The Des Moines Register
Tuesday, March 11, 1997, Page 4M.
letters@dmreg.com
STATE CAPITOL REPORT
Proposal for ISU study of hemp
as crop approved by House panel
Cannabis plants grown for hemp contain less than 1 percent of the chemical that produces euphoric effects.
By JONATHAN ROOS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
State lawmakers want to know whether
industrial hemp could become an alternative crop in Iowa.
A bill approved Monday by the House Agriculture Committee would
authorize Iowa State University to conduct research on the production and marketing of
hemp. SimiIar legislation is pending in the Senate.
Both industrial hemp and marijuana are derived from cannabis plants,
but those grown for hemp contain less than 1 percent of the chemical that produces
euphoric effects. Marijuana contains from 3 percent to 15 percent of the chemical.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, other
states also are interested in studying the crop potential of industrial hemp, which can be
used in the manufacture of cloth, ropes, paper, building materials and other products.
"We're asking for research to see how it might do in Iowa,"
said Rep. Effie Lee Boggess, R-Villisca.
Grown in World War II
As a matter of fact, industrial hemp was grown by Midwestern farmers
during World War II to augment rope production for the U.S. Navy.
Though hemp products are legal, legal barriers against marijuana have fenced off hemp
production, too.
The bill endorsed Monday by the House Agriculture Committee would
exempt hemp research from Iowa's controlled substance law. That bothered Rep. Keith
Kreiman, D-Bloomfield. "I think that's a pretty severe step," he said.
According to Boggess, Iowa State also would need waivers from the federal government.
Hemp production is legal in Canada as well as in many European
countries, where growers receive subsidies for it.
The potential of hemp as an alternative crop in this country has
aroused interest among farm organizations.
Rotation Crop
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, industrial
hemp serves as a good rotation crop. All parts of the plant have economic uses and
it can be grown under varied conditions. But aside from legal obstacles, there also
are some unanswered economic questions about hemp as a crop. These include the cost
of harvesting hemp and its profitability.
The House bill would authorize ISU to conduct research regarding the
production of hemp seed, its feasibility as a "profitable" cash crop, farming
practices, machinery and market conditions.
The university would be required to report its findings to the
Legislature by January 1999.
The House Agriculture Committee voted 18-3 in favor of the measure,
which awaits debate by the full House.
"If they want to do some research for us, we ought to give them
our whole support," said Rep. Russell Teig, R-Jewell.