MONTPELIER, Vt. — Backers of a new Vermont law setting up state rules for growing hemp are coming back to the Statehouse for a celebration.

Rural Vermont is hosting a reception on Tuesday – Constitution Day – and will be flying a flag made from hemp outside the Statehouse.

Hemp is a crop that has many uses – from food to fabrics – but it contains a tiny amount of the active ingredient in marijuana and remains technically illegal under federal law.

Supporters of allowing hemp to be grown in Vermont say they hope a recent Justice Department policy announcement that the federal government won’t prosecute marijuana charges in states that have legalized the drug will also apply to hemp.


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