FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate Phil Moffett is under attack from a primary opponent for supporting a proposal to allow Kentucky farmers to grow industrial hemp.
Moffett has called during the campaign for restrictions to be lifted so that Kentucky farmers could grow hemp for industrial purposes. The plant is used in a variety of products, from textiles to cosmetics, and was once widely grown in the state before being banned by the federal government.
On Thursday, GOP primary opponent Bobbie Holsclaw's running mate, Bill Vermillion, sent a letter to Kentucky churches. In it, Vermillion, an ordained Baptist minister, called hemp a gateway crop to legalizing marijuana.
Moffett campaign manager David Adams dismissed the letter as a desperate attack.
Several candidates for agriculture commissioner also are promoting industrial hemp farming in Kentucky.