'This will not get you high': Hemp legalization revived in Mississippi House

Bills died.

Deadlines passed.

A committee meeting left lawmakers exasperated.

But now, there is again a possibility Mississippi farmers will be growing hemp by spring.

The House amended and passed a bill Tuesday that would legalize hemp production in Mississippi.

More:These lawmakers struggled with counting. Now, MS farmers could miss out on hemp in 2019.

The amendment was authored by Rep. Dana Criswell, R-Olive Branch.

“Hemp is not marijuana," Criswell reassured his fellow lawmakers. “... This will not get you high.”

Hemp belongs to the same species as marijuana, but it contains virtually none of the psychoactive component found in marijuana and has several industrial uses, including insulation, textiles and rope.

For decades, hemp was classified as essentially the same as marijuana by the federal government. Last year, Congress passed a bill that recognizes hemp is not marijuana and legalizes its production.

The federal bill is expected to go into effect this spring. Criswell's amendment stipulates that hemp legalization in Mississippi hinges on hemp being removed from Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act.

Tommy Reynolds, D-Charleston, read from a publication of the Smithsonian Institute, which said George Washington referred to hemp 90 times in his diary.

“George Washington grew hemp," Charleston said, adding that other American forefathers, like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, used it, too.

Rep. Patricia Willis, R-Diamondhead, presented the bill. She was against the amendment, but it passed with a voice vote.

Representatives passed the overall bill, 96-15.

It still has to be passed by the Senate and signed by the governor before becoming law.

Contact Giacomo "Jack" Bologna at 601-961-7282 or gbologna@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter.