Alaska farmers push for hemp legalization

Jack Bennett of Homer (Photo by Maggie Hegarty and Nicholette Sutton)Alaska became the third state to legalize recreational marijuana in 2015, but it’s not exactly ahead of the curve on hemp, which comes from the same plant.
Now, with growing pressure to diversify Alaska’s economy, lawmakers are talking about legalizing hemp for commercial purposes — something at least 30 other states have already done.
For the past year, home builder Jack Bennett of Homer, Alaska, ha