ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS WOULD LEGALIZE HEMP GROWING

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Some Illinois lawmakers see industrial hemp as a
key ingredient in Illinois' agricultural future. The problem is, the
U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency sees it as marijuana.

Once a staple of the American colonies, hemp production was banned in
1937 by the U.S. government because two illegal drugs, marijuana and
hashish, are obtained from hemp plants. Despite new interest in hemp's
nonhallucinogenic uses, the government's stance hasn't changed.

"There is no such thing as growing hemp. You are growing marijuana,"
said Terry Parham, acting chief of public affairs for the Drug
Enforcement Administration in Washington. "It's a misnomer. You are
talking about growing a controlled substance."

Legislators argue that industrial hemp, which can be used to make
rope, clothing and paper, contains a negligible level of hallucinogens
compared to marijuana. They say it can be grown in controlled settings
to prevent misuse of the plant.

"It's time to quit making it a joke; it isn't pot," said Rep. Mary K.
O'Brien, D-Coal City. "We're looking at serious issues facing Illinois
farmers. If this is a viable crop and grows well in Illinois, we need
to get them (DEA) to change the classification. There is a market, if
we can produce it."

State Rep. Charles Hartke, D-Effingham, is co-sponsoring a measure in
the Illinois House that would urge Congress to acknowledge the
difference between marijuana and the agricultural crop known as
industrial hemp.

"It could save a lot of family farms," Hartke said.

Sen. Evelyn Bowles, D-Edwardsville, who also believes the state needs
to pursue alternative crops to keep residents from leaving its farms,
is co-sponsoring a similar measure.

"We're going to move on this," said Bowles, who has been promoting the
merits of industrial hemp for several years. "We're going to try to
formulate some plans that will meet the approval of the DEA."

The Illinois Farm Bureau and similar organizations need to make a
commitment to take industrial hemp seriously, said O'Brien, who is a
member of the House agriculture committee. "I don't really see them
pushing this as an issue," she added.

However, according to Tom Jett, Farm Bureau manager in St. Clair and
Madison counties, the organization changed its policy in December and
agreed to aggressively pursue actions that would require the DEA to
issue permits to U.S. producers allowing the production of industrial
hemp.

"The farm economy being what it is -- not very good 97 we thought it was
time to look at some alternative crops," Jett said.

Joan Messina, assistant director of the state Department of
Agriculture, headed a task force to research the issue for the House
and Senate agriculture and conservation committees. She told the House
committee last week that recommendations include the Legislature's
need to differentiate between industrial hemp and marijuana as well as
to request a permit from the DEA for Illinois to pursue research at
Illinois universities. "Illinois' soil and climate are very good for
growing this crop," Messina said.

Last year, 16 states -- including Illinois 97 introduced some form of
legislation for the study, research or production of industrial hemp.
Only Hawaii was granted a DEA permit to specifically study the
cultivation of industrial hemp, according to the task force report.

That's because the production of hemp, according to the U.S.
Controlled Substances Act, is illegal. And Parham, the DEA spokesman,
said he doesn't see the law changing anytime soon. "And as a police
officer and a father of three, I don't want it to," he said.

The biggest obstacle facing the revitalization of the hemp industry,
according to Parham, lies in the plant's leaves that contain THC,
which are left over after processing. Hemp is made from the plant's
stem.

"It's a security issue," he said. The bills are SB 1397 and HB 3559.