DOUGLAS WON'T VETO NEW HEMP LAW

MONTPELIER - Gov. James Douglas will allow a bill legalizing hemp to
become law despite concerns from the law enforcement community about
its impact on marijuana eradication efforts in the state.

The legislation, which legalizes the cultivation of industrial hemp in
Vermont, won nearly unanimous support in the both the House and Senate
this session. Though Douglas doesn't support the bill, and has refused
to attach his signature to it, he will nonetheless forward the
legislation to the Secretary of State, which will effectively enact
the law.

"It's a do-nothing bill," Douglas spokesman Jason Gibbs said Thursday.
"The federal law still prohibits the cultivation of industrial hemp,
and so the practical impact of this legislation is virtually nothing."

Douglas could have vetoed the legislation, an option he considered
after law enforcement officials raised concerns. But Gibbs said
Douglas does not "exercise his veto authority lightly," and that the
bill is too insignificant to warrant such an extreme action.

"The consequence of this bill is so low, so insignificant, that it
doesn't rise to the level of a gubernatorial veto," Gibbs said.

Farmers won't be able to grow hemp crops just yet. Federal statute,
which supercedes state law, draws no distinction between hemp and
marijuana, and anyone growing either is subject to
prosecution.

But Tom Tremblay, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety,
said he worries about what the legislation means for law enforcement
officers in Vermont if the federal law does change.

"The plants are really difficult to differentiate," Tremblay said.
"The legalization of industrial hemp could increase production of marijuana."

Hemp and marijuana are in the same species of flora. THC, the
intoxicating compound in marijuana, exists in hemp but at much lower
levels. Vermont's law classifies hemp as a cannabis sativa plant with
less than .2 percent THC. Marijuana generally has a THC content of at
least 5 percent.

Tremblay, though, said that proving in a criminal court that the
marijuana they seized isn't actually hemp means an expensive and
laborious testing protocol that the state's crime labs are
ill-equipped to take on.

"It would require the crime lab to basically develop some kind of
chemical analysis, so we'd have to purchase special equipment and
conduct special training, which would be expensive and time
consuming," Tremblay said. "I, for one, would rather have the crime
lab focusing on the very serious cases we're dealing with now."

Lawmakers this session heard testimony from authorities in Canada -
where hemp cultivation is legal - who said they have no trouble
distinguishing the plants. That testimony was compelling enough for
Rep. Jim McNeil, a Rutland Town Republican on the House Agriculture
Committee that drafted the original bill.

"You can smoke as much hemp as you want and you just get a massive
headache," McNeil said. "And you can tell the difference between the
crops from a distance you don't have to be right up on top of it."

McNeil said he supports the legislation because of the potential
impact it could have on agriculture in the state.

"It could be a viable rotation crop for farmers, and I think it could
spur a lot of small businesses," he said.

Hemp, grown legally in every industrialized country except the United
States, reaps attractive profit margins for some farmers. Hemp oil,
derived from seeds, is used in food and beauty products. Hemp's long
stalks contain fiber and cellulose that can be made into textiles,
building materials and fuel.

Amy Shollenberger, director of Rural Vermont, said the law positions
Vermont farmers to capitalize on the hemp boon when the federal
statute finally does change.

"I think Vermont's best hope is to do as much as it can to build local
economies, and I think hemp can be a big factor in building that
economy," Shollenberger said.

Vermont businesses already selling hemp products, she said, are
clamoring for locally sourced hemp.

Anna Barrett, marketing director for Way Out Wax in Morrisville, said
her company, which sells candles and other natural products, would
prefer to purchase its hemp ingredients from local farmers.

"It's an amazing crop that has so many applications," Barrett said.
"We could make hemp wax candles. People are always looking for hemp
oils because they're so healthy and good for you. I really think
there's a market here."

Andrew Meyer, co-owner of Vermont Soy in Hardwick, said the hemp
industry might also spur in-state processing facilities that could
strengthen the manufacturing sector in Vermont.

"If you have a source of hemp, and a demand for its products, you
could potentially see processing facilities around the state," he said.

Gibbs said Vermonters would have been better served had their
Legislature focused on issues other than hemp.

"The time the Legislature spent on this issue would have been better
spent addressing property taxes or health care costs or reducing
regulatory barriers to job creation," Gibbs said.