IOWA LEGISLATURE ADJOURNS

Hemp crop proposals must shed their image problem

Hemp has many industrial uses, but opponents say the proposal just would
make marijuana easier to obtain.

By JOHNATHAN ROOS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

Some people see a promising Iowa crop in the green stalks of hemp.
Others see the dark shadow of marijuana.
Some people marvel at the potential of an alternative crop that can be
used in the manufacture of cloth, paper and building materials.
Industrial hemp "is one of the most versatile crops I have ever heard
of," says state Rep. Minnette Doderer, DIowa City.
Others, such as Gov. Terry Branstad's drug policy chief, see only
trouble for law enforcement and dashed expectations for Iowa farmers if they
eventually are allowed to cultivate hemp, a variety of the plant that others
grow as marijuana.
"I think (hemp promoters) are wellintentioned people that have gotten
some disinformation," said Charles Larson of the Governor's Alliance on
Substance Abuse. "It's both sad and humorous if they think they're going to
make money for the farm."

Fell Into Laps
Such conflicting views fell into the laps of legislators this session.
Lawmakers considered a bill that would have authorized Iowa State
University to conduct research on marketing and production of hemp, a crop
that isn't exactly new to the state. It was grown by Midwestern farmers
during World War II to aid rope production for the US. Navy.
For a while, the hemp research bill seemed to be on its way to
approval. It had the backing of the Iowa Farm Bureau and was endorsed by
agriculture committees in both the House and Senate.
"We thought we were making excellent progress over at the Capitol. We
were meeting little resistance," said Roger Gipple, a farm owner from Des
Moines who lobbied for the research proposal.
But Gipple and other hemp advocates were no match for Larson, a former
Iowa public safety commissioner and U.S. district attorney. He helped
persuade legislative leaders to kill the bill, which he labeled a
"marijuanalegalization act."

Branstad concerned
Branstad appears to side with Larson. "He has some serious concerns
about hemp production," spokesman Eric Woolson said.
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller also opposed the legislation. "Current
research concerning the economic viability of producing commercial hemp as
an alternative crop is mixed at best. At the same time, there are very
serious drugenforcement concerns with the proposals," says a statement from
the attorney general's office.
The Issue isn't necessarily dead, however.
"We may bring it up (again) next year," said Rep. Effie Lee Boggess, a
Villisca Republican who favors hemp research.
Said Denny Presnall, a lobbyist for the Iowa Farm Bureau, "We would be
foolish to at least not look at something like that, although there are some
concerns on the drug side of" the issue.
Both industrial hemp and marijuana are derived from the cannabis sativa
plant. The varieties grown for hemp are reported to contain less than 1
percent of the chemical that produces the euphoric high sought by pot
smokers. Marijuana contains 3 percent or more of the chemical.
Larson contends the push to promote hemp is part of a coordinated
effort to legalize and make marijuana acceptable."
Supporters of the hemp research proposal say that's simply not true.
Hemp opponents "need to get past this idea that we are pawns" of the
marijuanalegalization movement, said Gipple, a Farm Bureau member. "I
don't smoke marijuana. I'm not a person into drugs."