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91_SR0259
LRB9109348MWgc
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Industrial hemp refers to varieties of the
3 cannabis plant that have a low content of
4 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and that are cultivated for fiber
5 and oil; and
6 WHEREAS, Industrial hemp should not be confused with
7 varieties of cannabis that have high content of
8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and that are commonly referred to
9 as marijuana; and
10 WHEREAS, The commercial production and cultivation of
11 industrial hemp is now permitted in Canada, under licenses
12 and authorizations issued by Health Canada; and
13 WHEREAS, Health Canada controls, through rules, all
14 activities relating to the importation, exportation,
15 possession, production, sale, provision, transportation,
16 sending, delivering, and offering for sale of industrial
17 hemp; and
18 WHEREAS, Industrial hemp is grown legally throughout
19 Europe and Asia; and
20 WHEREAS, Many farmers facing uncertain times in the
21 agricultural marketplace view the reintroduction of
22 industrial hemp as another potentially alternative crop that
23 will have long-term economic benefits to the farmers who
24 produce hemp and the persons who use hemp in the production
25 of textiles, paper products, concrete reinforcement,
26 automobile parts, plastic, cosmetics, organic foods, and
27 natural body products; and
28 WHEREAS, Congress never originally intended to prohibit
29 the production of industrial hemp when restricting the
30 production, possession, and use of marijuana; therefore be it
-2- LRB9109348MWgc
1 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIRST GENERAL
2 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the United
3 States Congress to acknowledge the difference between the
4 hallucinogenic drug known as marijuana and the agricultural
5 crop known as industrial hemp; to acknowledge that allowing
6 and encouraging farmers to produce industrial hemp will
7 improve the balance of trade by promoting domestic sources of
8 industrial hemp; and to assist United States' producers by
9 clearly authorizing the commercial production of industrial
10 hemp and by being the leading advocate for the industrial
11 hemp industry; and be it further
12 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
13 delivered to the President pro tempore of the United States
14 Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of
15 Representatives, the chairmen of the Agriculture Committees
16 of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, the
17 United States Secretary of Agriculture, and each member of
18 the Illinois congressional delegation.