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HEMP BILL INTRODUCED IN IDAHO SENATE

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An article in the Post Register indicated that a bill to legalize hemp was introduced into the Idaho Senate on Monday, February 17, 2020. The State Affairs Committee voted unanimously to print the bill, clearing the way for a full hearing later. The sponsoring Legislators are Sen. Abby Lee, and Rep. Caroline Nilson Troy.

HEMP HAS BEEN LEGAL FEDERALLY SINCE 2018

Following the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, making hemp cultivation legal, most states passed laws allowing for hemp cultivation. Of course, Idaho was one of the few to stick their heads in the sand and not provide the advantage to the Idaho farmers offered to farmers in other states.

FEAR OF MARIJUANA USED TO STOP HEMP

A bill to legalize hemp production in Idaho failed after the Senate amended it extensively because of the worry it could make enforcement of marijuana laws more difficult. The new bill has an ‘emergency clause’ that would allow the bill to take effect immediately if it passes. One would hope that Idaho has discovered the way to field test hemp to determine the amount of THC it contains, thus eliminating the concern with marijuana laws enforcement.

HOW THIS EFFECTS CBD

It is unknow how this new bill would affect CBD sold in Idaho if it passes. Hemp naturally has about .3% THC when grown and this has been the sticking point with transportation of hemp across the state as any THC in a product is considered by the State of Idaho to be marijuana. If hemp is allowed to be produced with a small percentage of THC, then, one would assume that CBD with the same percentage of THC would be allowed to be sold.  I suppose time will tell on that point.

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HEMP USED FOR BUILDING MATERIALS

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A New York Times article explained another use for the hemp plant. Hempcrete is a building material used primarily for insulation but can be used to build walls if there is a weight bearing structure and it is made from hemp.

ADVANTAGES OF HEMP FOR BUILDING MATERIAL

From the article: “The most sustainable building material isn’t concrete or steel — it’s fast-growing hemp. Hemp structures date to Roman times. A hemp mortar bridge was constructed back in the 6th century, when France was still Gaul.

Now a wave of builders and botanists are working to renew this market. Mixing hemp’s woody fibers with lime produces a natural, light concrete that retains thermal mass and is highly insulating. No pests, no mold, good acoustics, low humidity, no pesticide. It grows from seed to harvest in about four months.”

As one can see, the material is versatile and has many advantages over traditional building materials, the most obvious is that it is sustainable and easy on the environment, not only as a building material but also as a plant.

FRANCE WAS THE FIRST TO USE HEMPCRETE

In modern construction, France was the first to use hempcrete as they looked for a substance that would help in the restoration of old structures. They developed it in the mid -1980’s to use for repair of the extensively damaged buildings that had been repaired using ordinary Portland cement. Using the Portland cement to replace the vapor-permeable earth and lime mortars and natural cements in historic buildings prevented the building fabric from ‘breathing’, thus causing the retention of moisture which damaged the timber frames.

HEMP IS A BREATHABLE INSULATION MATERIAL

One of the major considerations of using hemp as an insulation is its breathability. It captures moisture and air but is not a solid vapor barrier. In addition, it is eventually biodegradable and will return to the earth. However, it is also durable.

We can not be surprised to find that humans have been using hemp as a building material for centuries. An historic hemp house in Maisa village in the Nagano prefecture of Japan, was built in 1698 and is still in good condition.

WE WILL SEE MORE USES FOR HEMP AS A BUILDING MATERIAL.

As we continue to experiment with hemp, we will find more uses for its amazing versatility in the building industry.

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HEMP IS AN ANSWER TO PLASTIC POLLUTION

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Plastic was hailed in 1907 as the solution of a wide range of problems. Today, we now see plastic as creating a wide range of environmental problems. Obviously, we can’t do away with plastic. That would create more problems than it would solve. There is no doubt we need the many benefits of plastic in our modern life. So, what is the answer. Hemp is the answer.

HEMP PLASTIC IS BIODEGRADABLE.

The cellulose fibers in hemp is used to produce several varieties of biodegradable plastic. These plastics can be used in a variety of applications. Henry Ford used hemp plastic panels in his Model T Ford. This plastic was extremely hard and durable. Having biodegradable plastic would solve most of the environmental problems associated with our current Petro-chemical based synthetic plastic.

HEMP IS A SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT.

Unlike Petro-chemical based synthetic plastic which relies on vast stores of oil, hemp can be regrown for an unlimited amount of times. Hemp is a natural source of non-toxic biodegradable plastic that actually helps to keep the soil fertile. It needs less water than cotton and one acre of hemp can produce the same amount of paper as four acres of trees. Hemp averages two crops per year and trees take thirty to fifty years to regrow.

HEMP HAS MANY MORE USES

As we have mentioned in previous posts, hemp can be used for a variety of products such as bio-fuel, medicine, clothes, wood products, paper, ropes, sails, etc. The medicinal side of hemp, CBD, has been outlined here in this blog on many occasions, extolling the growing number of benefits of CBD. So then, why would it have been illegal for so many years?

HEMP AND ITS COUSIN, MARIJUANA

The reason for the ban on hemp has been the association of its cousin, marijuana. They are both from the cannabis family and because of that association, hemp was banned as a possible psychoactive drug. Once it was determined that a person cannot get high or intoxicated from using hemp or CBD, and the benefits of hemp were made clear to those in power, hemp was declassified as a schedule one drug and the 2018 Farm Bill made it legal to grow in the United States.

PLASTIC IS ONE MORE REASON TO ENCOURAGE THE USE OF HEMP

In conclusion, we should be encouraging our legislators in Idaho to legalize hemp production as it is in forty-eight other states, to help in the mainstreaming of its use in all products, including plastics. We can do something to help the environment by encouraging the use of hemp in plastic’s production. It will require a great deal of effort to combat the large and powerful oil and gas lobby in Washington.

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IDAHO FARMER LOBBIES FOR HEMP PRODUCTION

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An article in today’s Post Register reported that a Magic Valley farmer, Tim Cornie, had recently returned from a trip to Canada to learn about hemp production from Canadian farmers and researchers. Tim and his cousin, Kurt Mason own a farm and a new food company, Springs Mill, that specializes in organic and non-genetically modified food.

TOM WANTS TO GROW HEMP

Talking about his recent visit to Canada he said, “I came back thinking hemp was a very viable thing for Idaho.” He and his cousin want to grow hemp for the seeds to sell as food. He said the Magic Valley needs another crop.

HEMP HAS MANY USES

As we have mentioned before in this blog, hemp has many uses and benefits. It can be used for food, as the seeds are rich in important unsaturated fats, full of fiber and protein-dense; it has uses in wood products, for paper, clothes, fuel, and medicine, to name a few.

HEMP AND MARIJUANA CANNOT OCCUPY THE SAME FIELD

The article explained how hemp and marijuana are not compatible and if they are grown in the same field, they will render each plant an unusable hybrid. Many Idaho legislators are misinformed about this and think that there is a danger of people hiding marijuana in hemp fields. They could do that, but the marijuana would be then be unusable.

SOME LEGISLATORS HAVE INTRODUCED BILLS TO MAKE HEMP LEGAL TO GROW

Rep. Dorothy Moon has presented legislation to legalize hemp production. She said she thinks people are getting tired of missing the financial opportunities. Sen. Jim Patrick said he expects the Legislature to pass hemp legislation this session.

IDAHO NEEDS TO CATCH UP WITH THE REST OF THE NATION

It is time for Idaho to allow hemp production and to give Idaho farmers another crop and to compete with the rest of the nation.  

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THE CONFUSION AROUND CBD CONTINUES

NEW YORK BUST HIGHLIGHTS GROWING CONFUSION OVER HEMP

The CBD craze is leaving the war on drugs a bit dazed and confused. New York police posted on social media last week about what seemed like a significant drug bust: 106 pounds of what officers were convinced was marijuana. As it turned out, it was actually industrial hemp shipped in from a farm in Vermont, complete with the requisite paperwork to prove it.

OWNER ARRESTED WHEN TRYING TO STRAIGHTEN THINGS OUT.

Even though there was paperwork to verify what the substance was, when the owner of the hemp went to the police to get it all straightened out, he was arrested for possession of marijuana. The police stated the product tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, thus making it marijuana. As most everyone knows, hemp has an allowable percentage of THC (.3%).

POLICE NOT AT FAULT

The police are only doing their job and enforcing the law as they see it. The confusion surrounding hemp and CBD is the result of conflicting and confusing laws. What would help is certified and standardized testing and documentation that can follow any hemp shipment. Truck loads could be certified, locked and then the police can know the shipment is actually hemp and not marijuana.

IN TIME, THE CHANGES WILL BE MADE.

Eventually, the changes will be made, and all this confusion will be behind us. As CBD becomes more prevalent and as more and more people are finding how beneficial it can be for them, we will see the changes made in the laws. It will take more people contacting the people in congress and in the state legislatures and letting them know how they feel.