Pubdate: Wed, 18 Dec 2002
Source: Charleston Daily Mail (WV)
Copyright: 2002 Charleston Daily Mail
Contact:  http://www.dailymail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/76
Author: Deanna Wrenn, Daily Mail Capitol reporter
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hemp.htm (Hemp)

GROWING HEMP LEGALLY ON HOLD IN STATE

Strict Federal Rules Overshadow State's Year-Old Legislation

A year after the West Virginia Legislature legalized growing industrial 
hemp, the crop hasn't been grown in the Mountain State and it probably 
never will be -- at least without an act of Congress.

Growing industrial hemp is legal by state code, but federal regulations 
make it next to impossible. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration 
only allows marijuana growth for research purposes, and only then under the 
strictest of security.

The federal government doesn't make a distinction between the marijuana 
people smoke to get high, which contains a psychotropic chemical and the 
industrial hemp, which contains less than 1 percent of the substance.

That means West Virginia farmers can't legally grow hemp commercially, a 
legislative interim committee learned Tuesday, but it doesn't mean state 
Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass won't keep joking about his own 
marijuana efforts.

Douglass recently bid on and bought property near his Mason County farm 
that State Police acquired years ago when a person illegally grew marijuana 
there.

"As we're dealing with hemp, I might as well announce it: Your commissioner 
of agriculture has a pot barn," Douglass joked, adding quickly, "That's not 
to be confused with industrial hemp."

Theoretically, if Douglass did want to grow industrial hemp on his 
property, he'd have to do it under strict security like two other states 
currently interesting in commercializing hemp.

North Dakota State University was authorized by the North Dakota 
Legislature to study industrial hemp as an alternative crop, but the 
university still hasn't grown industrial hemp because its had such a hard 
time meeting federal standards, according to a report by Deputy Agriculture 
Commissioner Steve Hannah.

In Hawaii, industrial hemp is grown for research purposes only, focusing 
mainly on the cosmetic use of hemp seed oil. That state's one-quarter-acre 
plot is surrounded by a 12-foot high fence and 24-hour motion detectors 
connected to a commercial security system, Hannah said. West Virginia 
agriculture officials sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration 
asking exactly what the requirements for security are. Until the federal 
government makes a distinction between industrial hemp and marijuana, 
however, Hannah said it's unlikely that even research hemp would be grown.

"Growing industrial hemp commercially in West Virginia is economically 
infeasible under current federal law that considers it illegal," Hannah 
wrote in his report to the committee.

Douglass said several states were trying to get the government to classify 
industrial hemp differently than marijuana.

"This hemp issue will come up again," Douglass said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom