Rope, Not Dope Experts at PIELC draw distinctions between hemp and pot. BY TIM O'ROURKE Jim Woolsey, former director of the CIA, has a story he likes to tell. He was having lunch with a woman who was trying to convince him not to back legislation that would legalize production of industrial hemp. He understood where she was coming from; her son had been killed in an accident by someone under the influence of marijuana, and Woolsey was advocating for the deregulation of pot's closest cousin. Left to right are Andy Kerr, Floyd Prozanski and Carolyn Moran Woolsey ordered an O'Doul's, listening to the woman's concerns. He then asked her whether or not they could both get drunk off his O'Doul's. She replied that of course they couldn't; it was a non-alcoholic beer. But Woolsey replied that, although it was considered non-alcoholic, O'Doul's actually had 0.3 percent alcoholic content. "O'Doul's is the alcoholic equivalent to industrial hemp," the former CIA director said, finishing his story. Woolsey was one of four speakers at the "Industrial Hemp: A Sustainable Solution" workshop at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) March 4. He was joined by Andy Kerr, a board member from the North American Industrial Hemp Council, state Sen. Floyd Prozanski and Carolyn Moran, chief executive officer of the Living Tree Paper Company, a company that uses hemp and other wood-pulp alternatives in their papers. The speakers were there to further their goal of the decriminalization of the industrial production of hemp, and each had a unique perspective on the issue. Kerr gave an overview of the topic, drawing distinctions between the reefer bought on the street and industrial hemp. Hemp is imported to the U.S. from Canada, Kerr said, but people are scared of allowing its production within our borders because they associate hemp with its green, sticky cousin. Prozanski took the stage wearing a shirt that read, "Rope, Not Dope." Prozanski, representing South Lane and North Douglas counties, said that he had tried to push hemp bills through the Legislature five times, but each stalled. Presently, Prozanski, a prosecutor by day, is behind Senate Bill 294, which would permit production and possession of industrial hemp, as well as authorizing the State to administer a licensing, permitting and inspection program. SB294 is presently in committee, upon adjournment, according to the State's legislative website. To date, 26 states have introduced hemp legislation and 14 have passed legislation. Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia have removed barriers to its production or research. But the bottom line is it's outlawed by the federal government. "[The plan] is to get states ready. The result will trickle up to the nation's lawmakers," Prozanski said. "We need education first, and then a grassroots movement … Call your congressman." Moran, of Eugene's Living Tree Paper Company, followed the senator with a PowerPoint presentation extolling the virtues of hemp. By using hemp or other non-wood fibers to produce quality paper, forests can be saved: We should be getting our fibers from farms, not forests, she said. And hemp has intrinsic qualities as well. Its bast fibers are among nature's longest, perfect for papers and textiles. And a Washington State University test of hemp and wood fiberboards found the hemp board to be twice as strong as the wood. After Moran finished her presentation to applause, Woolsey got up and presented his case for hemp. He noted that he gets some strange looks being both a hemp advocate and a former CIA director, but that, "Economically, and in terms of agriculture, [the decriminalization of industrial hemp] makes complete sense." Woolsey spoke on critics' concern over hemp farmers cultivating the other cannabis sativa product, you know, the one with a way of improving the sound of reggae and the taste of Cheetos. Detractors might say that an industrial hemp farmer would plant some high-grade reefer amongst their hemp crop. Woolsey had an answer to this argument. "One of the stupidest things you could do if you were growing marijuana would be to plant it near hemp. You would have to be an idiot, high on something … other than marijuana." The reason for this is that the hemp plants would pollinate the marijuana plants, thus reducing the THC level, which, many of you probably know, is what gets you high. So, in essence, if industrial hemp were decriminalized, it could actually be detrimental to marijuana growers. The workshop ended with a question-and-answer session, which featured some rambling audience members comparing the medical marijuana movement with the hemp movement — exactly the connection the panel has been spending years trying to separate themselves from. Kerr probably summed the differences between marijuana and hemp best, when he said, "You want stems and seeds in hemp. [That] doesn't quite sell marijuana." For more information on industrial hemp visit www.votehemp.com, www.leg.state.or.us/searchmeas.html and www.thehia.org
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