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Hemp Seed Bill Clears Colorado Senate

DENVER (AP) - An effort to help Colorado's new hemp farmers find seeds that produce hemp and not marijuana is advancing in the state Legislature.

A bill approved 35-0 Thursday would set up a "certified seed" program through the state Department of Agriculture.

The lack of reliable hemp seeds has kept many farmers from experimenting with the new crop. Hemp and marijuana are the same plant, cannabis sativa. But hemp is low in the psychoactive ingredient in pot, THC. Plants with too much THC must be destroyed.

RELATED STORIES: Marijuana Legalization Story Archive

The state Department of Agriculture has already obtained clearance from federal authorities to import hemp. So once the program is established, farmers and researchers will have a reliable source for seeds that don't produce pot.

LINK: Senate Bill 196

(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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