Hemp research greenlighted
Jerry Fuentes sat in the back row at the state Supreme Court on Wednesday morning, but its decision was as much a victory for the Truchas resident as it was for any of the lawyers and politicians in the august chamber.
For years, the land grant advocate has been lobbying the Legislature to allow research of hemp production.
Two bills that would do just that were among 10, legislators argued to the court, that Gov. Susana Martinez improperly vetoed last year.
Siding with the lawmakers, the court has allowed those bills to become law, clearing the way for farmers to get licenses from the state to grow a crop long prohibited because of its classification as a controlled substance.
“Farmers in New Mexico can finally look forward to growing hemp without being
punished,” Fuentes said after the hearing.
A tamer cousin of marijuana, hemp is used to manufacture everything from clothing to carpeting to automobile dashboards. At least 30 states allow hemp production in some fashion. And Congress has signaled that it is moving toward opening up the country to producing the crop.
Backers of the two hemp bills, like Fuentes, want New Mexico farmers to be positioned to share in the economic prosperity that could follow.
“Hemp is a low-cost, low-effort, sustainable crop that is not only good for our environment but brings endless economic opportunities as well, from cultivation to product development, to marketing and manufacturing,” one of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Bealquin “Bill” Gomez, D-La Mesa, said in a statement.
Martinez, a former prosecutor, has opposed legalizing hemp production, however, contending that police might confuse the plant for marijuana.
To be sure, the bills could clash with current federal law, though some federal legislation has allowed for producing hemp in certain circumstances and many states allow it, from Colorado to Kentucky and North Dakota.
The measures in New Mexico gained support from many GOP lawmakers who see green in the idea.
The bills — the other sponsored by Sen. Cisco McSorley, D-Albuquerque — call for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to issue licenses for growing hemp for research and development purposes. That includes “persons and institutions of higher education.”
First, the department will have to come up with rules for how to get a license, how much those licenses will cost and how the state will inspect those crops.
And since the Department of Agriculture falls under New Mexico State University, its board of regents will have to approve those rules before anyone can apply.
Brad Lewis, division director for agricultural and environmental services, said it may be the fall before rules are in place and the department is ready to accept applications.
The department already has been getting plenty of inquiries from prospective applicants large and small, he said.