Grants Pass, Ore. – Oregon already has 17 registered industrial hemp farmers because it’s legal within our borders. Some of those farmers said the farming industry in the U.S. could be revitalized with the passing of this bill.
Kit Doyle has been in the hemp business for years, and he says deregulating this crop in Oregon is already proving helpful to the business and economy. He’s hoping to see the same thing happen nation-wide.
“This would basically make it like…avocados, you can make guacamole if you want. You can breed and sell everywhere across the state lines, you can do banking, you can get insurance for your crop and all of those things are really important in a traditional sense in the way our systems are built to have this crop be grown in any mass,” Doyle said.
Hemp can be used to make everything from clothes to earth friendly plastics to healing products. Until now, it’s been illegal on the federal level because of its ties to marijuana. But at least one senator wants to change that.
Local grower, Stephen King jr. says a change could have a big impact on agriculture throughout the U.S.
“You know you have all these different struggling farmers that they need new avenues for revenue, and you know it’s wonderful on a commercial basis for big commercial farmers, but its also great for these small organic farmers that can do craft hemp products.”
Hemp farmers want you to know, marijuana and hemp are not the same. Despite coming from the same plant hemp has no psychoactive properties, so it won’t get you high.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.