US - California bill to allow hemp farming falls short in committee

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Sacramento - A landmark bill that would allow California farmers to grow hemp - a genetic cousin to marijuana - fell two votes short of passage before a key legislative committee Wednesday.

Long recognized for its utility on the production of a long list of marketable items from food to clothing, hemp cannot be legally grown in the United States without a permit from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Supporters of the crop said the agency has issued only one permit.

But a recent appeals court decision may have weakened the DEA's position, prompting Assembly Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, to proposed a state law that would allow the state Department of Food and Agriculture to issue licenses to grow and process hemp.

Although his measure has attracted no formal opposition, it attracted just three of the needed five votes to clear passage out of the Assembly's agricultural committee.

Leno said that while he could still bring the measure back to the same committee in the coming weeks, he is planning to hold off until next year when he hopes he will have a better shot at approval.

"My job as the author is to explain this to people and dispel any myths," Leno said. "I've got to prove to people that this is going to be of great benefit to them."

Hemp has only a trace of tetrahydrocannabinols, or THC, the drug in marijuana - but enough to place the plant under federal regulation. A ruling last year prohibited the DEA from banning the sale of food products containing hemp. The Bush administration did not appeal the ruling, fueling speculation that the federal government would remove the remaining barriers to hemp production in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Leno's bill attempts to get around federal restrictions by limiting the sales of hemp seeds, stalks and fibers to inside California only. Similar bills are being considered in New Hampshire and Oregon.

Supporters said hemp could prove a big economic crop for California because of its use to so many products such as cosmetics, paper, rope, jewelry, luggage, sports equipment and toys. Hemp is also a good source of protein, essential fatty acids and B vitamins.



Source: SamLuisObispo.com
Copyright: 2004 Knight Ridder.
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