Monday, December 4, 2017

Hemp farmers lose in federal court

By Alex Breitler
Source: recordnet.com

Image result for american states university hemp

A federal judge has rejected a Southern California cannabis company’s request to resume growing hemp for “research” purposes in the Delta. 

Cannabis Science Inc., along with the Winnemucca Shoshoni tribe of Native Americans and a business calling itself “American States University,” asked the judge for a court order overturning a recently approved county ban on industrial hemp growing. 

The groups claimed that the county had effectively stolen $77 million worth of hemp when sheriff’s deputies raided the property two weeks after county supervisors approved the emergency ban. The growers and then sought a that would allow them to resume operations. 

But growing hemp still is illegal in California unless it’s done by an established research institution such as a university. And San Joaquin County argued that American States University doesn’t fit the bill. 

The plaintiffs’ own court filings say that the product is sold not only to provide medical benefits to thousands of people, but also to maintain and grow their business. They predict “devastating” economic impacts as a result of losing their “competitive” industry position. 

“This is clearly a business enterprise, not an educational or research institution,” the county argued in filed with U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller. 

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