A federal farm bill agreement may allow hemp, which comes from the same type of plant which produces marijuana, to be grown in 10 states after an accord was reached on Monday evening, the Associated Press reported.
Currently, 20 states are allow medicinal marijuana, and two already allow recreational marijuana, according to the AP. Farmers who are interested in growing hemp say the move could yield immense profits.
"This is part of an overall look at cannabis policy, no doubt," Eric Steenstra, president of Vote Hemp, told the AP.
Hemp and marijuana come from the same plant species, Cannabis sativa, but the difference is hemp is grown to reduce or eliminate THC, the psychoactive chemical present in marijuana, the AP reported.
The states which already allow hemp to be cultivated are: Colorado, Washington, California, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont and West Virginia, according to the AP.
Colorado, one of the states which allows recreational marijuana, had their Department of Agriculture release licensing procedures for farmers who want to grow hemp earlier this month, but some farmers began harvesting hemp last year, the AP reported
Director of Smart Approached to Marijuana Kevin Sabet said the bill would not have any effect on whether states are becoming more lenient with marijuana, according to the AP.
"On the one hand, I think it's part of a larger agenda to normalize marijuana, by a few," Sabet told the AP. "On the other hand, will it have any difference at the end of the day? I would be highly skeptical of that."
If the bill is passes it will allow American farmers to create a competition with China and Canada who currently dominate the hemp growing market, the AP reported.
Though hemp has not been grown in the U.S. for a long time, the U.S. imported $11.5 million worth of hemp products last year alone, according to the AP. In 2000, $1.4 million of hemp products were imported into the U.S.
Historically, hemp has been used for ropes in the past, but now it is commonly used for clothing and mulch from the fiber, as well as for cooking oil, creams, soaps and lotions, the AP reported.
The bill is receiving support from different sides of the political platform. Republicans who see hemp as a cash cow are vowing for the bill, as well as Democrats from where some form of marijuana is already legal, according to the AP.
"We are laying the groundwork for a new commodity market for Kentucky farmers," Sen. Mitch McConnell who is a lead supporter of the hemp farm bill, R-Kentucky, said in a statement, according to the AP.
Before the bill is passed, the House and Senate must come to a full consensus when it hits the house floor on Wednesday, the AP reported.
