The National Farmers Union Urges Congress To Differentiate Between Cannabis And Hemp

By Erik
Source: the420times.com

Currently farmers in the United States have been effectively prohibited from cultivating hemp for any dedication due to the requirement of special cultivation permits that must be obtained through the Drug Enforcement Administration in order to legally farm the plant; but we all know how that’s been working out.

Due to the government’s unwillingness to show an inkling of intelligence by officially distinguishing hemp from its psychoactive, THC-rich cousin cannabis, the National Farmers Union has recently assumed a policy urging our beloved governmental officials to “direct the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to differentiate between industrial hemp and marijuana and adopt policy to allow American farmers to grow industrial hemp under state law without requiring DEA licenses.”

The United States is the absolute largest hemp consuming country on the planet yet it still remains unlawful to cultivate the plant on American soil all due to the true devil in disguise, Harry Anslinger, and his asinine “Marihuana Tax Act.”

Doug Fine is the author of the book “Too High To Fail,” and he believes a crop that is as beneficial as hemp shouldn't be prohibited from being cultivating in America.

“I can’t give a rational explanation as to why something as valuable as hemp – which other countries are making so much money off and importing to us – why we’re not growing this by the millions of acres,” Fine affirmed.

Activists battling for the re-legalizing of hemp are gaining confidence and are seeing opportunities to act arising as more and more states across the country are lobbying for the legalization of cannabis for recreational and medicinal purposes.

Permitting our farmers to cultivate hemp would benefit our country and planet on numerous levels. Become actively involved and help bring an end to the lunacy of cannabis prohibition.

Enjoy the news clip and pass the hemp seed dip.

Hemp: The fiber side of cannabis

By Erica LindbergSource: boulderweekly.com


Photo by Anndrea Hermann

While marijuana advocates celebrated the success of Amendment 64 in the November election, other cannabis aficionados began focusing on something new: farming hemp legally.

Hemp industry leaders are starting to discuss opportunities for growing hemp in Colorado as state officials continue to plan how it will be regulated.

Hemp is a fibrous material extracted from the stem of a cannabis plant that can be used for a wide variety of products like food, oils and building materials, according to Tom Murphy, national outreach coordinator for Vote Hemp. Under current regulations, hemp must be imported into the United States, which is not sustainable or cost-effective, he says.

“It would be much better to grow hemp close to a building site and process it locally,” Murphy says.

Unlike marijuana, which is typically cultivated through cloning, hemp is propagated by planting seed and through pollination, according to Anndrea Hermann, president of the Hemp Industries Association. Hemp is grown to have large, fibrous stalks that can be processed into a variety of materials and does not contain high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

“We’re talking about cultural diversification. There is a large market that is to be had on the fiber textiles side, on the human product side and building application,” Hermann says. “This would be an opportunity for diversification of farming systems and the opportunity to cultivate a crop that is, as of now, only allowed as an import.”

Growing hemp alongside marijuana might boost the farming industry, but the two don’t play nicely with each other.

“Cross pollination is a risk because hemp has pollen,” Hermann says. “Leaving male plants in the fields does pose a risk where industrial hemp could pollinate the female marijuana plants.”

A potential cannabis clash is a risk hemp industry leaders are considering.

“As far as hemp pollen goes, it does travel a reasonable distance, but I believe most marijuana is grown indoors, so it won’t be a major factor,” says Eric Steenstra, executive director of the Hemp Industries Association. “If marijuana growers are growing outdoors, they will be pollinated and it is something we’ll need to look into.”

The possibility for industrial hemp farming has never been more realistic. Amendment 64 concertedly addresses marijuana and hemp by declaring the two should be regulated separately and mandates that the Colorado General Assembly set up regulations for industrial hemp farming no later than July 1, 2014, according to Ron Carleton, deputy commissioner for the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

Currently it is against federal law to grow any derivative of cannabis, including hemp, containing less than 0.03 percent THC, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis.

“Under federal rules, hemp and marijuana are treated exactly the same,” Carleton says. “What [Amendment 64] has done is it declares industrial hemp should be regulated separately.”

According to the definitions set by Amendment 64, “‘marijuana’ or ‘marihuana’ does not include industrial hemp, nor does it include fiber produced from the stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant, sterilized seed of the plant which is incapable of germination, or the weight of any other ingredient combined with marijuana to prepare topical or oral administrations, food, drink, or other product.”

The distinction is key. 

“It is important for the public to understand that the market cannot develop properly until federal law is changed, allowing domestic sources of pedigreed seed, crop insurance and support and research from Colorado agriculture universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture into hemp varieties which will grow well in Colorado,” Steenstra says.

