Frankfort, KY - Bills to allow for the production of industrial hemp, a much taller plant that contains none of the qualities that make marijuana a drug, are nothing new during a legislative session, but for the first time a statewide elected official has come out in support of the plan.
Agriculture Commissioner James Comer led a press conference in the Capitol Rotunda Thursday afternoon to express his support for bills introduced in the House and Senate that would make it possible for the state to seek a permit from the Drug Enforcement Agency to grow hemp that could have more than 25,000 uses such as alternative fuels, make up, durable fabric, rope and even automotive, but not for a high.
"Industrial hemp can accomplish two big goals, it can expand a market for Kentucky farmers and it can create jobs for our communities," Comer said during the press conference.
"We can manufacture (with) this. It helps farmers to produce it and grow it, but we can have manufacture facilities locate in Kentucky and manufacture the various products and create jobs."
Representative Keith Hall (D-Phelps) who is sponsoring the House version of the bill along with Rep. Richard Henderson (D-Jeffersonville) said he feels Kentucky's automotive industry would benefit from the production of hemp if it occurred in the state. Currently, he said, BMW (which does not manufacture in Kentucky) has begun experimenting with replacing some plastic portions of cars such as headliners with hemp-based products.
Comer, a Republican, said a recent poll showed 70 percent of Kentuckians would support the use of industrial hemp, and he feels numbers are leaning that way among the state's 138 legislators.
"They need to (see the ties to economic development), this will be the fifth year in a row state employees have gone without a pay raise, we need to do something to generate economic activity in Kentucky and this is a viable option. It's not a drug, it grows well in our climate," Comer said.
The newly elected commissioner said the topic was a heavy point of discussion during his campaign and "I can tell through the course of my campaign the past 14 months this issue's come a long way in people's minds."
Hawaii is currently the only state permitted by the federal government to grow industrial hemp, though it is not being acted upon. In 2001 the University of Kentucky sought and was granted approval by the legislature to conduct research on the plant but their permit request to the DEA was denied.