Sacramento, California - Lawmakers narrowly passed a bill Monday, Aug. 22nd, that would allow California's farmers to tap into the $270 million hemp industry by providing the raw materials used to create hemp products. The bill, AB1147, is a bipartisan effort by Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine (Orange County), that would allow California's farmers to produce hempoil, seed and fiber -- the raw materials that are used in hemp products.

The bill, AB1147, is a bipartisan effort by Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine (Orange County), that would allow California's farmers to produce hemp oil, seed and fiber -- the raw materials that are used in hemp products. Industrial hemp, cannabis' non -hallucinogenic cousin, is used to produce personal care roducts, food, paper, clothing, car parts and building materials.

Because state law does not differentiate between hemp and cannabis crops, farmers have been
reluctant to grow hemp, fearful that their crops could be confiscated, said DeVore, the only Republican Assembly member to support the bill. Currently raw hemp is imported from about 30 countries that allow the farming of hemp.

The bill would require farmers to undergo crop testing to ensure that their variety of the cannabis plant is non-hallucinogenic in return for assurances that their crops won't be confiscated by law-enforcement officials. "Hundreds of hemp products are made right here in California, but manufacturers are forced to
import hemp seed, oil and fiber from other countries," said Leno. "When this bill becomes law, it will be an economic bonanza for California."

Despite their chemical differences and their physical differences -- cannabis is a bushy plant that grows up to 6 feet tall while hemp resembles bamboo shoots and reaches heights of 16 feet -- the measure was nearly defeated because lawmakers were spooked by hemp's close relationship to marijuana. "As a conservative Republican, I can't have my name attached to hemp," said Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy, R-Monrovia (Los Angeles County). Mountjoy said the bill would burden law enforcement because hemp "sends off the exact same heat signal that is used to spot marijuana crops." Assemblyman John Benoit, R-Palm Desert (Riverside County), shared Mountjoy's concerns, saying hemp and marijuana plants are "indistinguishable."

But Leno said the differences between hemp and cannabis plants are so great, "a 5-year-old could tell the difference. ... Law enforcement who have the gift of sight would have no trouble." Leno added that by requiring hemp growers to test the THC levels in their crops, the bill would relieve law enforcement of the burden of discerning hemp from cannabis.

The bill was approved in the Assembly by a 43-28 vote. Now it goes to Gov. Schwarzenegger's desk.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/22/BAGS2KMN021.DTL&hw=hemp&sn=001&sc=1000