cannabisnews.com: A No for Hemp, Yes for Partners A No for Hemp, Yes for Partners Posted by CN Staff on October 01, 2006 at 06:22:02 PT By Lynda Gledhill, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau Source: San Francisco Chronicle Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed bills on Saturday that would have allowed the industrial production of hemp, increased media access to prisons and expanded the state's law allowing women to safely surrender their newborn babies. Among the bills signed was a measure that allows registered domestic partners to file joint tax returns and have their earned income treated as community property for state tax purposes. Schwarzenegger took action on nearly 200 bills Saturday, the final day he could make decisions on bills sent to him by lawmakers this year. In 2006, Schwarzenegger signed 910 bills and vetoed 261. AB1147 was a bipartisan effort that would have allowed California's farmers to produce hemp oil, seed and fiber -- the raw materials that are used in hemp products. Industrial hemp, marijuana's nonhallucinogenic cousin, is used to produce personal care products, food, paper, clothing, car parts and building materials. State law does not differentiate between hemp and marijuana crops, so farmers have been reluctant to grow hemp, fearful that their crops could be confiscated. Currently raw hemp is imported from about 30 countries that allow the farming of hemp. The bill was co-authored by Assemblymen Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine. Schwarzenegger said he wants to encourage new agricultural production in the state but said there is no distinction in federal law between marijuana and industrial hemp. "Unfortunately, I am very concerned that this bill would give legitimate growers a false sense of security and a belief that production of 'industrial hemp' is somehow a legal activity under federal law," he said in his veto message. The bill would have required farmers to undergo crop testing to ensure that their variety of the cannabis plant is nonhallucinogenic in return for assurances that their crops wouldn't be confiscated by law-enforcement officials. Leno said farmers were willing to go to court and have the bill put on hold until a federal judge ruled whether it violated federal law. "This is a case of politics sadly trumping science and sound public policy," Leno said. "There was no downside to taking this step forward. It denies California family farmers a great cash crop." Snipped:Complete Article: http://tinyurl.com/fspyaSource: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Lynda Gledhill, Chronicle Sacramento BureauPublished: Sunday, October 1, 2006Copyright: 2006 Hearst Communications Inc.Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/CannabisNews Hemp Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/hemp.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #17 posted by ekim on October 02, 2006 at 20:35:09 PT thanks FoM i still cant get it Check out this item... Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed an industrial hemp bill in California over the weekend. He probably saw the issue for what it is: a sideshow promoted by pro-drug groups who want to legalize marijuana. Yeah, that's gotta be it........ Of course, the Governor's stated reason (pdf) doesn't make any more sense. Unfortunately, I am very concerned that this bill would give legitimate growers a false sense of security and a belief that production of "industrial hemp" is somehow a legal activity under federal law. Right. For something closer to the true story, I'd look here: "Governor Schwarzenegger's veto is a let down for thousands of farmers, business people, and consumers that want to bring back industrial hemp to California to create jobs, new tax income and to benefit the environment," says Eric Steenstra founder and president of Vote Hemp, the nation's leading industrial hemp farming advocacy group. "The veto was not based on facts but instead an irrational fear he would look soft on drugs in an election year. His veto message shows he knew industrial hemp is an economic development and agriculture issue, but he instead allowed himself to be cowed by confused drug war lobbyists. AB 1147 would have reigned in the over reach by federal authorities that has prevented non-drug industrial hemp varieties of cannabis from be being grown on US soil for fiber and seed. It is disingenuous to cite federal restrictions when drug war lobbyists refuse to sit down with the large coalition of farmers, business people and environmentalists who crafted the industrial hemp legislation. Industrial hemp will continue to be the only crop that is legal to import, sell and consume, but illegal to grow, in California." http://www.drugwarrant.com [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by FoM on October 02, 2006 at 08:15:03 PT Ekim The link worked for me. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by ekim on October 02, 2006 at 08:08:40 PT have tried to see votehemp.com no luck getenin has anyone been to that site latly. will it be overriden. who is willing to go on record as oposing the gov.how much will this cost the farmers and hemp product manufacturers.wonder what the Dem that is runnen against the terminator, has to say about not passing the hemp bill.seems that the building developers have won this round, how does that square with anold just passing a global warming bill as it will take more farm land to reduce the Co2 levels for the future. http://www.votehemp.com [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by BGreen on October 01, 2006 at 15:04:57 PT John & Bobby Kennedy are spinning in their graves Maria Shriver is even more disgusting than her steroid-induced brain-dead husband!Arnold is just a puppet but Maria comes from a family with a history of putting the people first (or at least it appeared that way on the surface.)Interestingly, and IMHO very revealing, is the fact that Arnold postured against GWB and the Federal gov't just one month ago:'Schwarzenator' vs. Bush: Global Warming Debate Heats UpAug. 