The wishes of both Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and the millions of Texans who see a desperate environmental and economic need for industrial hemp may soon become even truer. Similarly to their counterparts in the Texas House of Representatives, The Texas Senate has unanimously passed House Bill 1325, a bill which would authorize the planting and regulation of hemp within the state. The ripple effects of this bill for the big picture of Texas agriculture and the countless citizens who are employed in the industry could be tremendously beneficial for a number of reasons.
For starters, industrial hemp itself is a crop with as many vital and deeply important uses as The Once-ler’s thneeds from Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax”. Clothing, foods, ropes, tires, construction supplies and beyond can be produced from this long-cultivated crop, giving those farmers a much more expansive list of options and commodities that they may be able to produce. It’s been grown for literal millennia throughout civilizations across the globe and a select few of our Founding Fathers even grew the crop in their gardens. The crop was prohibited simply due to corporate greed and essentially the 1930’s version of FOMO (fear of missing out) on the crop’s usefulness originating from the DuPont Corporation and William Randolph Hearst mixed with their good friend/notorious racist Harry Anslinger’s power in the federal government.
Legislatively moving forward beyond the failures and missteps of the American government of the early 20th century while also benefiting a good portion of the country’s livelihoods’ is always a progressive step in the right direction.
Next, Commissioner Miller has admitted on multiple occasions that he’ll apply a somewhat laissez-faire attitude to the regulation of hemp, ensuring that the federal guidelines are being complied with but minimal regulation on the state level. In the upcoming months of the federal passing of The Farming Act of 2018 and in the recent months since, Miller became a vibrant proponent for hemp production in Texas, giving several interviews and visiting numerous high school agriculture classes and clubs across the state where he proclaimed the importance of the utilization of hemp.
“We’ll meet the minimum requirements, but we won’t put any extra burden on the farmers or the processes. We don’t want any extra regulation though. We’re not for that.” the permanently white cowboy hat-clad commissioner informed Dallas-Fort Worth’s NBC affiliate.
“The passage of this legislation is a big deal for the many Texas farmers who have been cut out of the hemp marketplace by state-level prohibition. Also, at long last, we will have what I hope to be reasonable regulations on consumable hemp products.” said Heather Fazio, Director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy.
A non-psychoactive crop that still contains medicinal value along with thousands of practical uses and a rapid cultivation cycle mixed with minimally regulated federal and state compliance laws could lead to a great age of agricultural prosperity for Texan farmers. As it’s unanimously passed both houses of The Texas Legislature, House Bill 1325 is on it’s way to Governor Abbott’s desk. Abbott hasn’t mentioned any opposition towards hemp in the slightest and will hopefully see the impact that the crop’s cultivation in a state so heavily involved in agriculture could have.