SIUC DROPPED FROM ALTERED HEMP BILL

CARBONDALE, Ill. — After two failed attempts to let Southern Illinois
University-Carbondale study the industrial use of hemp, the "Industrial
Hemp Act" is back in the Legislature — but this time, the University was
erased from the bill.

The bill would now only allow the University of Illinois to study the
agricultural advantages of growing hemp among corn and soybeans —Illinois'
most prosperous crops.

Legislators and university officials say it is too costly to extend the
research to SIUC.

The bill passed the House April 6 and was assigned to the Senate
Agriculture Committee, and is likely to be discussed within the next 10 days.

A similar bill that would have allowed SIUC and the University of Illinois
to grow and study industrial hemp passed the Senate 49 to 9 this spring,
but was terminated by Gov. George Ryan.

Hemp, which is a cousin of marijuana, is a member of the cannabis family.

While marijuana contains levels of 4 to 7 percent THC, hemp only registers
at levels of 0.1 to 0.4 percent.

However, that was enough to stop hemp research initiatives at Illinois'
colleges. Rep. Ronald Lawfer, R-Stockton, one of the bills main sponsors,
said the new bill rectifies the governor's concerns.

Ryan said he vetoed the bill because of the effects a burgeoning hemp crop
could place on law enforcers, substance abuse of the mind-altering drug THC
in hemp and the costs incurred by the state.

The cost of the research stems from federal regulations that require
security -- including fencing and surveillance -- because hemp is illegal
to grow or produce in Illinois.

The reinstated bill, HB3373, requires that hemp be grown for research
without THC. Also, the state is not mandated to cover the cost of research.

Although the bill gives the University of Illinois a second chance to
research hemp, it is too costly to operate at SIUC without state funding.
Tony Young, associate dean for research in the College of Agriculture, said
it would not be feasible for SIU without federal aid.

The cost of researching hemp has been estimated at $400,000 per university.

"We have not actively pursued it because we don't have funding to do that,"
Young said. "It would cost a large chunk of dollars to develop security to
be able to grow hemp plants."

However, SIUC could benefit from research at the University of Illinois.

"We could work jointly on research," Young said. "We have the opportunity
to develop cooperative research programs -- we just don't have the
facilities to do it here."

The University of Illinois already has some research equipment which would
squall some of the initial costs.

Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, said he voted against this bill, and the
previous bill because of the cost and concerns with law enforcement.

"The same question exists: What federal guidelines will be put in place?"
Bost said. "We don't know what guidelines the federal government is going
to require."

At the urging of the Illinois State Police Department, the law enforcement
department at Western Illinois University will study the impact industrial
hemp could place on law enforcers.

Sen. Evelyn Bolwes, D-Edwardsville, the senate sponsor of the bill, said
her constituents have continually urged her to support industrial hemp
research for agriculture expansion.

Industrial hemp fibers can be used for cloth, paper, oils, food products
and building materials. According to the North American Industrial Hemp
Council, hemp can yield three to eight dry tons of fiber per acre, four
times that of an average forest.