CORVALLIS, Ore. (KMTR) -
The department says hemp is an extremely useful renewable resource that is worth exploring.
Oregon State University plans on offering a unique class this spring and, as far as they know, it will be the first of its kind in the world. The course will teach students all about industrial hemp.
Hemp is the non-psychoactive relative of marijuana. It used to be widely grown in the US, but has been banned by the Federal government for more than fifty years.
The class will be offered online through the University's College of Forestry. The department says hemp is an extremely useful renewable resource worth exploring. It can be used to make rope, clothing, food and even buildings.
“Wood is still the largest volume renewable material that there is, but there is a lot of interest in other renewable materials and that includes hemp,” says John Simonsen, a professor at the College of Forestry. He helped organize the class and will be one of its guest lecturers. “The hemp market right now is in the neighborhood of $500 million a year in the US alone and all of that has to be imported.”
There are currently two bills going through Congress attempting to make the cultivation of hemp legal again. It is legal in Canada and many states have approved industrial hemp at the state level, including Oregon.
There will be forty spots available in the class. Registration starts February 24.
