SACRAMENTO, CA — Assembly Bill 684, authored by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine), permitting California farmers to grow industrial hemp for the sale of seed, oil and fiber to manufacturers passed the State Assembly yesterday on a vote of 41 to 29. The bill will be heard next in the Senate.

“California farmers are currently shut-out of a multimillion dollar industry because we don’t allow our farmers to grow industrial hemp and force California manufacturers to buy hemp seed, oil and fiber from other countries,” said Assemblyman Mark Leno. “California’s enterprising and innovative farmers should not be broken by senseless regulation. This measure will allow California to join with North Dakota in allowing our farmers to supply a $270 million industry that’s growing by $26 million each year.”

Sponsored by Vote Hemp, AB 684 would regulate commercial industrial hemp farming in California, a variety of cannabis that grows up to 16 feet tall, resembles bamboo, and has no psychoactive properties. Under the bill, industrial hemp is defined as cannabis having 0.3% THC or less and its cultivation is only permitted as an agricultural field crop or in a research setting. Cultivation in groves, yards, or other locations is prohibited.

“We can import hemp, we can process it into shampoo, plastics, and food, but we won’t let American farmers grow it,” said Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, who is authoring the measure along with Leno.  “This bill will free our farmers to compete with foreign farmers in growing hemp, a non-drug, legal and safe crop.” 

Industrial hemp is one of nature’s strongest fibers and is processed throughout the world for body care products, food, paper, clothing, automotive parts, building materials, and numerous other uses. The seed has many nutritional benefits because it contains essential fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6 commonly found in fish, and is an alternative source of protein. Hemp also has strong environmental benefits. It’s a source for paper that could enable us to save our trees for higher end uses such as lumber. Hemp requires little or no agricultural chemicals, smothers weeds, and improves soil conditions, making it an excellent rotational crop in both organic and conventional farming.

Today, more than 30 industrialized nations grow industrial hemp and many export it to the U.S. AB 684 has tight controls on industrial hemp production that relieve law enforcement of the burden of having to discern legal hemp from illegal marijuana in common drug busts.

Earlier this year, Zogby International released a poll showing that large majorities of Californians, both Democrats and Republicans, support changing law to allow farmers to grow industrial hemp. The telephone poll tracked the opinions of 801 likely California voters between February 22-26, 2007. A total of 71% support changing State law to allow farmers to grow hemp. More than 60% of Republicans support changing California law and 74% of Democrats are in support. The poll has a 3.5% margin of error.

The U.S. Congress has never expressly prohibited the cultivation of industrial hemp, but federal regulators have inferred that prohibition from a long-standing definition of marijuana in U.S. law. However, when that definition was debated in Congress in 1937, Senators and Representatives were told that domestic production of industrial hemp would not be prohibited.