GOVERNOR VETOES THE LEGALIZATION OF HEMP OVER THE WEEKEND

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's weekend decision to veto a bill that
legalized growing hemp in California was greeted with disdain by the
state assemblyman who supported it.

The Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau also was frustrated with the veto,
saying growers are always looking for viable crop alternatives, and
that hemp could have been one given demand.

But Schwarzenegger, in a statement Saturday, said while he supports
the development of new crops in the state, he felt he could not
approve the legalization of hemp, a type of cannabis related to
marijuana but without the euphoric effects: "Unfortunately, I am very
concerned that this bill would give legitimate growers a false sense
of security and a belief that production of 'industrial hemp' is
somehow a legal activity under federal law."

State Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, introduced AB 1147 this
year to reduce the reliance of U.S. man-ufacturers on imported hemp
from Canada and China. Monday, Leno called the veto just "short of absurd."

"It's just another example of myth and politics trumping science and
sound public policy," Leno said. "But we're not through yet. We're
not going to give up. I'll probably try to introduce it again ... in January."

The bill passed both the Assembly and the Senate, with backers
stressing that industrial hemp is a $300 million industry in the
United States but that it cannot be grown here legally.

"Farmers could have made so much money by capitalizing on the
popularity of the industry, but now they're just going to continue to
lose it," Leno said.

Products made of hemp are common, and it can be found in clothes,
food, snack bars, even paper. Proponents of the bill pointed to the
U.S. Declaration of Independence, which was penned on hemp.

But the governor, with advice from the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration, said there currently is no legal distinction between
industrial hemp and marijuana, which contains tetrahydrocannabinols.
THC creates euphoria when consumed; its production and consumption
are outlawed by the federal government.

Any person wishing to grow hemp or marijuana must first obtain
permission and register with the DEA. Failure to do so is a violation
of federal law and subject to criminal penalties.

But Leno said there are huge differences between the two plants and
that there was "no way" that law enforcement would have trouble
distinguishing one from the other -- a reservation expressed by bill
opponents in Sacramento.

"What's the problem?" Leno said. "Marijuana grows 6 feet tall. Hemp
grows as high as 16 feet. People plant marijuana 4 feet apart. Hemp
is planted inches from one another. I don't know what was so
difficult. They're two entirely different plants we're talking about here."

North Dakota is the only state that allows growing hemp for
industrial purposes.

"You'd have to smoke a joint the size of telephone pole in order to
get a headache," said Ken Junkert of the North Dakota Department of
Agriculture in Bismarck.

The state's decision to legalize hemp was to diversify crops in a
state where agriculture has taken a financial hit of late but still
remains the No. 1 industry.

Hemp is a perfect plant, Junkert said, because it grows in all sorts
of conditions and requires no pesticides or herbicides. It also
serves as a rotational crop, putting nutrients back in the soil.

But even Junkert anticipates legal problems.

Though farmers can now apply for a license to grow hemp, he expects
DEA opposition, which could lead to legal battles.

"We'll know in the next couple of months as farmers come in and start
to apply for the permits," he said.