cannabisnews.com: Ryan Has Doubts About Bill For Economic Hemp Study Ryan Has Doubts About Bill For Economic Hemp Study Posted by FoM on January 12, 2001 at 09:08:20 PT By Mary Massingale, Post-Dispatch Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch Gov. George Ryan indicated Thursday that he may veto a bill calling for a study of the economic feasibility of industrial hemp."I think there's going to be some opposition to it, and I want to hear both sides of the issue before I make up my mind," Ryan said. "My initial thought is that I'm not for it, but my mind's not closed on it." The bill would allow Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana to grow and study hemp, a biological cousin of marijuana. The House passed the bill 67-47 Tuesday after shooting it down in November. The Senate had previously passed the bill.Proponents believe hemp could boost the state's faltering agricultural industry. It can be used in items such as textiles and rope.A Chicago hemp-products mail-order business gave Ryan a pair of hemp socks last year. He thanked the firm for "such a thoughtful and useful gift" but reportedly never wore them. Sen. Evelyn Bowles, D-Edwardsville, wore a hemp sweater from the same company Tuesday to lobby for House passage of the bill.Bowles said she plans to lobby Ryan to sign the bill. She said she will seek the involvement of the presidents of the two universities.Bowles dismissed concerns of anti-drug activists, who view industrial hemp as a possible inroad to the legalization of drugs."We don't want the leaves," Bowles said. "We want the fiber and the seeds."Both marijuana and hemp contain the hallucinogenic tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, although hemp has a smaller amount. The security of growing conditions - or lack of it - concerns Ryan."I'm not sure what kind of controls we could have with it," the Republican governor said.The Illinois Drug Education Alliance, an anti-drug citizens' group, hopes to persuade Ryan to oppose the bill. When alliance president Priss Parmenter heard of the governor's misgivings, she immediately called his office Thursday to request a spot on his schedule.The study would cost $800,000 to $1 million, but that funding has not been approved. Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)Author: Mary Massingale, Post-Dispatch Springfield BureauPublished: January 12, 2001Copyright: 2001 St. Louis Post-DispatchAddress: 900 North Tucker Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63101Contact: letters post-dispatch.comWebsite: http://www.postnet.com/Forum: http://www.postnet.com/postnet/config.nsf/forumsRelated Articles:Ill. Bill Would Study Hemp as Alternative Crop http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8266.shtmlHemp Bill Clears One Test http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8265.shtmlLawmakers Vote To Study Hemp's Uses http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8260.shtml CannabisNews Hemp Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/hemp.shtml END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #8 posted by Kelly Bowles on April 22, 2001 at 16:43:28 PT: Rope or Dope? From what I gather classifying Hemp as Dope makes as much sense as classifying SodiumChloride as dangerous. Yes Sodium is dangerous and Chlorine is dangerous, but together SodiumChloride becomes table salt which we eat...... [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Mary Walder on March 02, 2001 at 06:39:13 PT: He did a good thing When Gov. Ryan decided to vero the hemp bill he did a very good thing. There are a lot of teenagers that decided that they want to remain drug-free, and it is for the good of our country. If people decide to do drugs, that is their own decision, but just because somepeople are trying to promote healthy lifestyles doesn't mean you can go around and insult them.Did you know that the if animals eat the hemp and we either eat the meat or drink the milk, there is a possibilty that the THC can travel to us. Sorry, but I would rather not get a drug into my system that I am against because of what I am eating. Also, do you realize that the farmers that grow this could go bankrupt if the idea does or even doesn't fly?? [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by freedom fighter on January 13, 2001 at 01:25:51 PT control oh god, I got a headache!http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/register.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Hans Aoff on January 12, 2001 at 20:21:53 PT: Illinois Hemp Bill Is is not remarkable that the first name of the woman leading the group in opposition is "Priss"? Or that her lastname rhymes with "Dementor" which readers of the third Harry Potter book will recognize as the name for the prisontorturers. Gov. George Ryan is a man now caught in a second "gotch ya" by history. The first was the death penalty. Thisman became the first governor in the country to suspend the death penalty in his state when he realized that almost asmany death row inmates had ultimately been freed in Illinois as innocent, since the death penalty was reinstated, aswere executed. And so, unwittingly he sent the first shokewave through the mindset that says the answer to all socialproblems is punishment, punishment and more punishment. History now selects him again. If Gov. Ryan signs this hemp bill it will send a very strong signal to other majoragricultural states that hemp is a serious issue. The states that have passed hemp legislation so far are N. Dakota,Minnesota, Hawaii and Maryland. None of these states are huge agricultural states on a par with Illinois. If Illinoiscan take this step other states will start to follow like dominoes. And so if he signs this bill he will, unwittingly, signal a sea change in the public's perception of the great plant Cannabis sativa. I urge any and all who read this who truly understand how important this moment is and care deeply asAmericans about both Freedom and the Environment to write Gov. Ryan a RESPECTFUL letter urging him to signthis legislation. It is called the Illinois Industrial Hemp Act, SB 1397. It passed the Senate Ag Committee 6 to 0, the full Ill.Senate 49 to 9, the House Ag Committee 11 to 4 and the full House 67 to 47. For him not to sign it will be tragic forthe whole hemp movement! The address is: Governor George H. Ryan 207 Statehouse Springfield, Ill. 62706 Ryan Has Doubts About Bill For Economic Hemp Study [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by mr. skullhead on January 12, 2001 at 19:01:09 PT It's not like you can smoke the stuff. . . If someone is against marijuana, that's one thing, but how could any sane person be against hemp? It's not like you can smoke it and catch a buzz. . . It's so sad that so many idiots buy the drug war propoganda. Ghost Rocket Weblog [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by zenarch on January 12, 2001 at 12:00:08 PT Says who??? "Both marijuana and hemp contain the hallucinogenic tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. . . . . "I've enjoyed the blessings of the good herb for going on 28 years now and I've yet to experience my first hallucination on it. Am I doing something wrong?ps I've been inhaling all along. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by toker on January 12, 2001 at 10:46:00 PT its only hemp! its not worth smoking! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on January 12, 2001 at 09:46:29 PT Control, control, you must learn control!! - Yoda >>"I'm not sure what kind of controls we could have with it," the Republican governor said. I mean, since we've done such a good job of controlling it while it's illegal, I have no idea how we'd control it if we actually had control. Marijuana makes you lose control, so we must control it, or lose control. We must keep controlling it, because otherwise how can we control YOU? [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: