Vermont governor won’t veto new hemp law
First, the good news.
Douglas won’t veto new hemp law: Times Argus Online
MONTPELIER – Gov. James Douglas will allow a bill legalizing hemp to become law despite concerns from the law enforcement community about its impact on marijuana eradication efforts in the state.The legislation, which legalizes the cultivation of industrial hemp in Vermont, won nearly unanimous support in the both the House and Senate this session. Though Douglas doesn’t support the bill, and has refused to attach his signature to it, he will nonetheless forward the legislation to the Secretary of State, which will effectively enact the law.
But Tom Tremblay, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, said he worries about what the legislation means for law enforcement officers in Vermont if the federal law does change.
“The plants are really difficult to differentiate,” Tremblay said. “The legalization of industrial hemp could increase production of marijuana.”
Lawmakers this session heard testimony from authorities in Canada – where hemp cultivation is legal – who said they have no trouble distinguishing the plants. That testimony was compelling enough for Rep. Jim McNeil, a Rutland Town Republican on the House Agriculture Committee that drafted the original bill.
Hemp, grown legally in every industrialized country except the United States, reaps attractive profit margins for some farmers. Hemp oil, derived from seeds, is used in food and beauty products. Hemp’s long stalks contain fiber and cellulose that can be made into textiles, building materials and fuel.
Now the bad news, contained in Section 3 of the new law:
This act shall take effect upon passage… at such time as the United States Congress amends the definition of “marihuana” for the purposes of the Controlled Substances Act….
The governor was ready to veto this bill, but realized that it would, in his words, “do nothing”, and decided it wasn’t even important enough to veto.
The public safety commissioner, by the way, should really take a look at hemp and marijuana plants someday. Hemp plants are tall and reedy, up to 16 feet and kind of dry, whereas consumer cannabis is grown short and bushy with big fat wet sticky buds. It’s like telling me you can’t tell the difference between a Clydesdale and a zebra because they are both horses.
Furthermore, someone needs to enroll him in a basic botany class. No grower of consumer cannabis wants to get his precious females anywhere near an industrial hemp plant. When the 8% THC girls get around the 0.5% THC boys, you end up with lousy pot and lousy hemp.
Tags: Vermont
