Legislation to legalize the licensed cultivation of industrial hemp, House Bill 2668, has been approved by the Illinois House Agriculture and Conservation Committee in a 9-8 vote. The measure now awaits action from the full House. You can read the full text of House Bill 2668 here.
The United States is the only developed nation that fails to cultivate industrial hemp as an economic crop, according to a 2005 Congressional Resource Service (CRS) report. Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis sativa that contains only minute (less than 1%) amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Farmers worldwide grow hemp commercially for fiber, seed, and oil for use in a variety of industrial and consumer products, including food and clothing. House Bill 2668 would allow Illinois to authorize a licensed, statewide hemp industry.
Please use the pre-written letter at this link to contact your Representative to urge him or her to vote “yes” on HB 2668 and support industrial hemp in Illinois. NORML will keep you updated as this legislation moves forward. You can find further information on this measure from Illinois NORML here.
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