HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.36            
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  RESOLUTION
  REQUESTING THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH TO CONDUCT
    CONTROLLED ANIMAL AND HUMAN TRIALS ON THE NUTRITIONAL
    VALUE OF HEMP SEED OIL.



 1        WHEREAS, hemp seed oil is reputed to be a highly
 2   nutritious, essential hair and skin aid for promoting growth
 3   and slowing the aging process.  It is reputed to be an
 4   excellent healing and moisturizing process for broken and
 5   damaged skin, which may be particularly useful for sufferers of
 6   eczema, psoriasis, and mastalgia (breast pain); and
 7   
 8        WHEREAS, hemp seed oil is reputed to be the highest
 9   natural carrier of the combination of essential fatty acids
10   "linoleic", "linolenic", and "gamma-linolenic", and provides
11   the 3-to-1 ratio of linoleic acid to linolenic acid that has
12   been claimed by nutritionally-oriented doctors to be the
13   optimum balance for human health; and
14   
15        WHEREAS, essential fatty acids are compounds that, by
16   definition, must be obtained through the diet for the proper
17   growth and functioning of the human body.  They form other
18   compounds that help organ muscles to contract, regulate stomach
19   acid, lower blood pressure, and regulate temperature.  They
20   also aid in fat transport and metabolism; and
21   
22        WHEREAS, essential fatty acids are necessary for the
23   normal functioning of the reproductive system, hormone
24   regulation, and for breaking up cholesterol deposits in the
25   arteries.  A deficiency of essential fatty acids causes changes
26   in cell structure that can result in brittle and dull hair,
27   nail problems, dandruff, allergies, and dermatitis; and
28   
29        WHEREAS, hemp seed oil extracted from government-approved
30   strains of industrial hemp have very low levels of the
31   psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- somewhere
32   around 8 parts per million (8 ppm) for refined oil and 21 parts
33   per million (21 ppm) for natural oil.  Consequently, it is not
34   possible to "get high" on hemp seed oil; and
35   
36        WHEREAS, although it is legal to import sterilized hemp
37   seeds into the United States and to process them for their oil,
38   it remains illegal in this country to grow industrial hemp for

 
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                                  H.R. NO.36            
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   the purpose of obtaining these seeds.  Consequently, all hemp
 2   oil seeds must be imported from Canada and other countries
 3   where the cultivation of industrial hemp is allowed; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, if a respected government research institution
 6   were to determine that hemp seed oil has legitimate nutritional
 7   value, then the justification for prohibiting the growing of
 8   industrial hemp for seeds in this country would have to be
 9   weighed against the legitimate nutritional value of hemp seed
10   oil; now, therefore,
11   
12        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
13   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
14   of 1999, that the National Institutes of Health are requested
15   to conduct controlled animal and human trials on the
16   nutritional value of hemp seed oil, excluding experiments on
17   the medical uses of marijuana; and
18   
19        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
20   Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the National
21   Institutes of Health, the United States Secretary of Health and
22   Human Services, the Administrator of the United States Drug
23   Enforcement Administration, the United States Attorney General,
24   and the members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.
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28                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________