The California Industrial Hemp Farming Act, intended to promote cultivation of marijuana's close (but non-psychoactive) cousin as a major cash crop, has been passed by the state legislature and has been sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Oakland Tribune reported Sept. 24.

Schwarzenegger vetoed an earlier version of the hemp bill, which was then redrafted to address his stated concerns about the measure. The Hemp Industries Association and other backers say that hemp could become a multimillion-dollar business in California, noting its use in products as diverse as food and textiles.

Opponents, however, say that legalizing hemp would make anti-marijuana law enforcement more difficult. In his earlier veto message, Schwarzenegger cited those concerns as well as the fact that the federal government does not recognize any differences between marijuana and hemp.

Charles Meyer, a cotton farmer and hemp supporter, dismisses concerns about farmers using hemp to conceal illicit marijuana crops. "A marijuana patch looks like an orchard, it has to be separated out in rows and the male plants are removed," Meyer said. "A hemp field looks like a wheat field," with both male and female plants, he said.

Even if the bill is signed into law, the federal Controlled Substances Act will still consider hemp illegal, so hemp backers will need to convince the California courts to block the federal government from interfering with hemp farming.