Dear Reader,

The California Industrial Hemp Farming Act passed out of the California State Assembly Committee on Public Safety on Tuesday by a vote of 5-2. Introduced on February 21, 2007, AB 684 is a bill that would let farmers grow industrial hemp without state or federal licenses. The two authors of the bill, Reps. Mark Leno and Chuck DeVore, spoke eloquently and convincingly at the hearing, as did John Roulac of Nutiva and Patrick Goggin of the Hemp Industries Association. This is the beginning of the process to get AB 684 on Governor Schwarzenegger's desk by the end of summer.

California is an important state for many reasons. It has a large media presence, a huge agricultural capacity, an excellent transportation system, and a large base of environmentally-aware consumers. Newspapers in farming regions have published editorials in support of hemp farming, as have those in both more conservative and more liberal regions of the state. Hemp is truly a bi-partisan issue that touches people of many persuasions.

You can make a difference and help get this bill passed and hemp growing in the state once again. If you are from California, please take a few minutes now to write your Senator and Assemblymember and ask them to support AB 684, The California Industrial Hemp Farming Act.

We also ask that you please make a contribution to Vote Hemp today to help us continue our work in the important state of California.

If you enjoy reading hemp news that goes beyond legal and legislative updates, you can subscribe to our Weekly News Update by clicking the "Update Profile/Email Address" link in the footer below and adding "Weekly News Update" to your Email List Options. And now you can read all of our Weekly News Updates online in our new Archive. For a sample of the type of stories covered, read the two recent editorials below.

Sincerely,

Eric Steenstra
President
Vote Hemp