The Fairbanks City Council Will Urge Legislature to Legalize Industrial Hemp Cultivation

Councilman Lloyd Hilling's resolution garners 4-1 vote

Tools

By Dorothy Chomicz, Fairbanks Daily News Miner

Story Created: Nov 15, 2011 at 11:00 AM AKDT

Story Updated: Nov 15, 2011 at 12:36 PM AKDT

The Fairbanks City Council passed a resolution Monday “emphatically” urging the state to legalize the cultivation of industrial hemp.

The resolution, introduced by Councilman Lloyd Hilling, also urges the state “to petition the president of the United States and his Drug Enforcement Administration either to justify constitutionally its ban on hemp or to nullify its restriction on its cultivation and distribution in the United States.

The cultivation of industrial hemp is illegal in the United States, even though its importation and use in products is not. Hemp fiber and oil can be used to make a variety of products such as textiles, plastics, paper products, animal bedding, rope, essential oils, medicines and food.

Industrial hemp and marijuana are closely related, but unlike marijuana, hemp does not contain enough tetrahydrocannabinol to be used as a recreational drug.

The resolution passed 4-1, with Councilman Bernard Gatewood casting the only no vote. Gatewood, who is the superintendent of the Fairbanks Youth Facility, said marijuana and hemp are too closely associated in people’s minds for him to feel comfortable voting yes on it.

“I can separate the two, and see the value of a hemp product. I want to support the resolution, but I’m struggling because I just can’t afford to be associated with the legalization of marijuana in any shape or form,” Gatewood said.

Councilman Jim Matherly said he supported the measure because of the research he had done into the topic, and because he feels that it could benefit the state and the country if hemp were legalized.

“I’m not saying legalize pot, I’m saying, let’s get hemp growing,” Matherly said.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Frank Turney, a long-time proponent of industrial hemp, displayed some of the many items that can be made from hemp and urged the council to vote yes on the resolution.

Contact staff writer Dorothy Chomicz at 459-7590.

Add a comment

Name:

Comment: 1000 Characters Left

KTVA CBS 11 | Anchorage, Alaska News and Weather and its affiliated companies are not responsible for the content of comments posted or for anything arising out of use of the above comments or other interaction among the users. We reserve the right to screen, refuse to post, remove or edit user-generated content at any time and for any or no reason in our absolute and sole discretion without prior notice, although we have no duty to do so or to monitor any Public Forum.
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.