Hemp fibres 'better than graphene'

[Judi Lynn]

6. Hemp homecoming: Rebirth sprouts in Kentucky

Hemp homecoming: Rebirth sprouts in Kentucky
By BRUCE SCHREINER, Associated Press | August 16, 2014 | Updated: August 16, 2014 3:23pm

MURRAY, Ky. (AP) — Call it a homecoming for hemp: Marijuana's non-intoxicating cousin is undergoing a rebirth in a state at the forefront of efforts to reclaim it as a mainstream crop.

Researchers and farmers are producing the first legal hemp crop in generations in Kentucky, where hemp has turned into a political cause decades after it was banned by the federal government. Republican U.S. Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul advocate for it, as does state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, a Republican who is running for governor next year.

The comeback is strictly small scale. Experimental hemp plots more closely resemble the size of large family gardens.

Statewide plantings totaled about 15 acres from the Appalachian foothills in eastern Kentucky to the broad stretches of farmland in the far west, said Adam Watson, the Kentucky Agriculture Department's hemp program coordinator.

The crop's reintroduction was delayed in the spring when imported hemp seeds were detained by U.S. customs officials. The state's Agriculture Department sued the federal government, but dropped the case Friday after reaching an agreement on importing the seeds into Kentucky. The seeds were released after federal drug officials approved a permit.

More:
http://www.chron.com/news/science/article/Hemp-homecoming-Rebirth-sprouts-in-Kentucky-5692807.php