohol_n_4627740.html ) [continues 644 words]
It's encouraging to see more states working to allow hemp cultivation (Kentucky officials again approach DEA on hemp issue, Nov. 27). It's time to Re-introduce hemp as a component of American agriculture. Colorado Re-legalized hemp cultivation when it simultaneously Re-legalized cannabis (marijuana) a year ago and the sky has not fallen in. Now free American farmers may grow hemp just like communist Chinese farmers. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
A writer made some false claims in his anti-marijuana letter. I would like to correct these errors. He claimed that "most people who are for marijuana legalization are the ones who use drugs illegally." Some 78 percent of Americans favor legalizing medical marijuana, and 58 percent want it legalized for recreational purposes. So he was obviously wrong. He says that one joint is as harmful as five cigarettes. Cigarettes cause cancer, marijuana does not cause cancer. He again was wrong. [continues 172 words]
After reading several opinions in recent months by individuals and editorial boards advocating the use of marijuana as medicine, I feel that many Kentuckians have been misinformed about the ramifications associated with the attempt to legalize marijuana under the guise of medicine. While individual cannabinoids may have medicinal applications, unregulated smoked marijuana is far too impure to be considered medicine. Medi-pot proponents would have you believe that the entire plant has medicinal benefit, when, in fact, it is only a few cannabinoid compounds that have the medicinal value. [continues 683 words]
The citizens of America have decided that marijuana should be legal. Finally their Legislators are starting to listen to them. Twenty states have legalized the cultivation, use and sale of medical marijuana and two states, Washington and Colorado have legalized it for medical, industrial and recreational uses. Eventually the Federal Government will come around and the long nightmare of marijuana prohibition will be over. The ending of marijuana prohibition has been a long time coming. While America will no longer have a marijuana prohibition problem, it will still have the original policy of prohibition it uses to deal with drug use and abuse. The policy of drug prohibition started in 1914 with the Harrison Act which made opium and other drugs illegal and finally provided oversight of the drug market. This prohibition of some drugs and not others has fueled, as alcohol prohibition did in the thirties, a rise in criminal activity to supply the needs of a population of addicts who were suddenly cut off from the help of their doctors, and made criminals simply by the fact of their addiction. [continues 164 words]
You're dead, but let's pretend for a minute or so that you're not dead yet, but your time is coming. I want you to think about what folks around here will be saying about you: "I knew this was going to happen. It was just a matter of when." There's truth in this. As a drug addict, you have three choices: Prison, sobriety, or death. "I did everything I could to help her, but she wouldn't listen." [continues 930 words]
New Industrial Hemp Law May Have No Impact in State Gov. Steve Beshear listened to both proponents and opponents of a bill that could pave the way toward a return to the time when industrial hemp was a major cash crop in Kentucky - and opted to take a middle ground, the path of the least political resistance. Ignoring pleas from different constituencies to sign Senate Bill 50 and to veto it, the governor chose the third option: He allowed the bill to become law without his signature. [continues 623 words]
FRANFORT - The sponsor of legislation to set up a regulatory framework for hemp cultivation Wednesday asked Gov. Steve Beshear to sign the bill into law. Sen. Paul Hornback, RShelbyville, sponsored Senate Bill 50, which originally would have authorized the Department of Agriculture to license and monitor hemp cultivation should the federal government either grant a waiver to Kentucky to grow the crop or legalize the biological relative of marijuana. Kentucky used to be a major hemp producer in the 19th century and again during World War II, but as part of the federal effort to clamp down on marijuana, cultivation of the crop has been prohibited by the federal government. [continues 632 words]
FRANKFORT( AP) - Gov. Steve Beshear has until Saturday to sign or veto a bill that would open the door to industrial hemp farming in Kentucky. So far, he hasn't said what he'll do. The General Assembly passed the bill last Tuesday in the final minutes of this year's legislative session, giving the governor 10 days excluding Sundays to veto it, according to the Legislative Research Commission. The bill would allow Kentucky farmers to grow hemp if the federal government lifts its decades long ban on the plant. Hemp can be used to make products ranging from paper to cosmetics. [continues 230 words]
We tend to mythologize the dead; and perhaps that's fair with politicians who've passed, since we use them for rhetorical target practice when they are stumping the earth. But regardless of the intended spirit, today is a very special day for the memory of my friendly acquaintance and sometimes political rival, Gatewood Galbraith. On the surface, the two of us could not have looked any more different - my buttoned-down, over-dressed-to-try-to-look-my-age appearance was a stark contrast to his rugged and ragged hippie/cowboy mien. And the communitarian ethos of my attempt at being an auteur, The Compassionate Community, was a diametric challenge to the in-your-face libertarianism of his autobiographical "The Last Free Man in America." [continues 905 words]
