Legislators are considering a proposition to legalize the growing of hemp for industrial purposes, according to Forbes.
Hemp is a plant that comes from the cannabis species, the same species that includes marijuana. Activists have been trying to get the growth of hemp legalized for decades and have conducted a Hemp History Week for three years in an effort to educate people.
Oregon senator Ron Wyden has proposed an amendment to the Farm Bill that would exclude hemp from the federal definition of marijuana. “Industrial hemp is used in many healthy and sustainable consumer products. However, the federal prohibition on growing industrial hemp has forced companies to needlessly import raw materials from other countries,” Wyden said in a press release. “My amendment to the Farm Bill will change federal policy to allow U.S. farmers to produce hemp for these safe and legitimate products right here, helping both producers and suppliers to grow and improve Oregon’s economy in the process.”
The retail market for hemp is over $400 million and if this amendment is passed, hemp will be able to be grown for the first time since 1957.
