The measure would have established a demonstration program for state-licensed farmers to cultivate hemp as an economic product. Text of AB 684
In his veto message the Governor expressed concern that the measure would violate federal law and interfere with the ability of law enforcement to carry on marijuana eradication.
According to a 2005 Congressional
Resource Service (CRS) report, the United States is the only developed
nation that fails to cultivate industrial hemp as an economic crop.
Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis sativa that
contains only minute (less than 1%) amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Farmers
worldwide grow hemp commercially for fiber, seed, and oil for use in a
variety of industrial and consumer products, including food and
clothing.