California Assembly Approves Industrial Hemp, page 1

The California State Assembly has approved a bill that would allow the cultivation of industrial hemp. The bill now goes to the state Senate, and if approved there, would go to the governor's desk for an opportunity to be signed into law. Hemp is classified as a controlled substance by the DEA because it contains trace amounts of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

www.mercurynews.com
SACRAMENTO - A bill approved by the state Assembly Thursday would add California to the growing number of states seeking to legalize the cultivation of industrial hemp - a biological relative of marijuana.

Supporters claim that despite its family links, hemp is a completely safe product that could become a cash crop for California farmers because of its use in a long list of products from soap and cosmetics to rope, jewelry and even luggage.

But even if the measure eventually becomes law, farmers would still face hurdles to actually cultivate the plant because hemp contains trace amounts of a banned substance and may still fall under federal anti-drug rules.

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This bill is an indirect challenge to federal drug laws. Hemp could be a huge cash crop for California, and it may have environmental benefits as well, in that it is hardy and easy to grow and doesn't require nearly as much pesticides as other crops it could replace, for instance, cotton.

Hemp has a wide variety of other uses as well, from soaps to oil. If the federal government is truly in favor of commerce and alternative, low environmental impact crops, it is high time to ease the restrictions on industrial hemp growth. For goodness sakes, George Washington grew the stuff!

[edit on 27-1-2006 by Icarus Rising]