30, 2006 — A president who doesn't acknowledge the virtually universal consensus among scientists that mankind is dangerously overheating its home planet stands to be upstaged by a governor — a fellow Republican — who does.California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reached a deal with state Democrats today on legislation that would make the state the first to impose across-the-board strict greenhouse gas emissions cuts on industry, energy plants and businesses — the same sort of regulations a growing number of national legislators of both parties believe could make their way to Capitol Hill next year.http://abcnews.go.com/US/GlobalWarming/story?id=2374968&page=1Arnold could have stood for the truth on the issue of hemp but he chose to disregard science and common sense in order to appease the stupidity that rules this country.The Reverend Bud Green [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by The GCW on October 01, 2006 at 13:42:11 PT Schwarzenegger is not an American This letter was printed in this newspaper but they don't put the letters on the Website so it doesn't appear on MAP's archive...Dear Editor of The encore,Think about it, communist Chinese farmers may grow hemp but free American farmers may not, (Industrial Hemp And Katrina? Sept. 13). I have been buying hemp food products for 5 years and would rather buy them produced from U. S. Farmers. It is time to re-introduce hemp as a component of American agriculture.If California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger does not sign the bill, legalizing industrial hemp crops, He’s not an American.Stan WhiteReferenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n1223/a04.html?266417 [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by FoM on October 01, 2006 at 13:29:53 PT I Hope This Is True Red West Shifting To Blue ***Republicans' grip is loosening in the mountain states, giving moderate Democrats a chance to move in.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/01/MNG9HLGA931.DTL&feed=rss.news [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by mayan on October 01, 2006 at 10:42:37 PT Power Mad As I've said before, there is no human being on earth as power mad as Arnold. He will pursue the agenda of whoever can offer him more wealth and power. He is neo-con scum of the worst kind but he is now exposed for what he is.The 4th Reich And Arnold Swarzenegger (video): http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/april2005/080405schwarzenegger.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by goneposthole on October 01, 2006 at 09:12:04 PT Bud growers are happy All of that hemp crop would have ruined their grow operations.The cannabis growers lobbied successfully to have hemp growing an illegal activity.Keep California Hemp Free. Cannabis growing only for California.Good job, Arnie. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by ekim on October 01, 2006 at 08:37:34 PT question How many Gov' s have vetoed this bill I seem to remember that Davis did as well as Wilson, in IL Gov Ryan did as well. If the people can see that just one Gov't offical has stopped farmers from a cash crop the back lash will happen. to bad that Willie did not get wind of this as he could have broadcast this treasionest behavior far and wide [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by John Tyler on October 01, 2006 at 08:32:42 PT Arnold let us down again Arnold let the citizens down on this issue. The states are supposed to be the incubators of democracy. Let the states pass their own cannabis laws and the Feds can deal with it, or change their own laws accordingly. That is how we got the drug war going in the first place. Some states had laws against certain minorities using cannabis, but they wanted Federal help in oppressing these people, so they clamored to Washington and finally got their way. Now the citizens of some states want the laws changed again and the Feds don’t like it and local weak willed politicians won’t support their own people. The politicians work for us. We don’t work for them. It's time to find some new politicians. When you think about it, it is a very rich, spoiled country that can afford to not grow an agricultural commodity with so many commercially valuable uses. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by charmed quark on October 01, 2006 at 07:56:16 PT treating adults like children He vetoed the bill because he said it would give farmers a false sense of security. So farmers need the state to protect them from their ignorance?!!!How about sign the bill and make sure all hemp farmers are aware that the feds still consider it a crime? How about letting people be adults?That's one of the big things that bothers me about the drug war. This nation was founded on, and practiced for at least a century, the principle that people get to be free, including free to make their own mistakes. Most drug laws imply that adults aren't capable of making their own decisions. These laws go directly against the grain of what made this country different.A nanystate. That's what we have become.-CQ [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on October 01, 2006 at 07:01:12 PT Bye Bye Bye Bye I promise I will not vote for one Republican. I hope we can turn our country around this November. I'll keep on praying that it happens. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by unkat27 on October 01, 2006 at 06:57:40 PT Arnold is NO hero He's just another corporate ass-kissing repug pretending to be a people's progressive politician with a vision. You lose Arnie, you're a hypocrite like all your corporate cronie buddies. On Hemp, Cannabis, and the Oil Pigs [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on October 01, 2006 at 06:44:31 PT OverwhelmSam I promise I will. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by OverwhelmSam on October 01, 2006 at 06:42:10 PT Do Your Country A Favor Vote non-people representatives like Arnold who represents the federal government out of office. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on October 01, 2006 at 06:36:27 PT A Few Songs From Farm-Aid Maybe the Governor would have thought differently if he was aware of all the people who what the laws changed. I'm listening to Homegrown right now. Politicians are so out of the will of the people.http://farmaid2006.rusties.net/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Happyplant on October 01, 2006 at 06:32:54 PT Sad,Sad,Sad I can't wait for the day when the tables are turned and they HAVE to follow suit with what we the people want. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment