OFFICIAL: CONSIDERING HEMP COULD QUIET OPPOSITION

CONCORD -- Genetically altering hemp plants to distinguish them from
marijuana could satisfy police opposed to making it legal to grow hemp
commercially, state Agriculture Commissioner Steve Taylor told lawmakers
yesterday.

He spoke before the House Environment and Agriculture Committee, which
is weighing a bill that would make it legal to grow hemp. Most of the
law enforcement community considers growing hemp a camouflage for
growing marijuana.

Taylor, who took no position on House Bill 293, said that through
biotechnology, it could be possible someday to genetically alter
industrial hemp plants and seeds to make them easily distinguishable
from marijuana.

"Biotechnology is coming down the road so fast we can scarcely keep
track of it," Taylor told the committee.

Proponents of the bill contend that a wide variety of industrial
applications of hemp separate that kind of farming from marijuana
growing.

Although products such as rope, sailcloth and other fabrics are derived
from hemp, marijuana and hashish can be derived from hemp seeds as well.
But supporters of industrial hemp maintain that marijuana derivatives
from hemp are too weak to appeal to marijuana users.

Taylor said there may be other ways to develop distinguishable hemp
plants, but biotechnical alteration seems to offer the most promise.

Meanwhile, the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police remains
strongly opposed to hemp legalization out of concern for increased
enforcement difficulties and the expense of tracking illegal marijuana
caches.

Speaking to the committee yesterday on behalf of the chiefs was Enfield
Police Chief Peter Giese.

"For every proposed use of industrial hemp there already exists an
available product or raw material which is cheaper to manufacture and
has better market results," Giese said.