HR0271LRB097 11523 GRL 54358 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Hemp has been used for thousands of years by
3humans for everything from clothing fibers to food to fuel;
4hemp has tens of thousands of uses and can be seen in everyday
5life in the United States; hemp is currently imported from more
6than 20 countries; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Industrial hemp is defined as a specific variety
8of the plant Cannabis sativa L. that contains 0.3% or less of
9delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical that gives
10marijuana, which generally contains 5-20% THC, its
11psychoactive properties; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Industrial hemp offers enough
13scientifically-verifiable differences with marijuana,
14including a number of recognizable cultivars that can be placed
15on a list of approved varieties of industrial hemp, that it
16merits a sensible policy to allow for its cultivation; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Hemp was placed on the list of Schedule I
18controlled substances with the passage of the federal
19Controlled Substances Act of 1970; Schedule I substances are
20generally defined as having a high potential for abuse and no
21medical value, claims that most reasonable people would not
22associate with industrial hemp; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Illinois farmers, through the Illinois Farm
2Bureau advocacy group, have strongly supported state
3legislative efforts to allow farmers to cultivate industrial
4hemp in a manner that is highly regulated; Illinois farmers
5deserve the opportunity to grow a product that is in growing
6demand in the United States; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Though it is technically legal to cultivate
8industrial hemp with a permit, the United States Drug
9Enforcement Agency refuses to issue such permits; therefore, be
10it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
12NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
13we urge the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, the United
14States Food and Drug Administration, the United States Attorney
15General, and all other relevant agencies of the executive
16branch of the United States government to take immediate steps
17to remove barriers that prevent Illinois and other American
18farmers from growing industrial hemp, a product which is
19already imported into the United States; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That we state our belief that industrial hemp, if
21allowed to be grown in controlled and regulated situations,
22could spur a growing market for this highly-versatile

 

 

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1agricultural commodity; and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
3provided to the President of the United States, the United
4States Attorney General, the Administrator of the United States
5Drug Enforcement Administration, the Director of the Office of
6National Drug Control Policy, the United States Secretary of
7Agriculture, the President of the United States Senate, the
8Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the
9members of the Illinois congressional delegation.