There has been a war sparking up among Oregon State University and Oregon Department of Agriculture and Democrats in Oregon’s congressional delegation who state that the school and agency have failed to act on the opportunity to make Oregon a hemp leader. Oregon’s Democrats have made it very clear that they are discontent with the agency and the university for their resistance to hemp. The university and the Department of Agriculture replied refused to reply. Lawmakers have been making an effort to figure out why even after giving farmers the ability to grow hemp, why they are not taking the necessary steps to spark the industry.
“It’s insane that we’re having this conversation today,” Representative Earl Blumenauer, a Portland Democrat, and cannabis supporter stated.
Blumenauer strongly supported the Farm Bill in 2014, which allowed state departments of agriculture as well as universities to grow hemp for research pilot programs. This bill was passed to prepare for hemp legalization which Congress is slowly working towards. Since the bill has been passed, farmers around the state are growing hemp, a crop that derives from Cannabis. The difference between it and marijuana, though, is that hemp contains little THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. There have been many setbacks that have resulted in only nine farmers being able to actually plant hemp no matter how many farmers would like to grow the plant.
The Farm Bill is what opened up many possibilities in Colorado, where the Department of Agriculture has begun licensing hemp farmers, which protects them from the Drug Enforcement Administration. These efforts have led to thousands of acres able to be cultivated this autumn. Other state departments of agriculture are looking to set up programs that will give researchers and farmers the ability to grow hemp. Blumenauer stated that if OSU does not make moves to introduce a hemp research program, another school in the area shall.
“It will happen. The question is whether Oregon State University is going to be left behind,” said Blumenauer. “It could be Washington State. It can be in California. The work will be done.”
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