By "Radical" Russ Belville on June 30, 2009
(Hemp News) June 30, 2009 – SALEM, Ore., — Yesterday, by a vote of 46 to 11, the Oregon House passed SB 676, a bill that permits production and possession of industrial hemp and trade in industrial hemp commodities and products. “I am glad that Oregon has joined the list of states that have agreed that American farmers should have the right to re-introduce industrial hemp as an agricultural crop,” says SB 676 sponsor, Sen. Floyd Prozanski. “By passing SB 676 with strong bi-partisan support, the Oregon Legislature has taken a proactive position to allow its farmers the right to grow industrial hemp, to provide American manufacturers with domestically-grown hemp, and to profit from that effort.” The Oregon Senate passed the bill by an overwhelming majority vote of 27 to 2 on June 19. Vote Hemp is optimistic that Governor Kulongoski will sign the bill. Oregon would become the ninth state to authorize regulated hemp farming under state law.
Posted in ACTIVISM, ECONOMICS, GOVERNMENT | Tagged OR SB676, Oregon, Salem
I am the host of the NORML SHOW LIVE and The NORML Stash Blog. I'm married, live in Portland, Oregon, and I am a registered medical marijuana caregiver in this state. I've worked days as an IT geek and nights as a professional musician. Previously, I have been the host of my own political talk radio show on satellite radio. I've been the High Times "Freedom Fighter of the Month" for my work producing Oregon NORML's TV show, "A Cannabis Community Forum", and for helping to institute Portland's wildly successful medical marijuana cardholders meetings, where we help sick and disabled Oregonians acquire cannabis plant starts, learn gardening, and understand the medical marijuana law. I've dedicated my life to bringing an end to adult marijuana prohibition and re-legalizing cannabis hemp, and I'm honored to be chosen by NORML to be our daily voice.
I think that risk is minimal. I’m told such a cross-pollination is unlikely unless the fields are fairly close together. There is already so much feral hemp / ditchweed growing wild in America that if this were true, nobody could grow outdoors now.
You got it. If we can get Ron Paul’s Industrial Hemp Farming Act passed, Oregon, Kentucky, North Dakota, and the rest can put their state hemp law into action. No state can really have their officials working counter to federal law (medical marijuana gets a pass because technically, the states aren’t violating federal law, they’re designating certain people to be free from prosecution under state laws.)
Now will all these hemp states have to wait for the Hemp Bill in congress before they can start growing? Or can and should we be now?
KY has had its law since 2001 and the Gov. now is in support of growing Hemp, but says the DEA hasnt let us grow it.
So what are we all waiting for?
I am curious as to whether this would cause more marijuana growers to move their crops indoors to reduce pollination by low-THC hemp to the more psychoactive/therapeutic forms of cannabis. You’d think the pollen would be everywhere if it were grown on a large scale, no? I think greenhouses would be a good investment about now…or whenever the fed recovers from its RCI* and restores our right to farm this wonderful weed.
*rectal-cranial inversion