Today it was announced that a hemp bill that has replaced Senate Bill 313 could bring the production of industrial hemp that much closer to legalization in North Carolina. The News & Observer, reports that “Hemp Farming Gets Support from NC House Panel if the bill gets through the House and Senate, an appointed N.C. Industrial Hemp Commission would oversee a pilot program.” Also mentioned in the article, the commission “would grant applications for hemp farming and coordinate research projects with N.C. State and N.C. A&T Universities.”
On February 7th, 2014, the Farm Bill was signed into law by President Obama. This bill differentiates industrial hemp from marijuana and allowed it to be used by universities and agriculture departments for research purposes and pilot programs. The hemp bill North Carolina has proposed would allow hemp cultivation in the state if the House and Senate were to accept it. The sponsor of the legislation, Jeff Collins, believes that North Carolina would be the perfect location for farming because “his district is home to one of five decorticates in the world.” Collin stated that “The Spring Hope facility will give North Carolina farmers a leg up in this industry.”
It was also reported that a multipurpose hemp processing plant in North Carolina is 80% complete. The engineer, Jens Kleinert of Temafa Machines, says that he was incredibly surprised that it was going to be installed in such a short amount of time. This is his third time visiting the plant and monitoring progress. The plant is currently being prepared for maximum operational efficiency. An electrical contractor has already been put on the site to assemble electrical wiring; as a result, “over fifty percent of the wiring has already been laid in the cable trays.”
