Kentucky’s battle over hemp seeds raises alarms in isles

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COURTESY HAWAII REPUBLICAN MINORITY CAUCUS
Rep. Cynthia Thielen, left, holds a block of hemp, with Gov. Neil Abercrombie on April 30 when SB2175 was officially signed into law. The bill authorizes UH-Manoa to establish a two-year industrial hemp remediation and biofuel research program.

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A Hawaii lawmaker hopes U.S. Customs won’t stop the shipment of hemp seeds from China that will launch a research project in Hawaii after a hold was put on seeds headed to Kentucky this week.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a bill into law last month that authorizes a two-year industrial hemp research project led by the University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

Lawmakers leery of supporting hemp had their worries put to rest inFebruary when President Barack Obama signed farm legislation that in part permits state agriculture departments and universities to grow hemp for research purposes.

Kentucky’s Department of Agriculture, however, is suing the Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice and U.S. Customs to release the state’s hemp seeds, which were recently held up en route from China.

"Hawaii, like Kentucky, has everything to gain with the introduction of hemp as a profitable crop for our agricultural industry," Rep. Cynthia Thielen, a 20-year champion for industrial hemp growth, said Wednesday in a news release. "It is shocking that the DEA would delay the importation of hemp seed in order to prevent the initiation of these legal projects."

Although hemp is identified as part of the cannabis sativa plant species along with marijuana, it does not contain nearly enough tetrahydrocannabinol to get a user high. The DEA in the 1950s, however, began interpreting the Controlled Substances Act as preventing industrial hemp cultivation.

Previous hemp research projects required DEA permits that were extremely difficult to obtain.

Thielen said she plans to keep Hawaii’s research project on track by meeting with key players Thursday.

"I am contacting the agriculture commissioner in Kentucky and am looking forward to a positive result from the negotiations between that state’s leadership and the DEA," she said in the release. "Hopefully Hawaii will not have the struggle that Kentucky has faced. and we can proceed with our project quickly and effectively."

UH scientists plan to study how well hemp’s natural soil cleansing properties can remove toxins from a contaminated site on the Hickam side of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam once the law takes effect July 1.