Calif. Assembly Passes Hemp-Farming Bill

[DoYouEverWonder]

January 26, 2006, 8:50 PM EST

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The state Assembly on Thursday approved a bill that would add California to the growing number of states seeking to legalize the cultivation of industrial hemp -- a biological relative of marijuana.

Lawmakers voted 41-30 to pass the bill, sending it to the Senate. If senators also approve it, the proposal would go to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has not taken a position on it.

Supporters insist hemp is a safe product that could become a cash crop for farmers because of its use in a long list of products from soap and cosmetics to rope and luggage.

The bill's author, Democratic Assemblyman Mark Leno of San Francisco, said passage of the measure marked a milestone.

"This makes sense," Leno said. "It could provide an opportunity of great value to family farmers. This could be a bonanza of job growth."


http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-hemp-farming,0,4351182.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

Good for CA. We need to do this in the other 49 States.