What's going on with industrial hemp?

Sunday, April 27, 2014

There has been some recent legislation passed pertaining to industrial hemp.

This crop could be an amazing opportunity for growers looking to diversify their farming activities.

However, I need to clear up a few misperceptions. Industrial hemp is not marijuana although it does contain a very low concentration of the psychoactive drug compound, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC compared with marijuana, which has high levels of THC and is typically recreational in its use.

It is not legal to grow or use marijuana in Indiana. At this time no one is allowed to grow industrial hemp in Indiana. So, what is all the buzz about with this legislation?

We must understand what industrial hemp is and what we can do with it. Industrial hemp is the cannabis sativa plant. Industrial hemp is used in manufacturing, such as for making rope, linens, paper and oils. In March, Colorado became the first state to allow farmers to register to grow industrial hemp.

On March 26, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed a state law, enacted by the state legislature in this year's session, authorizing the Office of the Indiana State Chemist and Seed Commissioner to pursue the necessary permits and authorizations for the production and regulation of industrial hemp production in Indiana.

The seed commissioner would oversee the regulations. These regulations could take a long time to develop. Gov. Pence signed the law in response to the 2014 Farm Bill passed by Congress in February 2014 that includes a provision permitting institutions of higher education (as defined by law) or state departments of agriculture to grow or cultivate industrial hemp for research, if state law permits such growing and cultivation

Indiana's new law authorizes that. Still, such research must comply with federal drug laws and any other applicable federal laws.The state law on industrial hemp was passed by the Indiana Legislature as Senate Enrolled Act No. 357.

The new law appears in the Indiana Code at 15-15-13. It states emphatically: "Nothing in this chapter authorizes any person to violate any federal law or regulation."

Indiana Seed Commissioner Robert Waltz wrote to the USDA and Drug Enforcement Administration seeking federal approval for research to be conducted in Indiana on the potential uses of industrial hemp and for the production of industrial hemp granted under the 2014 Farm Bill. Waltz says the process could take several months.

Until such permission is granted, neither individuals nor companies are permitted to grow industrial hemp or possess its seeds in Indiana. He is seeking guidance from the USDA and DEA, about the legalities of ordering industrial hemp seed to produce a crop, possessing industrial hemp seeds, using the seeds to grow a crop, and storing industrial hemp prior to shipment or transporting it to a processor.

When Indiana receives authorization to grow industrial hemp, all growers and handlers of the hemp would need a permit issued by the state seed commissioner. They would have to agree to a criminal history background check and consent to random inspections to ensure that the plants meet the definition of industrial hemp. No one with a drug felony or misdemeanor in the past 10 years would be granted a license.

There would be requirements involving record-keeping and proper labeling of industrial hemp in storage or transportation. For more information about industrial hemp and the letters that were on the Office of the State Chemist and Seed Commissioners websites go to http://oisc.purdue.edu/seed/industrial_hemp.html.

This article was adapted from Robert Waltz and Larry Nees, Talking Points about Industrial Hemp. For more information contact Ann Delchambre at 653-8411 or adelchambre@purdue.edu

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