HEMP, HEMP, HOORAY

Well, it's better than nothing. The House voted 63-31 to make growing hemp
legal again - but only as a university experiment.

House Bill 855 originally sought to let farmers grow hemp under strict
state regulations and law-enforcement scrutiny. But its sponsor, Rep. Joe
Barrows, D-Versailles, had to weaken it considerably to get anything passed.

It seems too many lawmakers, as well as Gov. Paul Patton, worried that
growing hemp would lead to uncontrolled cultivation of its botanical
cousin, marijuana. But investors in that illegal cash crop are unlikely to
be waiting on hemp which doesn't contain enough chemicals to get anyone
high as a camouflage.

The bill, no matter how tepid, is a sign of legislative support for hemp.
The Kentucky Farm Bureau and four former governors extol the potential of a
crop that can be used in paper-making, as fabric in clothes, automobiles
and carpet, even as a substitute for plastic. The leftover pulp can be used
as animal bedding.

Given all the uncertainty about tobacco quota cuts, overseas production and
contract farming it would be irresponsible for lawmakers to deny a chance
to evaluate hemp as an alternative crop. The Senate should approve the bill.