The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Photo: Britt Reins
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is exploring the possibility of growing hemp on its lands in Connecticut, The New London Day reports. The tribe is still in the "early research phase," a spokesperson told the paper. Crops could be used for a variety of purposes if the effort goes forward. “We’ve been exploring a variety of potential economic diversification opportunities,” Lori Potter, the tribe's director of communications, told the paper. “Industrial hemp is merely one of them, and we are interested in its potential as an eco-friendly, sustainable building material.” Hemp is not legal in the U.S. and federal authorities raided the Menominee Nation for growing the plant on its reservation in Wisconsin. But the 2014 Farm Bill contains an exception for states that establish industrial hemp programs. A bill making its way through the Connecticut Legislature, S.B. No. 603, would do just that, presumably opening up an opportunity for the Mashantuckets. The Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation is also interested, The Day reported, citing comments from a state lawmaker Read More on the Story:
Bill calls for research into possible production of industrial hemp in state (The New London Day 4/21)
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