HEMP-LEGALIZATION BILL FAILS IN HOUSE

A proposal to legalize the production of industrial hemp, a relative of the
marijuana plant, failed in the House on Sunday amid criticism that it would
be the first step in drug legalization.

A proposal to legalize the production of industrial hemp, a relative of the
marijuana plant, failed in the House on Sunday amid criticism that it would
be the first step in drug legalization.

The measure would have allowed New Mexico farmers to grow hemp that was
certified by the state Department of Agriculture, said Rep. Pauline Gubbels,
R-Albuquerque.

Gubbels said industrial hemp under the regulated program would contain scant
traces of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol - called THC - the most active
ingredient in marijuana.

Marijuana normally contains 3 percent to 15 percent or more of THC, the
psychoactive ingredient, while hemp has 1 percent or less.

Opponents of the measure, which failed 37-26, said growing hemp is
prohibited by the federal government. They also said the crop wasn't
economically viable and could be tinkered with to produce enough THC to
produce a high if the plant was smoked.