FRANKFORT - Throughout a two-month fight in the General Assembly to license hemp cultivation - assuming the federal government allows it - supporters claimed many virtues for the kindred plant of marijuana. Maybe they should have claimed it offers powers of longevity and restoration. Because just when the idea seemed beyond resuscitation, it rose from the dead Tuesday night in the final minutes of the 2013 General Assembly. Senate Bill 50, sponsored by Sen. Paul Hornback, R- Shelbyville, and pushed hard by Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, seemed dead late Tuesday when Hornback ended negotiations on an amendment by House Majority Leader Rocky Adkins, D- Sandy Hook. [continues 785 words]
FRANKFORT To listen to members of Kentucky's revived Hemp Commission Thursday, a compromise on a bill to regulate cultivation of industrial hemp is just around the corner. That's not all. It sounded as if hemp can solve many of Kentucky's problems, adding jobs, producing clean energy and making Kentucky a leader in something other than basketball, whiskey and horses. Sen. Paul Hornback, R-Shelbyville, is sponsor of Senate Bill 50 which would establish a "regulatory framework" within the Department of Agriculture for the licensing and cultivation of hemp if the federal government lifts its ban on the biological relative of marijuana. [continues 556 words]
FRANKFORT - House Speaker Greg Stumbo says Kentucky's industrial hemp bill is dead. Stumbo told reporters Monday the bill is stuck in a committee, and it's too late for the House to vote on the measure based on General Assembly rules. The proposal would let Kentucky quickly license hemp growers if the federal government lifts its ban on the plant. The bill already cleared the Senate. Stumbo's statement angered the bill's supporters. Republican House Leader Jeff Hoover said Stumbo could suspend the rules and put the bill to a vote. Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said the measure could create jobs. The proposal is unpopular among law enforcement officials who say hemp could be used to camouflage marijuana, which has similar leaves but far less potency. [end]
FRANKFORT - Late Tuesday night, House Majority Leader Rocky Adkins, DSandy Hook, said he's been in discussions with Agriculture Commissioner James Comer about ways to improve a bill Comer wanted and the Senate passed to form a regulatory framework for growing industrial hemp. The Republican-controlled Senate passed a bill sponsored by Sen. Paul Hornback, RShelbyville, and backed by Comer to set up a "framework" for licensing and growing hemp if the federal government allowed its cultivation. The crop is currently illegal to grow in the U.S. under federal law. [continues 357 words]
FRANKFORT - An advisory opinion from Attorney General Jack Conway didn't do anything to clear up disagreements between Republican Agriculture Commissioner James Comer and Democratic Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo about legislating a "regulatory framework" to grow hemp in Kentucky. Comer has pushed hard for a bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Paul Hornback, which would set up such a framework, including allowing Comer to issue permits to grown hemp in 10-acre or larger plots. Comer and Hornback claim it could position Kentucky to be first in the nation to grow the crop if a federal ban is lifted, creating thousands of jobs and providing farmers a valuable alternative crop. [continues 428 words]
FRANKFORT - An advisory opinion from Attorney General Jack Conway didn't do anything to clear up disagreements between Republican Agriculture Commissioner James Comer and Democratic Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo about legislating a "regulatory framework" to grow hemp in Kentucky. Comer has pushed hard for a bill sponsored by Sen. Paul Hornback, R- Shelbyville, which would set up such a framework, including allowing Comer to issue permits to grown hemp in 10-acre or larger plots. Comer and Hornback claim it could position Kentucky to be first in the nation to grow the crop if a federal ban is lifted, creating thousands of jobs and providing farmers a valuable alternative crop. [continues 430 words]
FRANKFORT - The House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday passed Senate Bill 50 to provide a "framework" for the cultivation of hemp after days of pressure on the committee chairman, Tom McKee, D- Cynthiana. But House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D- Prestonsburg, seems in no mood to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Paul Hornback, R- Shelbyville, and pushed by Republican Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, would set up regulations for growing industrial hemp if the federal government legalizes the product. [continues 596 words]
FRANKFORT Watching the 2013 General Assembly is a bit like watching Kentucky's weather; if you don't like what you hear one day, just stick around for what they say the next. When lawmakers left town Friday, a bill sponsored by Sen. Paul Hornback, R-Shelbyville, to regulate hemp cultivation if the federal government allows it and pushed by Republican Agriculture Commissioner James Comer appeared dead in the Democratic-controlled House. Meanwhile, Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, told reporters he expected to share a House redistricting plan with the Democratic House caucus Monday. [continues 771 words]
FRANKFORT - There they were together, both promoting a new five-year strategic plan for Kentucky agriculture. But neither Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear nor Republican Commissioner of Agriculture Jamie Comer mentioned the word on so many minds in Frankfort these days: hemp. The plan, developed by the Kentucky Agriculture Council (KAC), lists seven core strategies, none of them specifically tied to hemp: next generation farming; new market identification; regional agricultural and rural community development; agricultural education; consumer education; government policies; and policy-maker education. [continues 494 words]
