OPPOSES HEMP BILL

I am writing to express my concern over the recent passage by the
Illinois General Assembly of a bill that would allow the University
of Illinois at Champaign and Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale to grow cannabis sativa as a part of a study to determine
if industrial hemp can be grown and marketed in Illinois.

Industrial Hemp is produced from the same plant as marijuana.
Supporters of this legislation highlight the fact that with minimum
levels of THC in industrial hemp, the psychoactive ingredient in
cannabis sativa, users cannot obtain a high from the plant, when in
fact any level of THC produces a psychoactive effect in the user,
particularly the first-time user.

The levels of THC currently found in industrial hemp, .1 to .3
percent, are equal to the levels of THC found in marijuana plants in
the 1960s and '70s. In addition, industrial hemp can still damage the
lungs and irreversibly impact the brain chemistry of the user.

Industrial hemp is not a harmless crop that can be introduced to our
communities. Marijuana is considered a gateway drug that can lead to
use of increasingly more damaging drugs. Research shows that the
availability and attainability of an illicit substance increases
usage rates.

As supporters of stronger drug prevention efforts in Illinois, I am
encouraging Gov. Ryan to veto this legislation when it comes to him
to be signed into law. Introducing hemp into a community is choosing
to introduce a known pathogen that has the potential to cause great
harm.

Allen J. Sandusky President and Chief Executive Officer South
Suburban Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse East Hazel Crest