Drawing a line between hemp and marijuana can allow for new industry in the United States — starting in Colorado. Carleton, who serves on the Amendment 64 implementation task force, says rough drafts for regulation of the hemp industry have already begun and the task force has urged the General Assembly to make a decision this session and not wait until 2014.

“What the final provisions are going to be is still unclear. We’ll have to wait and see how that bill proceeds,” Carleton says. “But I think that we’re all moving forward with hemp ... [hemp industry standards] will be implemented and put into place.”

The federal response to industrial hemp growing in Colorado is unclear, but if regulated strictly and appropriately, Carleton says he doesn’t think it will be a big issue.

“In the case of marijuana, the federal government has approached it in different ways depending on how strictly regulated it is in a particular state. They have pretty much left Colorado alone because we do have a fairly rigorous system of operations,” Carleton says. “I don’t know that there is a 100 percent fool-proof system, but I think Colorado has always been very good at being strict and careful.”

Federal legalization of hemp may not be too far behind Colorado.

The Industrial Hemp Farming Act was first introduced to Congress in 2007 by Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, and again in 2009. Both times the bill was assigned to a committee but never received a hearing or floor vote.

The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013 was introduced to the House of Representatives and the Senate in February. If passed, it would exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana and allow people to grow it legally in the United States.

“While support is growing, it is unlikely to pass this year,” according to Jen Clanahan, an aide to Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, a cosponsor of the bill.

The bill was referred to committees as of late March.

Maine Lawmaker Proposes Legalizing Industrial Hemp

By: A.J. Higgins
Source: mpbn.net

Marijuana discussions in the Maine Legislature this session have focused on the kind that's used for recreation or medical purposes. But a legislative committee this afternoon considered the value of pot's cousin: industrial hemp. One Maine lawmaker has introduced a bill that would legalize industrial hemp production in the state for use in rope-making, food products, pulp, and fuel. As A.J. Higgins reports, the bill is similar to one approved Wednesday by lawmakers in Kentucky.

Cindy Brown arrived at the legislative hearing with bag full of hemp products. She had hemp oil, hemp fabric, hemp soap, all kinds of hemp-like things. She told members of the Agriculture, Forestry and Conservation Committee that Maine could open up a whole new industry, if the state could free itself from the federal regulations that discourage industrial hemp cultivation.

"We don't have to do it that way," Brown said. "We are a free sovereign people. I believe that. I was raised an American, United State of - and I believe these things."

So does state Rep. Lance Harvell, a Farmington Republican. Harvell is sponsoring a bill that would do away with a regulation that requires applicants for an initial industrial hemp license to submit fingerprints to the state. It would also repeal a state provision that requires federal approval for licenses to grow industrial hemp. 

Harvell says there are thousands of acres in Maine that could be used to grow hemp and create new opportunities to manufacture products from the weed. The lawmaker says it's one thing to lose U.S. manufacturing jobs to world markets because of cheap foreign labor, but it's another to perpetuate outdated policies on hemp prohibition.

"But when you actually are putting in place a prohibition that is not even allowing your farmers to grow a product that has a variety of uses in the modern world - to me that's a bit of a travesty," Harvell said.

Proponents of Harvell's bill say hemp was once used to make dozens of products including paper, rope, clothing and fuel oil, but the plant got caught up in a national effort to prohibit marijuana and other cannibis-containing substances. Harvell says that while hemp does contain some cannibis, there's no reason for national concern. 

"I don't know how much rope you'd have to smoke to get to high - my guess is you'd probably have to give up about a foot into the roll," Harvell said.

Some states have gone beyond just considering hemp production: On Wednesday, the Kentucky Legislature approved a bill that permits industrialized hemp production - if and when the federal government legalizes production of the crop. 

Tom Murphy, the national outreach coordinator for Vote Hemp, which advocates for legalizing industrial hemp production, says he was pleased that law enforcement officials in Maine have not registered opposition to the bill.

"Those types of things are good to have because it's getting past the controversy and the legislators can actaully look at the merits of the bill," Murphy said.

Maine does have a marijuana cultivation law on the books that requires federal approval for those who want to cultivate industrial hemp crops.

Cannabis: Missouri Bill Would Legalize Hemp

By Sam Levin
Source: riverfronttimes.com



Some polls show that a majority of Missouri residents support the legalization of marijuanain the state.

But what about hemp?

"If you're trying to get high off it...it's not a good idea," John Payne, executive director of advocacy group Show-Me Cannabis Regulation tells Daily RFT, emphasizing that this bill is not about smoking cannabis.

What is the purpose of legalizing the hemp industry in Missouri?

