As
the November ballot approaches, legislative attempts to re-introduce
hemp in California as a legal industrial crop may be reaching a
turning point in a struggle that has lasted over 70 years.
Prop 19 and Hemp Legislation Today
This November, Prop 19, the initiative to legalize, tax and regulate
marijuana, will appear on the ballot, presenting a new opportunity for
hemp legalization in California.
“The passage of our initiative will open the door to industrial hemp throughout the state,” said Gianni
Feliciano, member of the Tax & Regulate Cannabis campaign group.
According to a recent poll released by Survey USA, 50 percent of likely voters in California support Prop 19, 40 percent oppose it, and 10 percent are undecided.
Amendments
In Section 5 of Prop 19, which covers amendments to the measure, it
states that, “permitted amendments include, but are not limited to,
passing laws to authorize the production of hemp or non-active
cannabis for horticultural and industrial purposes.”
“We’re making more progress now than ever before,” said Tom Murphy,
national outreach coordinator for Vote Hemp, a political advocacy
group. “There’s more hemp legislation showing up in states now than
there ever has been.”
To date, 28 states have introduced legislation
to legalize hemp to their legislatures, 16 of which succeeded in
passing them, varying from legalizing possession to setting up state
oversight of production. Nine states have removed legal barriers
against the research of hemp and seven states, California included, have passed hemp resolutions, calling for motions to reexamine
existing hemp laws.
Since all forms of cannabis are illegal under federal law, state resolutions can only set up future licensing systems, declare their
state’s position on the issue, and wait for the Drug Enforcement Administration to change its stance on industrial hemp. Oregon Senator
David Nelson sponsored such a resolution for his state that passed
just last year.
“SB 676 is an attempt to position Oregon to have
another option for its farmers,” Nelson said. “It provides for
oversight from the Department of Agriculture with associated costs
further hampering the introduction of hemp as a viable product. The
bill sets the table, but Oregon will have to wait for the federal
government to loosen its restrictions.”
Some believe that the president will soon lift the DEA roadblock in
the way of bills like SB 676 taking effect.
“There’s a good chance the Obama Administration will allow hemp legislation at the state level,” said Murphy. “They have taken similar tact with the state legalization
of medical marijuana, despite federal law, and we believe they will
allow the same for industrial hemp.”
Since California passed its hemp resolution in 1999, the state
legislature has considered four amendments: two to the Food and Agricultural Code and two to the Health and Safety Code regarding
industrial hemp, either promoting educational research on hemp
production or calling for legalization. Each defined hemp as
distinctly different from marijuana.
Three out of the four amendments
were vetoed by Governor Davis and Governor Schwarzenegger, one of which having passed both the State Senate and Assembly. In his veto
message, Governor Schwarzenegger based his decision on existing
federal laws against cannabis and the problems hemp legalization could
cause for “drug enforcement activities.”
Legalization
Some proponents of cannabis see legalization as a way to help the
state economy recover, something California is in dire need of.
“California is in a fiscal crisis,” said Salwa Ibrahim, spokeswoman
for Prop 19, “and we’re spending millions of dollars on cannabis
prohibition. We need to reallocate our resources for better things.”
Many advocates for hemp have contended that were it to be legalized
and grown in the United States, it would possibly solve one of the
nation’s biggest problems today: energy.
Using Hemp for Fuel and Energy
Utilizing hemp biomass, or plant material, as an alternative means of
fuel and energy is considered by advocates to be one of the most
effective potential solutions to the United States’ energy crisis.
According to a study by the Department of Energy, estimates suggest
that a domestic, renewable form of energy, in addition to
conservation, could produce a return investment of nearly $100 for
every dollar spent on energy, through avoiding the importation of foreign oil and avoiding environmental damage.
The study described the ideal energy resource as, “abundant and efficient, wherein the source, money and jobs all stay in the nation and region in which it is produced and consumed.” Many believe hemp fits this description as the ideal source for energy.
“Hemp is an excellent source for biofuel,” Steve Levine, president of
the Hemp Industries Association, said in an interview. “There are so
many hundreds of strains of industrial hemp, that you could grow hemp
almost anywhere in the world; not everywhere in the world, but almost
anywhere. That alone makes it a resource for fuel.”
Hemp biomass can be used for energy in a variety of ways. Hemp stalk
can be burned to produce electricity or be co-fired with coal to
offset coal use and reduce coal emissions. Hemp cellulose can be
converted to ethanol or fermentable glucose. Hemp seed oil can be
converted to biodiesel, an average crop producing 15 gallons per acre.
Biodiesel is considered to be the most effective medium, given its
application as a fuel source for cars, trucks, and other vehicles.
Biofuel
“There is a great need for biofuel,” country music star and cannabis
advocate Willie Nelson said in an interview on PBS. “We can grow our
own fuels. We can support our local economy. Our farmers and ranchers
can grow their own fuel for their own tractors and trucks and cars and
if they have any over, they can sell it, export it.” Nelson has used
biodiesel for his tour buses and trucks for years, promoting cannabis
and renewable fuel at each of his concerts.
According to an industry study by the Fuel and Fiber Company, if 10
percent of California’s agricultural cropland were dedicated to the
production of industrial hemp, the industry would create between 1,700
to 4,300 jobs and farmers would generate between $50 and $500 profit
per acre of hemp produced.
“I think hemp is part of the answer to our problems in the world,”
said Murphy. “It’s not the answer to all our problems, but as we move
from a hydrocarbon to a carbohydrate-based fuel economy, it’s better
to be part of the answer than part of the problem.”
Energy
Using hemp for energy would also provide enormous benefits to the environment. According to Andy Kerr, member of the North American
Industrial Hemp Council, these benefits include significantly
decreasing deforestation, by supplementing the wood used to make paper, and slowing down the greenhouse effect, by producing the same
amount of oxygen during hemp growth that is burned off in biodiesel
engines.
Hemp seeds also contain enormous nutritional value,
containing all the essential amino and fatty acids that human beings
require. When produced as a fiber, hemp clothing lasts three times as
long as cotton fiber does.
“People will get it,” said Levine, “especially as the gas prices go
up. Think how crazy it is that we can eat the product, we can sell the
product, we can wear it, export it, import it, manufacture it,
everything but grow it? We can’t grow this thing? It’s criminal.”
Though many advocates hail the wide range of benefits industrial hemp
has to offer, not everyone welcomes cannabis legalization with open
arms.
