Hemp As An Agricultural Commodity - Congressional Report

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Here is the full PDF download if you want to view it entirely, or save it.

http://www.nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/crs/RL32725.pdf

 

This is a Congressional Report that your tax dollars helped fund because your tax dollars fund government research. It was prepared for members and committees of Congress.

 

Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity Research Report RL327725

Updated March 23, 2007

Jean M. Rawson

Specialist in Agricultural Policy

Resources, Science, and Industry Division

 

 

Here are some excerpts taken from this 11 page report.

 

"Summary

In February 2007, legislation was introduced that would open the way for

commercial cultivation of industrial hemp in the United States (H.R. 1009; in the

109th Congress, H.R. 3037). The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2007 would

amend Section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802(16)) to specify

that the term “marijuana” does not include industrial hemp. Such a change would

mean that state law would determine whether producers could grow and process

industrial hemp within state borders, under state regulations. Currently, the Drug

Enforcement Administration (DEA) determines whether any industrial hemp

production authorized under a state statute will be permitted, and it enforces

standards governing the security conditions under which the crop must be grown."

 

"Currently, more than 30 nations grow industrial hemp as an agricultural commodity.1

About 14 of those sell part of their production on the world market."

 

"Hemp fiber is amenable to use in a wide range of products including carpeting,

home furnishings, construction materials, auto parts, textiles, and paper. Hemp seed,

an oilseed, likewise has many uses, including industrial oils, cosmetics,

pharmaceuticals, and food."

 

"In 1998, Canada authorized production for commercial purposes, following a

three-year experimental period and a 50-year prohibition. As a condition of receiving

a license to grow industrial hemp, Canadian farmers are required to register the GPS

coordinates of their fields, use certified low-THC hemp seed, allow government

testing of their crop for THC levels, and meet or beat a 10ppm standard for maximum

allowable THC residue in hemp grain products.8 Health Canada (the Canadian

department that issues licenses for production) reported 24,000 acres planted in 2005,

and 48,000 in 2006."