Experts are urging state lawmakers to pass legislation that would increase regulation of the state’s industrial hemp industry.
Processing plants could move forward with the right state policies and infrastructure in place, said Bruce Niemi, president of Oklahoma Industrial Hemp Foundation. The nonprofit advocates for increased development of hemp in rural areas.
Niemi pressed lawmakers to pass legislation that would create a commission to make regulations for processing plants to expand hemp uses.
“There’s so much testing that has to be done,” he said.
Lawmakers conducted an interim study on industrial hemp uses Monday. Interim studies can help legislators develop ideas for potential legislation. The study was held by Sen. Roland Pederson, R-Burlington, and Sen. Jo Anna Dossett, D-Tulsa.
The state Legislature legalized hemp with Senate Bill 868 in 2019. Hemp crop production was legalized under federal law in 2018.
Oklahoma’s hemp production is primarily used in cannabidiol (CBD) products and seed production, but it could expand to fiber used to make consumer products like clothing, straws and disposable plates, said Kenny Naylor, consumer protection services director for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and Forestry, which oversees the regulation of hemp in the state.
“This study allowed us to see what industrial opportunities there are in hemp production,” Pederson said. “Hemp can be processed into fiber that can be used to make cloth, biofuel, plastics and much more, as well as other byproducts like CBD, grain and seed. There are currently only 21 licensed growers in the state, and I hope that we will see that number grow in the coming years to benefit our state’s industries and local economies.”
Naylor said hemp production has declined across the nation due to COVID-19, a shift from hemp farming to serve the medical cannabis industry and a lack of processing facilities.
More facilities would mean lower crop transportation costs, Naylor said.
Naylor said it would be important to have more testing available to ensure hemp does not exceed the federal regulation set at 0.3% for total psychoactive compounds, along with testing for heavy metals.
The existing fee structure for hemp licensing would pay for a commission if the Legislature formed one, Naylor said.
Dossett said hemp could be good for agriculture in the state.
“Let’s start something that’s positive, and well regulated, so that we go above the national model,” Dossett said.
Senator Jerry Alvord, R-Wilson, said he would support industrial uses for hemp rather than creating additional medical marijuana or CBD products because the state has “enough of that.”
“I think diversity is intelligent and wise,” he said. “Opening up a market for the farming industry is a good idea, and I would like to see it regulated to an industrial use only.”
Hemp has been found to have more than 50,000 uses and is the strongest natural fiber in the world, according to a press release issued by Pederson. Each acre of hemp can yield up to four times as much fiber as an acre of trees. The plant also is drought tolerant, using just a fraction of the amount of water used to grow alfalfa or cotton.
Article courtesy of Bruce Niemi, Enid News and Eagle
