Hemp, Inc. executives announce to shareholders today that another state, New Mexico, may soon join the ranks of states to legalize industrial hemp. According to the New Mexico Legislature, House Bill (HB)166, proposed by Representative Rick Little, overwhelmingly passed the House by a 53-13 final vote, last week. With a 50% progression to becoming state law, if enacted, this bill would exempt hemp from the state’s list of controlled substances thereby setting the stage for New Mexicans to annul federal prohibition of hemp. According to an article posted on the Tenth Amendment Center blog, the proposed bill would “open the door for a full-scale commercial hemp market in the state by treating it like any other crop for farming.”
Once HB166 passes the Senate and enacted into law, industrial hemp would be treated as any other crop grown in New Mexico such as chili peppers, onions, cotton, wheat, sorghum, beans, peanuts, potatoes or hay. New Mexico would not require a license to grow hemp nor require any type of state regulatory structure.
As reported by Hemp, Inc. last year, Native American-owned CannaNative LLC was in final talks with the Navajo Nation, the largest federally recognized tribe, to grow industrial hemp on reservation land in New Mexico, as well as Arizona and Utah. The Navajo Tribe signed a resolution to grow industrial hemp on tribal lands. That allowed Navajo to work with CannaNative to develop industrial hemp farming. (CannaNative is an organization that assists tribes in developing hemp and cannabis-based economies on Native American lands throughout the United States.)
Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp, Inc. said, “Legalization of industrial hemp in New Mexico would benefit its economy and help facilitate tribal plans of expanding sources of revenue and may help to counteract the trend of less families farming land.” One advocator for farmers and ranchers in New Mexico characterized it as a “troubling trend in New Mexico.” After careful analyzation of the trend’s dynamics, economic factors were found to be at the root of the problem. But with the enactment of HB166, growing industrial hemp in the state can help the economy thrive. “It’s inevitable. Industrial hemp will continue to grow into a multi-billion-dollar industry. And as I’ve said before, this couldn’t be more of a rippling effect. Just last week, it was Arizona, then New Mexico. Which state is next?”
Industrial hemp has even been called a miracle crop by many in the farming industry. It can flourish in variable climates, use half as much water as wheat and a quarter less than alfalfa, and it can be used in a vast array of products. In recent years, more and more state legislatures have taken action to promote industrial hemp as an agricultural commodity. “It’s time for New Mexico to join those ranks,” said Perlowin.
Industrial hemp can be used for a wide range of products, including fibers, construction, food, paper, insulation materials, textiles, cosmetic products, and beverages, to name a few. The plant is estimated to be used in more than twenty-five thousand products spanning nine markets (agriculture, textiles, recycling, automotive, furniture, food/nutrition/beverages, paper, construction materials and personal care).
Hopefuls in New Mexico are very optimistic about the legalization of industrial hemp, this time around. According to one article, “Some Republicans from farming areas are backing the most recent bill, seeing in it an economic opportunity for their districts.” As more states legalize industrial hemp, more opportunities become available for Hemp, Inc. to process the raw hemp. Hemp, Inc.’s commercial, large scale, 70,000 square foot industrial hemp processing facility, on 9 acres of land in Spring Hope, North Carolina is the only one of this magnitude in North America. The milling portion of Hemp, Inc.’s industrial hemp processing facility has just been completed which strategically expands the company’s worldwide industrial base for producing hemp-based products.
Hemp, Inc.’s industrial hemp processing facility is bound to become the mecca of this new clean green agricultural and industrial American revolution.
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