Harrelson was in court today in rural Boonesville, Kentucky, on charges that he planted four marijuana seeds as a protest gesture on land he recently bought in the vicinity. He faces a possible three-month incarceration on a misdemeanor posession charge.
"I came to this initially as an environmentalist; now I see it as an important crop issue for farmers," Harrelson testified. "One hundred and fifty years ago hemp was the leading cash crop in Kentucky, and in my mind I don't see any reason why that can't be the case again."
Hemp is a form of marijuana that contains only a small amount of hallucinogens. It has other commercial uses, including the making of paper and clothing. Hemp is banned along with the plants grown expressly for drug production and Harrelson argues that the U.S. ought to follow the lead of some European countries which make a distinction between legal and illegal forms of hemp.
Lee County Judge Ralph McClahan said he will take 90 days to decide whether to grant Harrelson's motion to dismiss the charges, with the understanding any ruling may be appealed to challenge the state's law that bans all forms of marijuana.
When asked whether he was interested in pursuing the legalization of marijuana in general, Harrelson laughed and said no. "That's not really my concern. In my checkered past, no one I knew ever had any problem acquiring it."