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To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 676 without my signature.

This measure would establish a pilot program for the cultivation of industrial hemp in four counties in California.

Federal law clearly establishes that all cannabis plants, including industrial hemp, are marijuana, which is a federally regulated controlled substance. Failure to obtain a permit from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration prior to growing such plants will subject a California farmer to federal prosecution.

Although I am not signing this measure, I do support a change in federal law. Products made from hemp - clothes, food, and bath products - are legally sold in California every day. It is absurd that hemp is being imported into the state, but our farmers cannot grow it.

Sincerely,

Edmund G. Brown, Jr.

Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA)