Producers ready if New York eases rules on hemp

John R. Roby, jroby@pressconnects.com | @PSBJRoby
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“Go into any health food store, and there’s usually a whole section of hemp products: Hemp shampoo, hemp beer, hemp clothing,” she said. “The newest discovery is the food angle.”
Hemp is grown for its fibers, which are made into textiles and building materials, and its seeds, which are made into food and fuel oils and meal. Most hemp products are imported from Canada, one of 30 exporting countries.
In 2011, more than $11 million of hemp products were imported into the United States, a number that had doubled in five years, according to the Agricultural Marketing Research Center (AMRC) at Iowa State University. That figure is itself in dispute. A 2014 report by the Congressional Research Service, “Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity,” estimates the value of imports at $37 million.
 
Full Article:
http://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/local/2014/12/03/new-york-hemp/19847349/