South Carolina lawmakers have approved legislation, Senate Bill 839, reclassifying varieties of cannabis possessing minute quantities of THC as an industrial crop rather than a controlled substance. The measure states, “It is lawful for an individual to cultivate, produce, or otherwise grow industrial hemp in this State to be used for any lawful purpose, including, but not limited to, the manufacture of industrial hemp products, and scientific, agricultural, or other research related to other lawful applications for industrial hemp.”
Members of the Senate voted 42 to zero in favor of the bill. House members late last week also approved the measure by a vote of 72 to 28. Senate Bill 839 now awaits action by Republican Governor Nikki Haley.
In February, members of Congress approved language (Section 7606) in the omnibus federal Farm Bill (aka the United States Agricultural Act of 2014) authorizing states to sponsor hemp research absent federal reclassification of the plant. Since that time, lawmakers in five states — Hawaii, Indiana, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Utah — have enacted legislation allowing for state-sponsored hemp cultivation.
On Monday, Illinois Senate members unanimously approved similar legislation, House Bill 5085, in their state. Members of the House had previously voted 70 to 28 in favor of an earlier version of the bill. Once both chambers agree to concurrent language, the measure will go to the Governor’s desk.
In total, more than a dozen states have enacted legislation redefining hemp as an agricultural commodity and allowing for state-sponsored research and/or cultivation of the crop.
Last week, Kentucky state officials sued the US Drug Enforcement Administration after the agency refused to turn over a shipment of hemp seeds that were intended to be used as part of a state-approved research program. State officials designed the program to be compliant with Section 7606 of the federal farm bill. A federal hearing in the matter is scheduled for Wednesday, May 21.
According to the U.S. Congressional Resource Service, the United States is the only developed nation that fails to cultivate industrial hemp as an economic crop.
The stomping ground of Jesse Helms. One more Red state to green state success story.
i know this is irrelevant to this article but this NEEDS to be brought some attention
i just read this on yahoo about texas someone needs to help this boy this is ridickulas
Teen faces life in prison over hash brownies
http://news.yahoo.com/life-in-prison-pot-hash-brownies-texas-150807587.html
It is about time! Hemp should not be registered
as a schedule one drug. Thank God for the poor farmers.
South Carolina is in the indica zone but with lighting might be able to produce quality sativas.
Source says:
Cannabis Sativa is the equatorial variety found primarily around 30 degrees latitude North or South. Cannabis Indica varieties generally inhabit the areas between 30-50 degrees North or South latitude.
source: http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2600.html
That 30 degree latitude runs right through upper Florida, New Orleans and south, Houston, and who knows how much farther west. There’s Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and other territories and protectorates in tropical waters where sativa varieties could be grown and could be RAKING IN THE CA$H! Cost comparison between producing sativas in the sunshine and palm tree areas of the South and whatever heat and lighting costs to create the environment sativas need indoors up north of the 30 degree mark.
Florida cup winners, Louisiana cup winners, Texas cup winners. Mexico will have to up its quality to compete for sales.
I’m waiting to see what more the Obama administration needs to do once Washington opens recreational retail stores. I want to see what Jamen Shively does to advance legal cannabis in the states where growing sativas outdoors has the best chance of success. Can he get the feds to ignore international treaties hampering the independence of the U.S. government to legalize it, or at least stop meddling in states where it is and will be legal? Then, he can import from Mexico, with help from his friend President Vincent Fox. It seems that legal market sales would give a visible trail of the money coming back into Mexico, and the objective would be for more of it to get back to the Mexican cannabis farmers instead of the cartels. For the guys at the top of the cartels, well, there is something to be said for less than in insanely huge profits in exchange for ridding society of the threat of gun violence and deaths, you know like beheadings and people getting gunned down and their family kidnapped. Cartel big guys will have to go legit, produce better product, expand their sales territory, provide people beneath them in the class network beneath them with living wages and (better) health care, etc.
I was watching Chris Matthews this evening (Thurs. 5/22)and he just pissed me off. He had two mom on with whom he was talking about the CBD use on children with seizures, a woman from NJ who lost her daughter because of Chris Christie and a woman from Colorado. Chris is still down on recreational use spouting shit like it makes people either stupid, unmotivated or both. I wish he’d stop reminding me that he’s an Irish Catholic from the Philadelphia area. I want recreational in Pennsylvania. If a loudmouth like Matthews would change his tune or retire. If you can’t get Matthews to become pro-legalization, I guess I’ll have to wait until he retires and maybe Pennsylvanian will have a better big mouth motor mouth for legalization with Smerconish.
What is it with you, Matthews anyway? Will somebody please re-educate this guy? What information is he relying on? Must be that 1937 level of science and societal beliefs on cannabis. Chris, wake up.
Not a moment to soon. Planting season is still on. The state of South Carolina needs to plant tons of hemp across their coastline before the next hurricane hits.
Eat your hearts out David Koch and Michelle Leonhart. The Green Age has arrived.
@Roy
The last I heard, TexasNorml director Cheyanne was trying to get a hold of him. Contact Cheyanne@norml.org
This poor guy is facing 5 to life for 10 pounds of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. The chocolate has more need to be a controlled substance than cannabis. Even if it was solid m.j. it’s still not right. Tragic irony is the marijuana was probably the healthiest ingredient in there. Cannabis, both hemp and marijuana, contain all the essential amino acids required by the human body.
I fully support Federal legalization for medical, recreational use, and cultivation/sales of Indica, and Sativa for all. The benefits are a fix to this nations woes! Wake Up America!
We the people of the United States of America forgive the Government for taking a most viable medicine, Cannabis from the arsenal of medications that nature has provided for humanity to use for its better health. We forgive you because we want a new start for the medication of Cannabis; this medicine helps to heal people of all ages. We must as a nation care for our hurting people as they know works for them as individuals and as a nation. Please put your greedy financial gains aside in order that we can heal however it works best for the individual sick patient. We the people of the United States of America forgive every business person, ever doctor, every politician for destroying the image of the medicine Cannabis for other financial gains; it is time to give Cannabis a new start. Let all doctors prescribe this healing medicine and let the naturalist grow their own, with this we will have a better America, we forgive you, now let us change this one reality, for a better reality, Cannabis the studied, proven, and best medicine for some real diseases and pain. We Forgive you people.m Please get real or get out of the way.m
Jessie Helms was from North Carolina.South Carolina produced Strom Thurmond. Not much difference,I know.
I have Prayed, and waited for this. Well more but it’s a start. Living with ON/AVN, Fibromyalgia, Bilateral Neuropathy, Clinical MS, as well as others has taken its toll on my Family. Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt, Cousin, and Friend. You would not know it to see my quality of life. Almost depleted. My poor Husband married a woman with a Degree she can’t use, and less than $700.00 in SS Disability. Stretched, and stressed I need Ins. For the Cannabis. Is it now Legal to smoke in South Carolina ? Praying for a Life to Live.
“Have a Heart, make a start, do what’s right, don’t fight, just sit down and take a Puff, then you too will realize it’s not worth all your Fuss”. Sincerely,
Mrs. Valerie W. Smith. ,’ ~.}>
This is a good step and has been a long time coming.