American Farm Bureau Supports Industrial Hemp Research



     January 11, 1995, Reno, Nevada:  The American Farm Bureau 

Federation, the largest farming organization in the United 

States, passed a resolution at its annual convention calling for 

research that could lead to the re-introduction of hemp into the 

American farm economy.



     The resolution, adopted by a unanimous vote of the 51 state 

presidents and all 300 voting delegates, reads: "We recommend 

that [the] American Farm Bureau Federation encourage research 

into the viability and economic potential of industrial hemp 

production in the United States.  We further recommend that such 

research includes planting test plots in the United States using 

modern agricultural techniques."



     Often described as "marijuana's misunderstood cousin," 

industrial hemp is from the same plant species that produces 

marijuana.  Unlike marijuana, however, industrial hemp has only 

minute amounts of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the 

psychoactive ingredient that gives marijuana its euphoric 

properties.  Industrial hemp is currently grown legally 

throughout much of Europe and Asia and is being cultivated in 

test plots in Australia and Canada.



     Andrew Graves, incoming president of the Fayette County 

chapter of the Kentucky Farm Bureau and vice-president of the 

Kentucky Hemp Growers Cooperative Association, introduced the 

resolution at the convention.  "What we are asking for is 

research to determine whether industrial hemp can once again 

become a profitable agricultural commodity for American farmers 

just as it is for farmers around the world," Graves said in his 

presentation.  "Where would agriculture be without research?"



     In a separate resolution, the AFB also voted to affirm its 

policy in support of government efforts to eradicate illegal 

drugs, including marijuana.



     For more information on the Kentucky Hemp Growers 

Cooperative Association, please contact Andrew Graves @ (606)

293-0579 or write to P.O. Box 8395, Lexington, KY 40533.  The

American Farm Bureau Federation may be contacted @ (202) 484-

3600.