FRANKFORT - There they were together, both promoting a new five-year strategic plan for Kentucky agriculture. But neither Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear nor Republican Commissioner of Agriculture Jamie Comer mentioned the word on so many minds in Frankfort these days: hemp. The plan, developed by the Kentucky Agriculture Council, lists seven core strategies, none of them specifically tied to hemp: next generation farming; new market identification; regional agricultural and rural community development; agricultural education; consumer education; government policies; and policy-maker education. [continues 493 words]
FRANKFORT - There they were together, both promoting a new five-year strategic plan for Kentucky agriculture. But neither Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear nor Republican Commissioner of Agriculture Jamie Comer mentioned the word on so many minds in Frankfort these days: hemp. The plan, developed by the Kentucky Agriculture Council ( KAC), lists seven core strategies, none of them specifically tied to hemp: next generation farming; new market identification; regional agricultural and rural community development; agricultural education; consumer education; government policies; and policy-maker education. [continues 495 words]
Congress never intended for the cultivation of hemp to be halted. "The production and sale of hemp and its products for industrial purposes will not be adversely affected by this bill" was the assurance given to the U. S. Senate when the Marijuana Tax Act ( MTA) of 1937 was presented. Henry Anslinger, commissioner of narcotics at the Treasury Department, assured the acting chair of the subcommittee hearings, saying: "I would say they ( hemp growers) are not only amply protected under this act, but they can go ahead and raise hemp as they have always done it." [continues 655 words]
FRANKFORT, Ky. - State lawmakers would like to see a plant that is biologically similar to marijuana once again grow tall in Kentucky fields. The state Senate passed a bill to legalize growing hemp if the federal government - which currently bans growing the plant - legalizes its production or grants the state a waiver. Meanwhile, Kentucky's two Republican U.S. Senators, Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, along with Oregon Democratic Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, introduced legislation to allow American farmers to cultivate and profit from industrial hemp. [continues 65 words]
FRANKFORT If the Republican state Senate gets its way, hemp could once again grow tall in Kentucky fields the plant inhabited for years. The Senate passed a bill Thursday to authorize a regulatory "framework" for growing hemp if the federal government - which current bans growing the plant because it's biologically akin to marijuana - legalizes hemp production or grants the state a waiver. The bill passed 31-6 with four Republicans and two Democrats, mostly from southeastern Kentucky, voting no. At the same time in Washington Thursday, Kentucky's two Republican U.S. Senators, Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, along with Oregon Democratic Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, introduced legislation to allow American farmers to cultivate and profit from industrial hemp. [continues 565 words]
Public opinion in Kentucky seems to be becoming more receptive to the legalization of hemp in our state. Many people may not know this, but industrial hemp once flourished in Kentucky, especially during World War II, when farmers were encouraged to grow it for the war effort because other industrial fibers were in short supply. But the crop hasn't been grown in decades since the federal government moved to classify hemp as a controlled substance related to marijuana. Being able to legally grow hemp could be a huge economic boon for our state. [continues 305 words]
FRANKFORT, Ky. - In 1996 the actor Woody Harrelson, who has a sideline as an activist for legalizing marijuana, was arrested in Kentucky for planting four hemp seeds. Last month Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican minority leader, announced his support for growing hemp in Kentucky, his home state. Between those jarringly disparate events lies the evolution of hemp from a countercultural cause to an issue championed by farmers in the heartland and conservative lawmakers. On Monday, a panel of the Republican-controlled Kentucky State Senate unanimously approved a bill to license hemp growers. It was promoted by the state agriculture commissioner and three members of the state's Congressional delegation, including Senator Rand Paul, who removed his jacket to testify in a white shirt that he announced was made of hemp fibers. [continues 928 words]
Regulation Of Industrial Hemp The pitch was the same but an all-star cast of salesmen went before the Senate Agriculture Committee Monday advocating passage of a bill to authorize regulation of industrial hemp in Kentucky. Senate Bill 50, sponsored by the committee's chairman, Sen. Paul Hornback, R-Shelbyville, won unanimous approval, that in itself a minor surprise as two members thought to have questions about the bill, Sen. Sara Beth Gregory, R-Monticello, and Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville voted for it. [continues 468 words]
FRANKFORT - The pitch was the same but an all-star cast of salesmen went before the Senate Agriculture Committee Monday advocating passage of a bill to authorize regulation of industrial hemp in Kentucky. Senate Bill 50, sponsored by the committee's chairman, Sen. Paul Hornback, R- Shelbyville, won unanimous approval, that in itself a minor surprise as two members thought to have questions about the bill, Sen. Sara Beth Gregory, R- Monticello, and Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville voted for it. [continues 756 words]
