cannabisnews.com: Lawmakers Vote To Study Hemp's Uses 





Lawmakers Vote To Study Hemp's Uses 
Posted by FoM on January 10, 2001 at 06:22:46 PT
By Christopher Wills, Associated Press
Source: Chicago Tribune
Setting aside warnings that they might encourage drug use, state lawmakers voted Tuesday to approve a study of industrial hemp and its potential as a crop for Illinois farmers.The legislation calls on the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University to study how well hemp — a close cousin of marijuana — grows in Illinois and whether it could become a profitable crop.
The Illinois House approved the study 67-47. It had already passed the Senate, so it now goes to Gov. George Ryan.Supporters hope hemp, which can be used to make fabric, flour and oil, could someday be an alternative for farmers hit by declining prices for their crops.Rep. Charles Hartke, D-Teutopolis, compared hemp to the once-exotic soybean, now a mainstay on Illinois farms."It has potential. To get to that potential, we have to do a lot of research and study," Hartke said.But others -- including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy -- worry that any move in the direction of legalizing hemp production will lead to increased marijuana use.The Illinois State Police oppose the study because it's a step toward legalizing hemp, which would send young people the wrong message about marijuana and make life more difficult for police, said Capt. Dave Sanders, a spokesman for the agency.If hemp production were legalized, police would have trouble identifying illegal marijuana fields, Sanders said. And people arrested for possession could claim they simply had hemp, overloading police labs."The only way you're going to discern that is through the lab test," he said.Sanders said any study of hemp should also examine the potential impact on law enforcement.The governor has not taken a position on the study and will review the legislation when it reaches his desk, a spokesman said. Complete Title: Setting Aside Drug Warnings, Lawmakers Vote To Study Hemp's UsesSource: Chicago Tribune (IL)Author: Christopher Wills, Associated PressPublished: January 9, 2001Copyright: 2001 Chicago Tribune CompanyAddress: 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-4066Contact: ctc-TribLetter Tribune.comWebsite: http://www.chicagotribune.com/Forum: http://www.chicagotribune.com/interact/boards/Feedback: http://www.chicagotribune.com/interact/letters/letted/Related Articles: Hemp Crop Study Comes Up For Vote In Illinois http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8232.shtmlHemp Study Bill Narrowly Misses Approvalhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7818.shtmlCannabisNews Hemp Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/hemp.shtml 
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Comment #2 posted by aocp on January 10, 2001 at 07:26:48 PT:
Tolerance
>But others -- including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy -- worry that any move in the direction of legalizing hemp production will lead to increased marijuana use.I've said it before, i say it now, and i'll continue to spout this little gem or ideological purity: "...tolerance of its own does not necessarily mean agreement or disagreement." It's really quite simple. If the idea that tolerance means agreement on illicit substances, there is no reason to assume the antis shouldn't hold that theory to everything, right? Oops. I forgot what an arbitrary society we live in. We CAN still tolerate tobacco openly sold and ADVERTISED in stores everywhere, but DISAGREE and DISCOURAGE its use. Further, we can do the same for booze, drano, and cat litter. Yet another example of how i am ashamed to be an american.
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Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on January 10, 2001 at 07:00:37 PT:
Nonsense from the Dominant Paradigm
"because it's a step toward legalizing hemp, which would send young people the wrong message about marijuana and make life more difficult for police"How can public figures be allowed to spout such ignorance? Are we stupider than Europeans? How is it that numerous countries in Europe have allowed cultivation of hemp without explosive increases in cannabis usage? Could it be because there is no problem here? That's my answer. Any problem is being manufactured by closed-minded ideologues with not interest in the truth, improving farm economies, or reestablishing human rights and dignity.
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