Albemarle County is looking to industrial hemp as its next cash crop as part of the effort to jumpstart economies in the industrially ravaged Southern Virginia. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the county could soon join a long list of Virginia localities that have signed resolutions to differentiate industrial hemp from marijuana. However, the stance taken by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration is a roadblock as it sees no difference between industrial hemp and marijuana. Proponents claim that differing levels of tetrahydrocannabinol, the ingredient that gives a drug user a “high,” make the plants distinct. Supervisors will consider the resolution at their February meeting.

Read the full story here: http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/albemarle-county-officials-show-interest-in-hemp-as-cash-crop/article_3aa71b94-70cb-5c98-b971-44e78433a639.html