Pubdate: Tue, 03 Oct 2006
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA)
Copyright: 2006 Santa Cruz Sentinel
Contact: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/news/edit/form.htm
Website: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/394
Author: Tom Ragan, Sentinel Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

GOVERNOR VETOES THE LEGALIZATION OF HEMP OVER THE WEEKEND

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's weekend decision to veto a bill that 
legalized growing hemp in California was greeted with disdain by the 
state assemblyman who supported it.

The Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau also was frustrated with the veto, 
saying growers are always looking for viable crop alternatives, and 
that hemp could have been one given demand.

But Schwarzenegger, in a statement Saturday, said while he supports 
the development of new crops in the state, he felt he could not 
approve the legalization of hemp, a type of cannabis related to 
marijuana but without the euphoric effects: "Unfortunately, I am very 
concerned that this bill would give legitimate growers a false sense 
of security and a belief that production of 'industrial hemp' is 
somehow a legal activity under federal law."

State Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, introduced AB 1147 this 
year to reduce the reliance of U.S. man-ufacturers on imported hemp 
from Canada and China. Monday, Leno called the veto just "short of absurd."

"It's just another example of myth and politics trumping science and 
sound public policy," Leno said. "But we're not through yet. We're 
not going to give up. I'll probably try to introduce it again ... in January."

The bill passed both the Assembly and the Senate, with backers 
stressing that industrial hemp is a $300 million industry in the 
United States but that it cannot be grown here legally.

"Farmers could have made so much money by capitalizing on the 
popularity of the industry, but now they're just going to continue to 
lose it," Leno said.

Products made of hemp are common, and it can be found in clothes, 
food, snack bars, even paper. Proponents of the bill pointed to the 
U.S. Declaration of Independence, which was penned on hemp.

But the governor, with advice from the U.S. Drug Enforcement 
Administration, said there currently is no legal distinction between 
industrial hemp and marijuana, which contains tetrahydrocannabinols. 
THC creates euphoria when consumed; its production and consumption 
are outlawed by the federal government.

Any person wishing to grow hemp or marijuana must first obtain 
permission and register with the DEA. Failure to do so is a violation 
of federal law and subject to criminal penalties.

But Leno said there are huge differences between the two plants and 
that there was "no way" that law enforcement would have trouble 
distinguishing one from the other -- a reservation expressed by bill 
opponents in Sacramento.

"What's the problem?" Leno said. "Marijuana grows 6 feet tall. Hemp 
grows as high as 16 feet. People plant marijuana 4 feet apart. Hemp 
is planted inches from one another. I don't know what was so 
difficult. They're two entirely different plants we're talking about here."

North Dakota is the only state that allows growing hemp for 
industrial purposes.

"You'd have to smoke a joint the size of telephone pole in order to 
get a headache," said Ken Junkert of the North Dakota Department of 
Agriculture in Bismarck.

The state's decision to legalize hemp was to diversify crops in a 
state where agriculture has taken a financial hit of late but still 
remains the No. 1 industry.

Hemp is a perfect plant, Junkert said, because it grows in all sorts 
of conditions and requires no pesticides or herbicides. It also 
serves as a rotational crop, putting nutrients back in the soil.

But even Junkert anticipates legal problems.

Though farmers can now apply for a license to grow hemp, he expects 
DEA opposition, which could lead to legal battles.

"We'll know in the next couple of months as farmers come in and start 
to apply for the permits," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman