Cant grow hemp in ND

[Admiral Ackbar]

Heres a better nd story about hemp.  We should be able to grow what we want

Hemp Case goes to Federal Court

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Nov 14 2007 7:02PM
KXMBTV Bismarck
Two North Dakota farmers wanting to grow industrial hemp take thier case to Federal Court.

Dave Monson and Wayne Hauge submitted applications to groow industrial hemp to the Drug Enforcement Agency earlier this year.

So far no action has been taken on their applications.

Brad Feldman shows us how their day in court might make the process happen faster.

It's a plan that many believe likely won't even break the surface

Dave Monson and Wayne Hauge have been waiting for the DEA to make a decision on their applications

(Dave Monson/ Wants to grow Hemp) "I think the DEA is just trying to wait us out." Each of them paid twenty-three hundred dollars for a one year license to grow the controversial product

It is considered a controlled substance and illegal to grow without approval from the DEA

However, the state of North Dakota has already passed a law stating they can grow hemp

It is just not encouraged without an approved registration from the DEA

(Tim Purdon/ Attorney) "In order to grow industrial hemp in North Dakota it has to be tested by a lab and certified by the ag department of having the THC of less than point three percent which is a level that makes it impossible to get any sort of recreational high." This is where the government disagrees

They consider hemp to be the same kind of controlled substance as marijuana

The government wants the case thrown out

But the farmers attorneys claim this is different and needs to be looked at in a different manner

(Tim Purdon/ Attorney) "Would say that the controlled substances act defines marijuana specifically excludes the non viable seeds, the oil that you make from those seeds along with husk and other sorts of things. They are specifically excluded from regulation as marijuana and those is our position. In doing so congress intended to protect legitimate hemp industry." Judge Hovland says he is hoping to have a judgement back by the end of the month in the case

Brad Feldman KX News

A bill brought before the US House of representatives called the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2007 cxould take care of this case all together.

It would redefine industrial hemp as not being as dangerous as marijuana.

To date this bill has not been taken up in a hearing.

[pmp6nl]

You'd like that wouldnt you

[Sal Atticum]

I really don't have a problem with it.  It's a natural fiber, it's durable, and it could bring a lot of money into the state.  As long as they regulate how much THC is in it, sure, I think they should be able to grow it.

[Sal Atticum]

Looks like Vermont is thinking the same thing.

Published on Seven Days (http://7dvt.com)
Cash Crop

Local Matters
By Ken Picard [11.21.07]

VERMONT — George Washington recommended that its seeds be sown far and wide throughout the colonies, and Thomas Jefferson once called it the “first necessity to the wealth and prosperity of the nation.” Abraham Lincoln penned his Emancipation Proclamation by the light of its oil, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture once urged farmers to grow it to accelerate victory in World War II.

“It” is industrial hemp — a multipurpose plant that is effectively outlawed throughout the United States by the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. But come January, the Vermont Legislature may once again revisit the sticky issue of hemp legalization in an effort to provide local farmers with a cash crop that is cost-effective and easy to raise, even in our short growing season.

The hemp bill, H.267, was discussed quite a lot last spring to “set the table for this winter,” according to House Ag Committee Chair Dave Zuckerman (P - Burlington). Thus far, the only pushback has come from the Vermont State Police, who reportedly claim that legalized hemp would make it more difficult for drug agents to spot its intoxicating cousin, marijuana. To prevent such confusion, a provision in the bill would require licensed hemp growers to register their fields with the state and obtain all their seeds from the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets.

Currently, North Dakota is the only state to have passed a law legalizing hemp cultivation. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has yet to grant any licenses to do so, and a federal court ruling on the matter is expected any day now. But Zuckerman is hoping the feds will come to terms with industrial hemp production, “so that it can become a reality in Vermont, too, as opposed to just a pipe dream.”
Source URL:
http://7dvt.com/2007/cash-crop

[Admiral Ackbar]

Maybe I can move to Vermont then, if they don't do it here.  Is it warmer there in the wintertime?

[pmp6nl]

I dont think its that much warmer.  Plus the cold is nice.

[netgeer]

I wonder if this will happen and we will be able to go work in the hemp fields

[Admiral Ackbar]

I wonder if this will happen and we will be able to go work in the hemp fields

Uuuuuhhh, sure, if you want to get a college degree and then go work in the hemp fields....

[pmp6nl]

I heard it would be pretty restrictive.

[JakeJZG]

Frankly, we should just legalize pot and get it over with. 

http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html