Governor Arne Carlson (R) vetoed legislation that would have authorized the University of Minnesota to study the “feasibility of industrial hemp production.” The legislation previously passed the Senate by a vote of 59-1 and the House by a vote of 68-64.
“It is unfortunate that political leaders continue to allow ‘reefer madness’ to cloud their judgment on what is clearly an agricultural issue,” said Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of The NORML Foundation. “It is ironic that this veto comes at a time when farmers in Canada are growing commercial quantities of hemp for the first time in over 50 years.”
The bill would have also authorized “field demonstration projects using experimental plots as part of the study to develop optimal agricultural practices for growing hemp in Minnesota.” St. Pierre noted that there already exists ample evidence that hemp is a feasible crop in the state. Citing 1996 figures from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program, he said that 98 percent of the four million marijuana plants seized by law enforcement in Minnesota were wild growing marijuana.
For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751.
