California Considers Hemp Production

From The Largest Minority:

The United States is the only industrialized nation where hemp is not an established crop, much to the delight of oil, coal, and chemical industries which benefit from the ban.

Cultivation of hemp is currently illegal under US federal law thanks to the lobbying of the aforementioned groups. The California Narcotic Officers’ Association has testified that the passage of such a bill would only make law enforcement more difficult because farmers might hide illegal marijuana in their legal hemp fields.

I could be wrong, but it seems like this association is either admitting that they’re too incompetent to do their jobs correctly, or they’re making the case for the legalization of marijuana so that they’re not forced to make the distinction. Either way, I say let the layoffs begin.

SACRAMENTO, Aug. 20 (UPI) — Police are concerned farmers would grow marijuana if California allows the production of industrial hemp, it was reported Monday.

A proposed law would establish a five-year pilot program in four California counties and define “industrial hemp” as separate from marijuana under the state’s health and safety code, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Unlike marijuana, hemp has less than 1 percent of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, rendering it ineffective for drug use. The United States is the only industrialized nation where hemp is not an established crop, the Chronicle said.

Hemp cultivation is illegal under U.S. federal law and drug enforcement police fear farmers would hide illegal marijuana in their legal hemp fields, the newspaper reported. The California Narcotic Officers’ Association has testified repeatedly against the passage of hemp bills, saying it would only make law enforcement more difficult.

Hemp is used in soaps and lotions and can be converted into fully biodegradable plastics.

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