Oregon Poised to Enter the Hemp Business

The Oregon Senate has approved legislation which would allow farmers to cultivate and process hemp, a crop closely related to marijuana, the Oregonian reported June 19.

The bill now goes to the state House for consideration.

For the measure to be enacted, the federal government would have to first overturn a 1970 law that outlawed the growing of hemp along with marijuana.

Senator Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene) said that industrial hemp could provide an economic boost for Oregon, and has been pushing for legislation to promote the crop since 1997.

Hemp, which contains trace amounts of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, can be used to produce a wide variety of products such as food, clothing, and rope, and is cultivated and processed in countries such as China and Canada.

Some Republican senators also voted for the bill, including several farmers.