Industrial hemp gets the OK from Missouri lawmakers

JEFFERSON CITY • Missourians would be allowed to grow, cultivate, harvest and process industrial hemp under a measure that earned final passage Thursday in the Missouri Legislature.

The plant is part of the cannabis family, but contains a negligible concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC) — the intoxicating component to pot.

The proposal, sponsored by state Rep. Paul Curtman, R-Pacific, authorizes the Department of Agriculture to create a pilot program for the plant. To be classified as hemp, the plants must contain no more than 0.3 percent THC.

"Right now, we have manufacturers who currently have to import industrial hemp from out of the state, sometimes from out of the country," Curtman said. "It's a very hearty crop. It can grow almost anywhere."

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/industrial-hemp-gets-the-ok-from-missouri-lawmakers/article_88d9f9d4-664d-52a2-8144-6072fe76cf75.html