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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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US NM: Hemp-Legalization Bill Dies In House
Albuquerque Journal (US)
Sunday 11 Mar 2001 Pubdate: Sun, 11 Mar 2001 Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM) Website: http://www.abqjournal.com/ Author: Chaka Ferguson, The Associated Press HEMP-LEGALIZATION BILL DIES IN HOUSE SANTA FE -- A proposal to legalize the production of industrial hemp, a relative of the marijuana plant, failed in the House on Sunday amid criticism that it would be the first step in drug legalization. The measure would have allowed New Mexico farmers to grow hemp that was certified by the state Department of Agriculture, said Rep. Pauline Gubbels, R-Albuquerque. Gubbels said industrial hemp under the regulated program would contain scant traces of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol called THC the most active ingredient in marijuana. Marijuana normally contains 3 percent to 15 percent or more of THC, the psychoactive ingredient, while hemp has 1 percent or less. Gubbels said hemp is a "great crop" that can be grown with little water and would provide struggling New Mexico farmers with an alternative to more traditional crops. The plant could be used in a number of products, including fuel, paper, plastics, textiles and food, she said. "Industrial hemp is a product that was very important to our country many years ago," she said. "If we were allowed to grow industrial hemp, we would cut back on the number of trees we cut down to grow for paper." Opponents of the measure, which failed 37-26, said growing hemp is prohibited by the federal government. They also said the crop wasn't economically viable and could be tinkered with to produce enough THC to produce a high if the plant was smoked. "There is ample evidence that hemp has no marketable value in this country, and the push to legalize hemp is nothing more than the first step in growing of hemp that has far greater THC capacity," Rep. Ron Godbey, R-Albuquerque, said. "This plant has virtually no economic value to this country and has potential danger that is enormous," he added.
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