Colorado Governor Issues Proclamation Declaring Official ‘Hemp Week’

It’s officially “Colorado Hemp Week.”

That’s a result of a proclamation Gov. Jared Polis (D) issued to honor the state’s hemp industry.

The gubernatorial document notes that Colorado was the first state in the U.S. to lift prohibition of the crop and now “leads the nation in industrial hemp production acreage.”

“Colorado has long recognized the strong economic potential that hemp production offers our agricultural sector as a food, fiber, and cannabinoid producer and the increasing consumer demand for hemp products in Colorado,” it states. “Colorado has been a national leader in developing public policies that support hemp production, protect farmers and consumers, and treat hemp as an important agricultural product and not a controlled substance.”

“Hemp is a necessary agricultural commodity to promote conservation,” it continues. “Hemp products can provide sustainable solutions and options for consumers and businesses.”

Therefore, the governor announced that June 6-13 is Colorado Hemp Week.

Polis has been a vocal advocate for the state’s marijuana and hemp market. During his first State of the State address last year, he touted Colorado’s hemp research and manufacturing and said he wants to “seize on this opportunity under the most recent national Farm Bill to help make Colorado the national leader in industrial hemp production.”

More recently, Polis has pushed for a federal policy change to make the states marijuana businesses eligible for coronavirus relief.

Also earlier this year, he announced two pilot programs aimed at increasing energy efficiency in the marijuana and beer industries.

While Colorado was one of the first states to legalize cannabis, advocates are still pushing for further reforms. A newly introduced bill, for example, would set a definition for which cannabis businesses constitute social equity applicants. Polis’s office told Marijuana Moment that he supports the measure.

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Photo courtesy of Brendan Cleak.

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