State Rep. Brian Blake has signed on to a House bill to fund industrial hemp research in the state.
House Bill 1979 would authorize some $145,000 to be directed to the state Department of Agriculture for a research pilot program, which was approved in 2016.
According to the bill, industrial hemp can be used to make cloth, cordage, fiber, fuel, food, paint, paper, plastics, seed and seed meal, among other uses.
Differences between marijuana and industrial hemp are explained on the pilot project’s webpage hosted by the Department of Agriculture.
Industrial hemp was bred for its fiber and seed oil, while marijuana was bred for its narcotic effects. Federal state law state industrial hemp must contain less than 0.3 of a percent THC, the primary psychoactive component in marijuana.
Comparatively, many recreational strains of marijuana have THC contents around or upwards of 20 percent THC.
Hemp and marijuana are also related to hops and sugarberry trees, the website said.
The pilot program encompasses research-oriented growth by an institution of higher education or the state, as state and federal restrictions bar the commercial production of industrial hemp.
However, Hector Castro, a department spokesman, said they are still fleshing out guidelines for applicants and will likely take applications from individuals not associated with research universities if they plan on undertaking research that meets state guidelines.
Additionally, no part of the hemp plant, except for the seeds, may be used to create food, extract, oil, cake, concentrate, resin or any other consumable products.
Applications for industrial hemp projects are slated to be presented to the public this spring, Castro said.
