By John Gutekunst | Parker Pioneer
“This is the single largest investment ever in the Town of Parker.”
With these words, Skip Becker of the La Paz Economic Development Corporation publicly announced plans for a large hemp processing facility to be located in Parker South at the Dec. 17 Parker Town Council meeting.
The presentation on the hemp facility was the only thing the Council could do that evening as they did not have a quorum. It was a situation Council Member Randy Hartless said was “embarrassing.”
Hemp was, for many years, a controlled substance. It’s of the cannabis family, like marijuana, but it does not contain THC, the chemical that gives marijuana its high. The production of industrial hemp, with conditions and regulations, was permitted by the 2018 Farm Bill.
