Industrial hemp is making headlines once again on the High Plains. The versatile plant—which lacks the levels of THC required to get a person high—still suffers from prejudice by association, and hemp growers aren’t able to access the same farm loans and insurance as other crop growers.
But now, as Colorado Public Radio reports, industrial hemp is gaining a new protection this year in the Centennial State. A bill authored by Colorado state Sen. Don Coram, who is a hemp grower, requests that the federal government not deny hemp growers access to water from federal reclamation projects.
Meanwhile, in Kansas, a bill protecting industrial hemp is waiting to be heard on the floor of the state Senate, after clearing the House. As Kansas Agland reports, supporters say the measure has an uphill battle in the upper chamber.