Democratic Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has taken the side of those who are opposing the inclusion of industrial hemp as an option for Kentucky farmers to grow.
Beshear alluded to the challenge of drug abuse in Kentucky as the reason for his concerns, which of course makes no sense because industrial hemp doesn't have the qualities its cousin marijuana does to create a high.
The resistance from law enforcement comes from concerns that marijuana could be easily hidden in hemp fields because the plants can only be identified in lab testing.
Republican Agriculture Commissioner James Comer has pushed for industrial hemp because Kentucky is suited so well to produce the crop, and the fibrous qualities of the plant can be used in numerous products in high demand, including foods, biofuels, clothing and paper, among many others.
The auto industry is also a major source of demand for industrial hemp, which would bode well for the commonwealth because of the strong presence of the automobile industry in the state.
There is no reason whatsoever in Kentucky to not allow industrial hemp to be grown. The idea that farmers have another crop to grow, which would produce more jobs and profits, only reinforces it is a good move to make. Just because it looks like marijuana is one of the most lame excuses for not allowing it to be part of Kentucky farming.
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