The Hemp Report

     Hemp farming legislation is once again at the top of the news. The California Assembly has passed AB 684 by a vote of 41 to 29 (with 9 members not voting). The bill now heads to the Senate. It is reported that Governor Schwarzenegger has not yet taken a position on the measure. If you are from California, please remember to write your Senator and ask her or him to support AB 684 and hemp farming in California.

     Things did not fare so well for HB 424 in New Hampshire. Once again, the hemp farming bill there has been killed in the Senate. Overcoming law enforcement objections is key to getting hemp bills passed, but simply adding provisions to overcome these objections does not seem to be enough. We also need to overcome seventy years of misinformation and a lack of political will. Every failed bill is a learning experience, and with education to overcome ignorance and hope to overcome fear, New Hampshire will eventually pass a hemp bill.

     It has been said that hemp can be used to produce more than 25,000 products, and we see it being put to more and more uses every year. Products range from hemp-reinforced composite epoxy pallets to the latest food trend, hemp milk.

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