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Richmond, VA -- A House of Delegates committee has endorsed a measure calling for the study of industrial hemp, a relative of marijuana that lacks the kick of the street drug. The resolution approved Monday, sponsored by Del. Mitchell Van Yahres, D-Albemarle, asks federal officials to let the state's universities experiment with cultivation of industrial hemp for commercial use. Hemp was outlawed in the United States in 1937 because of its association with marijuana. But it has a very low content of THC, the chemical that makes marijuana an intoxicant, and it was grown legally in the United States during World War II when the government used it to make rope. Some agriculture officials say hemp should be legalized again because it is a strong fiber useful in clothes, plastics and other commercial products. Van Yahres suggested Monday that hemp could come in handy for struggling tobacco farmers in need of a new cash crop. "The farmer, I think, is going to be the low man on the totem pole'' in the wake of the national tobacco settlement, Van Yahres told the House Rules Committee. "I think we need to talk about ways to help the farmer.'' Several other delegates questioned Van Yahres about hemp's commercial usefulness and whether the plant can be smoked. After a brief debate, the committee voted 9-2 to endorse the resolution. The General Assembly will consider the measure during the session that begins Jan. 13. Copyright 1998 Associated Press In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 and The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, Article 10, news clippings are made available without profit for research and educational purposes. |
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