This from the Kokomo Tribune:
MIAMI COUNTY, IN- According to a study by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, one of the most ideal conditions for growing industrial hemp is right here in north central Indiana, including Howard, Miami and Tipton counties. But growing hemp for agricultural or commercial purposes is illegal in Indiana. That’s something a group of advocates and farmers want to change, and they’ve organized two events in Howard County to raise awareness and start a discussion on how to do that. Jessica Scott, executive director of Indiana Hemp Industries Association, which is sponsoring the tour, said that’s because some of the strongest advocates for growing industrial hemp come from northern Indiana. One of the few people growing hemp in Indiana as part of the state-approved pilot program is a Miami County farmer, who received a permit to grow 11 acres of hemp for research purposes. Scott said industrial hemp advocates are hopeful the plant will soon be legal to grow in Indiana, since it can be used for food, fuel, fiber, animal feed and as a dietary supplement. That would open up a huge market for Hoosier farmers and be a massive financial boon for the state’s agricultural economy, she said. Unlike other crops, industrial hemp production in the United States faces additional obstacles in the form of government drug policies and concerns from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) about industrial hemp impacting the illicit marijuana industry, according to Purdue University’s Hemp Project. Industrial hemp is one of the oldest cultivated crops, and a once-important source of oilseed and fiber in the U.S. It was first grown in North America in 1606, and the hemp industry continued until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1938, which ended the legal production of hemp in the United States.