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NEWS OF
THE MONTH: Hemp Bill Gets Vetoed in California
Despite
Governor Schwarzenegger's veto of a bill that would
permit industrial hemp farming in California, proponents
to make hemp a mainstream cash crop are not discouraged.
Often undervalued because of its unnecessary association
with Marijuana, hemp is a highly diverse plant used in
many common products (body care, clothing, rope, paper,
food etc.) and valued for its highly nutritive benefits.
Governor Schwarzenegger, however, seems to think that
importing millions of dollars worth of hemp products
from Canada, China and Europe is the better thing to do
rather than save his constituents (the majority of whom
support industrialized hemp in California) import costs,
which they currently pay. It was hoped that California
would follow the lead of North Dakota, where legislation
was recently passed to mandate guidelines for growing
industrialized hemp. The bill in California would have
set up a five year pilot program in five counties, where
the impact of hemp crops on the State's economy, and
potential negative effects would be assessed.
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