Detroit, Michigan has a problem. Thousands of lots left vacant after demolition of structures are now a burden on the city to maintain, costing the city $3.5 million per year in grass cutting alone, and the solution just might be industrial hemp.
Greg Pawlowski, Detroit city planner and cannabis activist, is pitching an interested mayor on the benefits of hemp to solve their problems.
Pawlowski said the mayor showed interest in the idea of growing hemp on 35,000 lots left vacant after demolition of homes and other buildings. With much of that land polluted, planting hemp could help with soil remediation, according to Pawlowski, and the plant’s fiber could be harvested for production of automobile trim parts, an application already being used by some carmakers.
Pawlowski said Mayor Duggan already has policy analysts looking into the legalities of growing hemp in the city. Some re-zoning would be required, but it’s possible test parcels could be planted next spring, he said.
Talks with Wayne County Community College, a school in the city, about the potential for training programs are already underway, Pawlowski said. Non-profits could be set up to manage the urban hemp fields, he suggested.
Read the full article at https://hemptoday.net