Colorado Industrial Hemp Production Act Legislative Update: April 13, 1996
The Colorado Industrial Hemp Production Act (Senate Bill 67) is now DEA'd, killed by the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday, April 11 by a vote of 8 to 5. The bill was introduced by Sen. Lloyd Casey and co-sponsored in the House by Rep. Steve Acquafresca and Rep. Bill Jerke.
The bill was killed due to heavy opposition and lobbying by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Twelve law enforcement representatives testified against the bill, including:
- Greg Williams, Special Agent in Charge, Rocky Mt. Division of the DEA
- Carl Whiteside, director, Colorado Bureau of Investigation
- Representatives from the County Sheriffs of Colorado
- Denver and Aurora Police Departments
- The Colorado Chiefs of Police Association
- The Colorado State Patrol
The emotional pressure and scare tactics used by these law enforcement agencies effectively strong-armed the state legislature forcing them to vote for the police and against the farmers of Colorado. Law enforcement testified that there is no difference between industrial hemp and marijuana, and that passing the Hemp Production Act would send the wrong message to young people. Rep. Russell George (R-Rifle) voted against the bill and described the reasons why in an interview immediately after the hearing. Rep. George said:
"The key factor in making up my vote was when the director of the local DEA office from Denver testified and said that under no circumstances would the DEA issue any kind of a registration or permit. That meant anything else we did with this bill was a waste of time and was moot because the bill itself said that the farmer couldn't go forward without a DEA registration. The DEA has so many requirements and so much red tape that no farmer would be able to qualify so why waste our time from this point forward. If they want to move forward with legalizing hemp in Colorado, they're going to have to work out an arrangement with the federal DEA office first, then I'd reconsider."
Farmers vs. the Feds Those of you who have followed the progress of the Colorado bill through CO-HIP's updates, may remember that hemp proponents in Colorado were "working with the DEA" and that the DEA was "reviewing their policies" with regard to industrial hemp production. After the DEA testimony at the hearing, I believe it is safe to say that the DEA is -not- working with hemp proponents in Colorado. I believe it is also safe to say that they have "reviewed their policies" and the answer is: The DEA will not give permits for farmers to grow industrial hemp. The DEA testimony said that hemp and marijuana are the same thing; the DEA has never given permits to grow marijuana and they are not going to start now. The DEA contends that federal law needs to change to allow industrial hemp production, and that it is not just a matter of changing their policies.
The industrial hemp movement in Colorado is not DEA'd. We have a lot of momentum and a lot of support. We are in the process of evaluating our strategies and determining our course of action. We have several interesting options and are excited to be able to pursue them now that the bill is DEA'd. The Colorado Hemp Initiative Project is encouraging interested citizens to contact their state representatives and local law enforcement agencies to express outrage at the strong- arm tactics used by the law enforcement community to kill a legitimate agricultural bill. We are encouraging citizens to write letters to the editor of their local newspapers to further expose the ridiculous expenditure of law enforcement resources spent on killing the Hemp Production Act. We are also encouraging thank you calls and letters be sent to Senator Casey for having the guts and integrity to introduce the Hemp Production Act two years in a row. This is his last term and he deserves a big thanks for all the work he has done for the farmers and environmental movement in Colorado. Letters of thanks should also be sent to the two joint sponsors of the bill in the House of Representatives.
- Senator Lloyd Casey (303) 866-4865
- Rep. Steve Acquafresca (303) 866-2955
- Rep. Bill Jerke (303) 866-2907
The address of the state capitol is:
State Capitol
Bldg. 200 E. Colfax
Denver, CO 80203
Thanks again for all your support. The demise of SB 67 is not a failure. It has just opened the door to the next step of our project.
The industrial hemp bills in Vermont, Missouri, and Hawaii are all still alive. Perhaps legislators in those states will be better at standing up to the pressure from the DEA and other law enforcement than Colo. legislators were. This is an issue of state's rights and that needs to be asserted strongly.
For more information or to get involved, contact the:
Colorado Hemp Initiative Project (CO-HIP)
P.O. Box 729
Nederland, CO 80466
Vmail: (303) 448-5640
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