ASSEMBLY SENDS HEMP BILL TO GOVERNOR

Sacramento -- California lawmakers narrowly passed a bill Monday that
would allow California's farmers to tap into the $270 million hemp
industry by providing the raw materials used to create hemp products.

The bill, AB1147, is a bipartisan effort by Assemblyman Mark Leno,
D-San Francisco, and Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine (Orange
County), that would allow California's farmers to produce hemp oil,
seed and fiber -- the raw materials that are used in hemp products.

Industrial hemp, marijuana's nonhallucinogenic cousin, is used to
produce personal care products, food, paper, clothing, car parts and
building materials.

Because state law does not differentiate between hemp and marijuana
crops, farmers have been reluctant to grow hemp, fearful that their
crops could be confiscated, said DeVore, the only Republican Assembly
member to support the bill.

Currently raw hemp is imported from about 30 countries that allow the
farming of hemp.

The bill would require farmers to undergo crop testing to ensure that
their variety of the cannabis plant is nonhallucinogenic in return for
assurances that their crops won't be confiscated by law-enforcement
officials.

"Hundreds of hemp products are made right here in California, but
manufacturers are forced to import hemp seed, oil and fiber from other
countries," said Leno. "When this bill becomes law, it will be an
economic bonanza for California."

Despite their chemical differences and their physical differences --
marijuana is a bushy plant that grows up to 6 feet tall while hemp
resembles bamboo shoots and reaches heights of 16 feet -- the measure
was nearly defeated because lawmakers were spooked by hemp's close
relationship to marijuana.

"As a conservative Republican, I can't have my name attached to hemp,"
said Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy, R-Monrovia (Los Angeles County).
Mountjoy said the bill would burden law enforcement because hemp
"sends off the exact same heat signal that is used to spot marijuana
crops."

Assemblyman John Benoit, R-Palm Desert (Riverside County), shared
Mountjoy's concerns, saying hemp and marijuana plants are
"indistinguishable."

But Leno said the differences between hemp and marijuana plants are so
great, "a 5-year-old could tell the difference. ... Law enforcement
who have the gift of sight would have no trouble." Leno added that by
requiring hemp growers to test the THC levels in their crops, the bill
would relieve law enforcement of the burden of discerning hemp from
marijuana.

The bill was approved on a 43-28 vote in the Assembly and now goes to
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk.