Oklahoma House passes bill to criminalize commercial production of castor beans

In Oklahoma, a House Panel approved HB 2189, which would make commercial production of castor beans a misdemeanor, with a fine of $500 dollars.  On one side are concerns that this would be a beneficial crop for biofuels, but because of the ricin they contain, there is a probability of contamination of any nearby food crop, as well as the equipment to harvest, store and transport both castor beans and food crops.

According to the NewsOK article, research is ongoing to rid castor beans of ricin.