State Green Party throws support behind ‘Industrial Hemp' bill at Capitol; Hemp hailed as more environmentally safe

GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release: Monday, Feb. 28, 2005

Contacts:
Cres Vellucci, State Press Office, 916-996-1970,
Beth Moore Haines, GPCA Spokesperson, 530-277-0610,
Kevin McKeown, GPCA Spokesperson, 310-393-3639,
Sara Amir, GPCA Spokesperson, 310-270-7106,

SACRAMENTO, Ca. (February 28, 2005) – In an effort to bring the environmentally sound and renewable practice of hemp cultivation to the state, the Green Party of California is urging quick passage of a bill (AB1147) to license industrial hemp growers, introduced in the state assembly this past week.

"Public perception is shifting in the realm of industrial hemp," said Beth Moore Haines, a spokesperson for the GPCA media committee, adding that the GPCA's platform supports the promotion of hemp production.

"As the rest of the developed world realizes the advantages of hemp cultivation – and the environmental advantages of growing it – California has a real opportunity to lead the nation in bringing us in step with the rest of the world," she added.

Hemp provides materials for durable clothing, a viable alternative to the use of forest products and also provides food supplements, according to the GPCA.

One example of hemp's advantage over cotton for clothing is that current cotton cultivation methods cause it to be one of the most polluting crops. Cotton requires defoliants and biocides, but industrial hemp has a natural resistance to pests and weeds. In addition, hemp had been a staple in American society until the late 1930s.

According to a 2005 Congressional Resource Service report, the U.S. is the only developed nation that does not cultivate industrial hemp as an economic crop.

Hemp is a variety of the plant species "cannabis sativa" that contains less than three-tenths of 1 percent of tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Background information: http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=7091631&type=ST

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The Green Party of California
http://www.cagreens.org
P.O. Box 2828, Sacramento, CA 95812
Phone: (916) 448-3437
gpca@greens.org