Vermont Hemp Bill Passes Committee

Legislation to allow Vermont farmers to cultivate hemp passed an important committee in the state House.

The Rutland Herald reported on Jan. 31, 2008 ("VT House OKs Hemp Farming Bill") that "Lawmakers in the House Agriculture Committee unanimously approved a bill that would allow Vermont farmers to grow hemp, a benign cousin of marijuana that boasts a variety of industrial applications.

A federal statute criminalizing the plant supercedes Vermont's legislation, so Green Mountain hemp won't go to sprout anytime soon. But advocates of the hemp bill say it positions local farmers to capitalize on the potentially profitable crop if and when the Drug Enforcement Administration finally relents. 'Eventually, the federal government is going to have to change its policy on hemp,' said Amy Shollenberger, executive director of Rural Vermont. 'We see this bill ... as making sure farmers in Vermont are on the front lines when it does.'"

According to the Herald, "Law enforcement officials in Vermont did not respond to an interview request for this story. Rep. David Zuckerman, a Burlington Progressive, chairs the House Agriculture Committee. He said Wednesday that testimony from law enforcement officials in Canada, where hemp is legal, indicate the two plants are easily distinguished. 'The reality, we've learned, is that should not be a concern,' Zuckerman said. 'Clearly, the 11-0 vote out of committee shows that the knowledge we learned created support across a broad political spectrum.'"

The Herald noted that "Lawmakers in the Agriculture Committee said they hope to see the bill go to a floor vote soon."