California farmers would be allowed to produce hemp oil, seed and fiber under a bill passed by both houses of the California Assembly, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Aug. 22.

Currently, California law does not make any distinction between hemp and its illicit cousin, marijuana, so farmers have been loathe to grow the crop. As a result, producers of hemp products -- from food to clothing and car parts -- have had to import their raw materials.

"When this bill becomes law, it will be an economic bonanza for California," said Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), cosponsor of the measure.

The bill would exempt hemp farmers from prosecution by state law enforcement as long as they have their crops tested to ensure that it is not marijuana. But that wasn't enough for some lawmakers and law-enforcement officials, who said that hemp and marijuana plants are "indistinguishable."

"As a conservative Republican, I can't have my name attached to hemp," said Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy (R-Monrovia).

The bill now goes before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for consideration.