Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is urging Congress to legalize industrial hemp.
The effort is one of the many provisions contained within the U.S. Farm Bill, and Miller believes it could greatly benefit Texas farmers.
“It’s more of an alternative crop. It gives the farmers one more tool to make their financial decisions. It would be great for crop rotation,” Miller said.
Miller said because of its low THC content, you can’t get high from hemp and the bill would not allow for commercial marijuana to be grown in Texas.
“The potheads don’t need to get too excited because the products from hemp aren’t what they are looking for,” Miller said.
He said hemp is an outdoor row crop, like corn, and has has practical applications. For example, it can be made into a paste and molded to replace plastics.
He said there are also medicinal elements to the hemp plant.
“The newest thing and what’s got everyone’s attention is CBD oil, which has been shown to be beneficial at treating PTSD, (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), and a lot of other ailments,” Miller said.
Congressional leaders are resolving any and all last minute differences with the farm bill in a conference committee and plan to it to the president in the coming weeks.
Ryan Poppe can be reached at rpoppe@tpr.org or on Twitter @RyanPoppe1