Senate Bill 358 would exempt "industrial hemp" -- defined as "cannabis sativa L. containing no greater than one percent THC" -- from the definition of marijuana and the list of controlled substances.

In other words, while marijuana remains an illegal substance, there's no reason that hemp, a cannabis product that isn't used as a drug and has basically no THC, should be considered an outlawed substance.

"It's important to remind people that hemp used to be one of the most important cash crops in the state," says Payne. [corrected]

Like marijuana, hemp is illegal at the federal level -- and would in that way remain illegal even if Missouri passed this law. It would at least create similar state-federal conflicts like the challenges that now exist in states that have legalized marijuana.

"It's really in some way symbolic," says Payne, who testified in favor of the bill at a hearing on Tuesday. He says there were very few opponents and is confident that the bill will move forward out of committee.

You can't get high off of hemp, but it does have a diverse range of other uses including for textiles, food, oil and much more. (Westword, RFT's sister paper in Denver has a recent cover story on hemp, which, along with marijuana, is now legal in Colorado).

Meanwhile, Kentucky legislators have had success this year with their bill to license hemp farmers, advocates in Missouri point out.

via

State Senator Jason Holsman

The bill here, from Democratic State Senator Jason Holsman, says:

In any case where the defendant claims that the substance possessed was industrial hemp and not a controlled substance the burden of proof shall be on the defendant to prove that the substance was industrial hemp and not a controlled substance.

And the bill also specifies that it would not be legal for anyone who has been convicted of a drug-related crime to cultivate hemp.

Even if hemp can at times be confused for pot, it doesn't make a lot of sense for it to be outlawed, says Payne.

This bill is getting a lot less attention than proposals to decriminalize marijuana in the state-- and is also less controversial.

Payne says, "This does not split as much along the partisan divide as the question of legalization or decriminalization."

You can review the full bill here: Senate-Bill-358

Hemp and the Legacy of 'The Last Free Man in America'

By Jonathan Miller

Source: huffingtonpost.com

We tend to mythologize the dead; and perhaps that's fair with politicians who've passed, since we use them for rhetorical target practice when they are stumping the earth.

But regardless of the intended spirit, today is a very special day for the memory of my friendly acquaintance and sometimes political rival, Gatewood Galbraith.

On the surface, the two of us could not have looked any more different -- my buttoned-down, over-dressed-to-try-to-look-my-age appearance was a stark contrast to his rugged and ragged hippie/cowboy mien. And the communitarian ethos of my attempt at being an auteur, The Compassionate Community, was a diametric challenge to the in-your-face libertarianism of his autobiographical The Last Free Man in America.

But as we campaigned against each other in the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial primary, Gatewood and I learned we shared a very deep bond: a mutual frustration with politics-as-usual, especially with the hyper-partisan, broken-down political system within which both of us had given much of our lives.

So when he died suddenly last year, I decided to honor his memory by taking another look at his pet cause -- the issue that drove him the most passionately -- the campaign for which he endured decades of public ridicule -- the stance that probably ensured that he would never hold public office: The legalization of marijuana, and of its distant cousin, industrial hemp.

It didn't take me long to realize that Gatewood was right: Legalizing pot not only made strong economic sense for our poor state, I believed that it was a moral imperative. I shared my views inmy hometown paper and The Huffington Post; and upon publication, learned that most of my friends had agreed with Gatewood, and just had been too embarrassed to admit it.

While a few states have marched quickly down the legalization path in recent years, I realize that my conservative old Kentucky home will probably lag the national trend by several years, if not the full 20 as per Mark Twain's famous description of the Bluegrass State.

But I had hope for hemp. It was a matter of clear and convincing logic that the non-narcotic crop that was grown by Henry Clay -- Kentucky's second most famous 19th Century native -- could ultimately boost a farm economy struggling due to the incredibly shrinking global demand for tobacco. So I used my digital platform to advocate for hemp legalization.

I soon learned of a whole new group of unlikely allies. Hemp was not simply the pet cause of many of my tree-hugging, peace-seeking friends on the left, I learned that it was also a special focus of many libertarian, liberty-loving Tea Party activists on the right.

Kentucky's Agriculture Commissioner Jamie Comer grabbed hold of this motley coalition, and asked me to join him on his newly-invigorated Industrial Hemp Commission. Together, a group that would likely find strong disagreement on any number of hot-button issues, drafted a bill that would establish an administrative and law enforcement structure for hemp growers should the crop be legalized at the federal level. Critically, it would empower Kentucky to jump to the front of the line and establish itself as the national leader on the crop once expected federal approval was granted.

