Hemp Producers

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by: Konola

Someone posted a meme at Facebook recently that showed a Henry Ford car made entirely of hemp. I’ve known for a long time that our constitution was printed on paper made of hemp, but it never occurred to me that it was strong enough to manufacture things like cars. Since then I’ve seen all kinds of memes promoting the value of hemp, which is not legally grown in the U.S., but legally grown in every other first world country. Just as Colorado is blazing a new trail by being one of the first states in the nation to legalize marijuana, it is also now legal to grow hemp in the state.

But nothing about growing hemp is easy. First it is illegal to import any of that hemp seed into the US, or to transport it across state lines. So hemp farmers such as Adam have to find seed suppliers within the state in order to grow their product.

I first met Adam at what looks like a farmer’s market booth, but is not on Main Street with the rest of the booths. Instead it is at a coffee shop popular with young, trendy adults. He was selling ice cream sandwiches, where the cookie’s ingredients included hemp. They are pretty tasty. Adam gets excited when he talks about the possibilities for hemp. “Imagine a landfill where everything, all the plastics, are biodegradable” he gushes, as his blue eyes sparkle.

I asked Adam what kinds of hassles he had with getting in on the ground floor of an industry that is as yet only quasi-legal, and he immediately mentions getting set up as an LLC, not the regulatory burdens that I expected. He is growing hemp on a 3 acre plot of land where he plans a three year crop rotation, with alfalfa growing on two acres and hemp growing on one. He has a license to plant one acre in hemp. The problem is that he really doesn’t have a market for anything but the seeds. The fiber, the stuff out of which Henry Ford made plastic for his car, has no market because there are no commercial processing facilities in the U.S. Adam can’t transport it across state lines without it being fabricated into something, and there are no local manufacturers needing his product. He’s experimenting with fodder and paper, but for now he’s a commercial seed grower hoping that lots of farmers will join him in growing the renewable and biodegradable products of the future.

He also proudly tells me that the labs that have tested his product have detected zero THC, the component in marijuana that is psychoactive. However, his plants have 3% CBD, which is the component in medical marijuana that has the most medicinal applications.

Certainly there needs to be a future for a product that can replace fossil fuel based plastics with hemp based plastics that are biodegradable and don’t involve chemicals any more toxic than fertilizers. I applaud risk takers like Adam and his partners. They are blazing a way for a greener future for all of us.

Now, if only we could get rid of the regulatory restrictions that Adam shrugs off.

Homework:

7 thoughts on “Hemp Producers”

mamajama55 says:

August 13, 2014 at 8:31 am

If cannabis were rescheduled from Schedule 1, as the most dangerous drugs are classified, to a II, III, or IV, in line with its medical uses and relative benefit / harm ratio, many of the obstacles to hemp cultivation and production would disappear.

I had a petition on whitehouse.gov to reschedule cannabis – but apparently, they suppress any marijuana-related petitions, although they allow active petitions on "saving the white race from genocide" and declaring National Omphalocele Awareness Day.

Anyway, apparently, President Obama can reschedule cannabis on his own by executive order, should he choose to do so. At present, he's letting states chart their own courses on this, which helps to create a groundswell of support, but helps not at all in terms of clear legal direction.

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notaskinnycook says:

August 13, 2014 at 8:56 am

It's not everything, but just getting law enforcement to stand down on cannabis is a really good start. Schedule II would still be a pain in the butt. Pharmacies would have to stock cannabis and one would need a new paper prescription each time; no refills. My wife's on a sched. II drug and that's how it works

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JeffcoDemo says:

August 13, 2014 at 1:48 pm

Adam needs to to EnviroTexiles out of Grand Juction, wholesale hemp fabric supplier, I presume they need the raw material. It's a wonder what two minutes on the googles can find.

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Benita Phillips says:

August 14, 2014 at 9:49 pm

I am the only Mesa County Sheriff Office (MCSO) candidate that has come out in support of cannabis and its cousin Hemp. Claudette is correct about hemp's uses. Our forests would not be decimated of old growth trees if Hemp had continued being utilized. It makes the most beautiful linen that is not only durable but naturally flame retardant. Hemp is a weed and therefore does not require tremendous amounts of water and NO PESTICIDES! The seeds are highly valued for protein and nutrients. What more can we ask of a plant?
Despite what the people like my opponents say about "The Feds are coming any day now for your guns," I see the Feds coming for the Cannabis sooner. Colorado is taking a lot of money out of some powerful people's pockets. As more retail stores open, there will no need to invite the "Mafia or Mob" into Mesa County to run horses.
As an RN I believe in Marijuana and I have seen it turn lives around that were destroyed by pharmaceuticals. Our State Medical and Nursing associations need to come forth and support their patients.
Our State officials need to loosen up on access to markets, seeds and equipment for the promotion of this product. Colorado can set the pace.

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1. notaskinnycook says:
  
  August 15, 2014 at 2:21 pm
  
  I've never wanted to live in Mesa County before, but I wish I did, just 'til November so I could vote for you!
  
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2. Gray in Mountains says:
  
  August 15, 2014 at 5:34 pm
  
  Cannabis does NOT need uch water to grow. But, to thrive it DOES need a lot of water and anyone growing it as a crop is going to want a high yield
  
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3. Gray in Mountains says:
  
  August 15, 2014 at 5:35 pm
  
  Cannabis does NOT need much water to grow. But, to thrive it DOES need a lot of water and anyone growing it as a crop is going to want a high yield
  
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