Here in Oregon we allow industrial hemp and it doesn’t seem to be catching on as much as I’d hope. Hopefully California is more successful:
SACRAMENTO: A bill to legalize industrial hemp, SB 676, has
been introduced by Sen. Mark Leno (SF). The bill would redefine
“marijuana” so as to exclude industrial hemp. Hemp would be defined
to include non-psychoactive fiber or oilseed crops with no more than
0.3% THC. Manufacturers would be required to test the crop to
demonstrate that it was within the legal limit of THC.
Sen. Leno authored two prior hemp bills, both of which were
vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger. The last bill would have simply set
up a demonstration research program. Unlike that bill, SB 676 would
effectively legalize production of hemp in California. Nonetheless,
hemp would remain illegal under federal law, exposing farmers to the
risk of federal busts.
The bill places no restrictions on where hemp could be grown.
This could pose a problem to marijuana growers, since cannabis pollen
can carry as far as 100 miles on the wind. The presence of nearby
hemp could therefore spoil the outdoor sinsemilla crop by fertilizing
the buds.
– D. Gieringer, Cal NORML