FRANKFORT - Erin Hopkins, an Eastern Kentucky University premed biology major from Corbin, understands marijuana won't cure all ills. But that's no reason, she says, to ignore the compassionate medical uses of the illegal drug. "We can't cure everyone with cancer; we can't cure anyone with AIDS," Hopkins told about 100 people gathered in a room at the Capitol Annex Wednesday to voice support for passage of a bill to legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky. "But the least we can do is to allow them to relieve some of the side effects with a plant that grows naturally," she said. [continues 505 words]
FRANKFORT - Erin Hopkins, an Eastern Kentucky University pre-med biology major from Corbin, understands marijuana won't cure all ills. But that's no reason, she says, to ignore the compassionate medical uses of the illegal drug. "We can't cure everyone with cancer; we can't cure anyone with AIDS," Hopkins told about 100 people gathered in a room at the Capitol Annex Wednesday to voice support for passage of a bill to legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky. "But the least we can do is to allow them to relieve some of the side effects with a plant that grows naturally," she said. [continues 504 words]
What a nation of hypocrites we Americans have become. While our elected officials use tragedies like the massacre of schoolchildren to push for gun control, ignoring the Second Amendment, Jan. 22 marked the anniversary of an atrocity equal to the Holocaust and all the war dead in all our American wars plus all murders. I am referring to the premeditated slaughter of millions of children as a result of the Roe v. Wade ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. We will never know what wonderful people - maybe even a few presidents - we have lost in this slaughter, maybe even someone who could have cured cancer. I believe the so-called "justices" who made this decision possible should be tried for crimes against humanity, as well as those who continue to uphold it. [continues 112 words]
Frankfort seems suddenly enveloped in a haze. It's not a purple haze but it's close. Hemp is all the rage and those for it and those against it are raging. For a person of my age and generation, there's something funny here but I haven't quite cut through all the smoke to figure out exactly what it is. But the folks once known as the law-and-order bunch are fighting the Kentucky State Police and others over whether to legalize industrial hemp. [continues 537 words]
Hemp, perhaps Kentucky's biggest cash crop in the 19th century, could be commercially viable for the state's farmers in the 21th century. Agriculture Commissioner James Comer visited the Madison County Courthouse to meet with local 4- H and FFA members and encourage local residents to make a voluntary $ 10 donation when they renew their farm license plates. That's the opinion of state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer who visited Richmond on Friday morning during a swing through central Kentucky to promote sales of the license plates that generate funds for the Kentucky Proud, 4- H and FFA programs. [continues 555 words]
I remember when the late Lexington attorney Gatewood Galbraith made his first run for statewide office in 1983. He ran for agriculture commissioner on a platform based largely on legalizing the growing of industrial hemp in the commonwealth. Not surprisingly, he was dismissed as a kook and placed dead last in a four-candidate Democratic primary with only 12 percent of the vote. The fact that Kentucky's current agriculture, James Comer, is touting the exact same idea 30 years later as a potential savior of the state's farm economy - and is being taken quite seriously - proves Galbraith was a true visionary and a man ahead of his time. [continues 589 words]
FRANKFORT Frankfort seems suddenly enveloped in a haze. It's not a purple haze, but it's close. Hemp is all the rage and those for it and those against it are raging. For a person of my age and generation there's something funny here, but I haven't quite cut through all the smoke to figure out exactly what it is. But the folks once known as the law-and-order bunch are fighting the Kentucky State Police and others over whether to legalize industrial hemp. [continues 534 words]
Frankfort seems suddenly enveloped in a haze. It's not a purple haze, but it's close. Hemp is all the rage and those for it and those against it are raging. For a person of my age and generation there's something funny here, but I haven't quite cut through all the smoke to figure out exactly what it is. But the folks once known as the law and order bunch are fighting the Kentucky State Police and others over whether to legalize industrial hemp. [continues 534 words]
LOUISVILLE ( AP) - Efforts to re-establish industrial hemp in the state where it once flourished won support Thursday from U. S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said its legalization would benefit farmers and produce jobs to convert the plants into products. Hemp supporters trumpeted the timely thumbs-up from Kentucky's most powerful Republican. It comes amid a lobbying campaign by hemp backers and detractors before state lawmakers resume their regular 2013 session next week in Frankfort. "I am convinced that allowing its production will be a positive development for Kentucky's farm families and economy," McConnell said in a statement. "The utilization of hemp to produce everything from clothing to paper is real and if there is a capacity to center a new domestic industry in Kentucky that will create jobs in these difficult economic times, that sounds like a good thing to me." [continues 414 words]
Inside Kentucky
