Missouri House endorses legalizing growth of industrial hemp

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri would regulate and license the growing of industrial hemp as a raw material for manufacturing under a measure supporters say is an economic development measure.

The Missouri House gave initial approval Tuesday to a bill that would legalize the cultivation of hemp, which contains very low levels of the psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol in marijuana.

Republican Rep. Paul Curtman, of Pacific, said many products are made with hemp that must be imported from foreign countries.

He says there's no danger the measure would allow easier access to marijuana.

Businesses seeking to grow hemp would have to go through a licensing process and undergo a background check. The crop would be subject to inspection.