New Mexico State - House Agriculture Committee has passed Historic Bill HB 565 for licensing the growing of “Industrial Hemp"

State Rep Ray Begaye (NM-4) discusses the positive impact of biotech and
the potential offered by hemp biotech in his state [1]

Attached is New Mexico House Bill 565 (.pdf - 214 kb) [2], and below is the press release announcing INDUSTRIAL HEMP BILL RECEIVING SUPPORT FROM NM LEGISLATORS - the House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee has passed Bill HB 565 relating to agriculture: Providing for licensing, growing, selling and processing of “Industrial Hemp - Santhica”.

House Bill No. 565 is sponsored by Raye Begaye (D-NM 4th District ), NM State Representative 7th term: Vice Chair; House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee; Concurrent Jurisdiction for Tribes, Nations, Pueblos and the State of New Mexico.

The progess of this bill was announced by Ray Begaye - from their press release: "House Bill 565 passed the agriculture committee by a vote of 8-l this past Monday.  The bill will go to the Judiciary Committee and then onto the Floor of NM legislature.  House Bill 565 upon passage will stimulate the New Mexico economy with producers, processors, manufacture, and growers."

New Mexico Industrial Hemp Coalition Contacts are Bernice Muskrat, Attorney at Law and CFO for The Native International Solutions, Inc. - Bernicemuskrat [at] yahoo [dot] com - 575-759-4412... and Gloria Castillo, President; New Mexico Hemp Commission - gjc777 [at] gmail [dot] com - 505-554-5476. They are taking donations through the non-profit Rural Coalition to support these efforts.

They are each and all to be congratulated!!

Among the reasons New Mexico passed this bill, from their Press Release about NMHB 565 and industrial hemp: 

• Can be used for energy Production in thermal power plants.
• Can be used for remediation in areas contaminated with hydrocarbons.
• Can produce biofuels at twenty gallons per acre
• French breeders have produced a plant byproduct called Santhica at zero THC level.
• Nutrient-rich Hemp milk is good for lactose intolerant consumers.
• Uses significant amounts of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.
• Has tremendous potential for combating climate change.
• A replacement for petroleum products.
• President Clinton signer a National Defense Industrial Preparedness Executive Order No. 12919 - which listed HEMP among the essential agricultural products that should be stocked for national security purposes.

With many states now having passed hemp farming, research and advocacy bills [3] around America - yet no states farming industrial hemp... and the Federal laws still against this crop - what makes NM's Bill 565 different... THE HISTORIC BILL that will finally lead to large fields of industrial hemp being grown in New Mexico, and America, for the first time in decades?

And, what will be the highest and best use for the first industrial hemp to be grown in America in that very long time... now appearing certain to be grown in New Mexico, IN 2011!!!!

There are many reasons I feel farmers in New Mexico will proceed planting fields of industrial hemp in 2011... beyond National Defense Industrial Preparedness Executive Order No. 12919:

• The bill has written into it a statewide government interest to partner with the Native Americans on developing their economy and the hemp economy
• Some New Mexico Native Nations have already legalized growing industrial hemp on their property - they are like countries within New Mexico, with home-rule and native-rule supporting the legal right for Native farmers to be licensed BY THE STATE to grow this 0% THC crop. 
• For renewable energy industry development on Tribal land, the Federal government has many programs to help Native Americans grow their economies and build renewable energy resources - and to help address environmental and social injustices
• The Native Americans can grow hemp now, and have extensive land and water resources and astounding growing conditions available now.
• The Native Americans have proof hemp was in use by them far before there were European settlers, so they consider hemp their native plant, and their right to grow.
• New Mexico Native Americans and other small farmers and grower cooperatives are cooperating on national EPA and DOE funding opportunities for developing the renewable energy and so hemp economy - $100s millions available over the next few years
• The Native Americans are putting Environmental Justice victims in-line to benefit from the positive development of the hemp economy, as is a requirement of EPA EJ guidelines
• The New Mexico legislators sponsoring NMHB 565 are making the hemp economy a priority for New Mexico state, in Washington DC - proposing national rule changes - and New Mexico has a history of innovation with energy, and pursuing opportunity for Native American interests and territory, and being successful with all that.
• Note - the New Mexico legislation is for THC-free hemp - 100% THC-free.

The other reason I believe that now, in New Mexico, in 2011, we shall see the beginning of explosive growth in the hemp agricultural and industrial economy, from the ground up, is hemp community stakeholders have formed an open cooperative of farmer organizations and industry representatives from around the world, interested in growing the hemp economy right, and to develop a commodities exchange for hemp industrial development, so farmers can grow crops knowing there are set customers, at set prices - and customers can plan product cycles or power commitments knowing their contracts will be filled.

That we call UCANX - United Cannabis Exchange [4].

Agua Das, founder and inventor of Hemp I Scream

Which will tell us the answer to the question, "what will be the highest and best use for the first industrial hemp to be grown in America"?

Let free market economics decide!

Here is more on how, where and why hemp will be grown in America again, starting this year - in 2011 - as reported here on realNEO before anyplace else on Earth: