FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, March 19, 2007 CONTACT: Adam Eidinger Ph: 202-744-2671, [email protected] or Tom Murphy Ph: 207-542-4998, [email protected] Poll Shows Strong Voter Support for Industrial Hemp Farming in California 71% of Californians Support Changing State Law to Allow Hemp Farming; Hearings on New Hemp Bill AB 684 Scheduled for March 27 SACRAMENTO, CA – Vote Hemp, the nation’s leading grassroots organization working to give farmers the right to grow non-psychoactive industrial hemp to be made into everything from food, clothing, paper, body care, bio-fuel and even auto parts has released a new poll of 801 likely California voters about industrial hemp. The telephone poll has a 3.5% margin of error and sampled likely California voters from February 22 – 26. The survey was conducted by the respected research firm Zogby International on behalf of Vote Hemp and five manufacturers of hemp food products including Alpsnackâ„¢, French Meadow Bakeryâ„¢, Living Harvestâ„¢, Nature’s Path Organic Foodsâ„¢ and Nutivaâ„¢. The poll results released today for the first time confirm there is strong support for reform on the issue of industrial hemp. A total of 71% support changing state law to allow farmers to grow hemp and of those surveyed 46% strongly support and another 25% somewhat support changing state law so California farmers can supply manufacturers with hemp seed, oil and fiber. Presently companies must import hemp from other countries. Over the past several years the California Legislature has passed resolutions and bills to permit farmers to grow industrial hemp. AB 684, the California Industrial Hemp Farming Act is authored by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine) and will be heard in the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, March 27, 2007. If passed and signed into law, AB 684 would regulate commercial industrial hemp farming in California. Today more than 30 industrialized nations grow industrial hemp and export to the US. It is the only crop that is both illegal to grow and legal for Americans to import. Sales of hemp food and body care products have grown rapidly in recent years fueling an expansion of hemp farming in Canada which topped 48,000 acres in 2006. Poll questions and results regarding industrial hemp farming policy and consumer attitudes on hemp products and nutrition can be viewed online at http://www.votehemp.com/polls.html. There is evidence of strong support among men and women and self-identified liberal and conservative voters on the issue. Among California Republicans, 60% support changing state law on hemp while 74% of Democrats are in support. Support was also steady among all age groups, ranging from 54% of 18 to 29 year olds to 82% of 30 to 49 year olds, 74% of 50 to 64 years olds and 60% of those over 65 years old. Assemblyman Mark Leno who introduced AB 684 in February said, “The Zogby poll underscores that California voters of all political persuasions support changing the senseless policy of importing industrial hemp while prohibiting our own farmers from growing it.” # # # More information about hemp legislation and the crop’s many uses can be found at www.VoteHemp.com