INDUSTRIAL HEMP: Boon or Bust for Kentucky Farmers?

So what's the big deal about industrial hemp? Plenty, in the opinion of
certain folks. For years now, proponents of legalization have been saying
no one is really listening to them. They say that scientific evidence and
thousands of hours of research support their argument.

Opponents couldn't disagree more. They site studies that conclude just the
opposite.

Merely defining "industrial hemp" starts an argument. Supporters flatly
state that industrial hemp is not marijuana 96 that there are different
varieties within the same subspecies, much like the difference between
sweet corn and field corn.

Opponents say that Cannabis sativa L. -- which is grown for its fiber
content -- in marijuana. They say this "hemp quality" Cannabis is
comparable to potency levels of marijuana smoked during the 60's and 70's.

No politician can risk being labeled soft on drugs. So an environmentally
friendly crop that might help family farms find no champions among the
powerful or the elected.

Kentucky has emerged as the battleground for this issue.

Since the war on tobacco has escalated, many Kentucky farmers are
desperately searching for an alternative crop. The University of Kentucky
recently released a study by the school's Center for Business and Economic
Research entitled "The Economic Impact of Industrial Hemp in Kentucky."
According to the study, profits per acre from hemp cultivation could range
from $220 for hemp grown for grain or straw production, to $600 for raising
certified seed for planting by other hemp growers.

That is less than the $1,500 per acre return on burley tobacco, or the
$1,00 per acre profit from dark fire-cured tobacco, but higher than returns
on soybeans, hay, corn, wheat, and grain sorghum, the report says.

The U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey blasted hemp crop advocates in March of
this year during his visit to Louisville. He said the argument that hemp
could be an alternative to raising tobacco sounds "silly."

During his two years as the drug czar, he said he has reviewed studies from
the University of Iowa, the University of Kentucky, and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture showing that hemp is not a viable cash crop. He did say that
he is open to new evidence that proves otherwise.

McCaffrey contends that hemp production isn't profitable unless workers are
paid very low wages, and there are better sources of fiber that are more
easily turned into textiles. He said hemp doesn't make good cloth. "It
doesn't hold a crease," he said.

Hemp can be regulated. Twenty-seven countries allow their farmers to plant
industrial hemp. The European Union has given it a green light. You can
find industrial hemp in Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, Germany, France,
Australia and China. Daimler-Benz is using hemp in its dashboards and
interior door panels. Armani is making hemp jeans. Even Disney has sold
hats made of it. Other products include: paper, lingerie, carpet, shoes,
shampoo, moisturizers, mattresses, gourmet coffee, boutique beer, cattle
feed, massage oils, horse bedding, and more.

Joseph Hickey, Executive Director of the Kentucky Hemp Growers Cooperative
Association, believes hemp's future is wide open. He has said, "The
opportunities go nowhere but up from here." He compares industrial hemp to
the underdeveloped plastics' industry of the 192092s and 30's.

Hemp does have a history in America. George Washington's main crop at Mt.
Vernon was hemp. Thomas Jefferson's secondary crop at Monticello was hemp,
and Judge J.B. Speed had the largest hemp crop in Jefferson County at
Farmington. During World War II, hemp was revived in Kentucky for
production of rope and twine.

The director of the White House office of National Drug Control Policy says
the cultivation of hemp ". . . would completely disarm all law enforcement
. . . from enforcing anti-marijuana production laws." He continued, "The
bottom line is . . . thinly disguised attempt . . . to legalize the
production of pot."

The Kentucky Hemp Growers Cooperative, Kentucky Farm Bureau, and the
Community Farm Alliance view industrial hemp as an agricultural crop with
the potential to revitalize our rural communities and do not support,
promote or favor the legalization of marijuana.

On Wednesday, August 12 at noon, in Louisville, Kentucky at Vincenzo's, we
will have a rare opportunity to hear what experts -- and hemp proponent and
actor Woody Harrelson (who was arrested in Kentucky for planting four
industrial hemp seeds in a legal challenge) -- have to say! Also on the
panel are Andrew Graves, President, Kentucky Hemp Growers Cooperative
Association; Rick Sanders, Drug Enforcement Administration, Resident Agent
in charge of Kentucky; and David Haight, retired Agent in charge of
Kentucky with a distinguished 30-year career with the DEA. Other special
guests include: Jean Laprise, Canada's largest hemp grower; Dr. Paul
Mahlberg, Department of Biology, Indiana University, who has served as a
consultant to the United Nations; Dr. Eric C. Thompson, author of the
University of Kentucky study, "Economic Impact of Industrial Hemp in
Kentucky."

Media contact: Mr. Vince Cameron (502) 587-2118

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)