I have to admit, I didn't expect Senate Bill 50 to pass early on. Another unlikely coalition, composed of law enforcement officials and members of both the Democratic and Republican establishments, joined their voices in strong opposition. When Comer and I debated law enforcement on statewide television, I knew in my mind that our positions were persuasive, but my heart warned me that the political opposition was too strong to surmount this quickly.

I had recognized that Comer was a comer -- and as a conservative Republican bucking law enforcement, I realized that he had the courage and chutzpah that define my personal definition of leadership. But I had underestimated Comer's political shepherding skills.

Within weeks, half of Kentucky's federal delegation had endorsed the bill: Sen. Rand Paul was an early and strong supporter; but surprisingly, liberal Democrat Congressman John Yarmuth soon was joined by his usual nemesis, GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell, in common cause. Then in a few short months, Comer united most Frankfort Republicans -- many of whom had been previously opposed or on the fence -- to support Senate Bill 50, and it flew through the GOP-held Senate. A few weeks later, a coalition of hemp-supporting Democrats, including Sen. Robin Webb and Rep. Tom McKee, helped squash objections to push the bill, almost unanimously, through a House committee.

As the General Assembly slogged towards the conclusion of its business, however, Senate Bill 50 appeared to be gasping through its last throes; indeed, the bill was pronounced dead on about a half dozen occasions. Ultimately, it was another leader with real backbone, Democratic House Majority Leader Rocky Adkins, who offered persistent resuscitation. And at a late night meeting between Adkins, Comer and Senate bill sponsor Paul Hornback -- with just about 60 minutes before the General Assembly would be closed for the year for business -- a compromise was hammered out. It was one of those bi-partisan, problem-solving moments that we dream about in our No Labels grassroots movement, an all-too-rare moment when good policy trumps hyper-partisanship. The kind of moment at which Gatewood Galbraith would have simply shaken his head and smiled his famous crooked grin.

In the coming months, I look forward to joining Comer and our congressional delegation as we meet with key policymakers in Washington to try to secure either a waiver for Kentucky to grow hemp, if not full federal legalization for the crop.

But as I do, I will be mindful of the critical role that the late, great Gatewood Galbraith played in plowing the ground for this moment. Too many of us laughed at him when he made the case for hemp decades ago. Today, I imagine him laughing down at the rest of us, as his vision is on the verge of finally being realized.

Hawaii Senate allocates funds for a new industrial hemp program

• BY: KATHLEEN ODENTHAL

Source: examiner.com

This Monday, Hawaii came closer than any state has come to being the first state to legalize hemp for industrial use. With the passage of House Bill 154 HD2 SD1, the director of the college of tropical agriculture and human resources at the University of Hawaii is authorized to establish a two-year industrial hemp remediation and biofuel crop pilot program.

This would be the first of its kind in the United States.

View slideshow: Hawaii may be the first state to legalize hemp for industrial usage

The bill passed unanimously on the floor of the House earlier this month, and is expected to be approved by the Senate.

“People now understand how industrial hemp can benefit Hawaii,” said State Representative Cynthia Thielen “The hemp plant itself uses phytoremediation to cleanse the soil of pesticides, heavy metals, oil, and other toxins.”

“Adding industrial hemp as a source of biofuel is another avenue worth pursuing,” Thielen said. “Reducing our dependence on foreign oil through the use of a renewable resource would be very good for Hawaii.”

Cultivation of industrial hemp is currently prohibited by the federal government, but legislation has been introduced in Congress to allow the commercial production of hemp in the United States. Currently, the U.S. is the only industrialized nation to prohibit the production of hemp for industrial uses.

Kentucky Legislature Passes Hemp Bill, Rand Paul Vows Support From D.C.

By Mike Riggs
Source: reason.com

The Kentucky Senate joined the House in approving a hemp regulation bill last night. This morning, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) released a statement applauding the bill's passage and promising to continue to push for a federal waiver from the Controlled Substances Act for future Kentucky hemp growers:

“I commend the Kentucky General Assembly for final passage of Senate Bill 50. I want to thank Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture James Comer, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Paul Hornback and the members of the Kentucky Industrial Hemp Commission for their leadership and hard work in passing this legislation,” Sen. Paul said.

“Senate Bill 50 is an important step forward in the reintroduction of industrial hemp in Kentucky. I have pledged, along with Rep. John Yarmuth, to seek a waiver when a regulatory framework is in place. I will follow through on that pledge and I hope that Kentucky will soon start growing hemp, creating jobs and leading the nation in this industry again.”

Earlier this month, libertarian activist Matt Hurtt wrote for Reason about Kentucky's push for industrial hemp legalization, and the support role Paul and Sen. Mitch McConnell are playing at the federal level.