2 farmers suing DEA over right to grow hemp

[afghooey]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...hempsuit_N.htm

Two North Dakota farmers who want to grow hemp are filing a federal lawsuit today to challenge the Drug Enforcement Administration's ban on the plant that is the same species that produces marijuana.
Hemp can be imported from Canada, Europe and China, but growing hemp in the USA is illegal, the DEA says.

"Hemp is marijuana," DEA spokesman Garrison Courtney says. "There's no distinguishing feature between marijuana and hemp."

Lawyers for the farmers say the Controlled Substances Act, which governs illegal drugs, makes a specific exception for hemp, a non-drug version of the marijuana plant. They are seeking a court ruling that says the federal authorities cannot arrest the North Dakota farmers for growing hemp.

The federal government used to encourage farmers to grow what is known as "industrial hemp," says attorney Joseph Sandler in Washington, D.C., who is representing the farmers. Hemp plants have a low concentration of the psychoactive chemical that gives marijuana users a high, he said.

"You can smoke 17 fields of this stuff, and it's not going to do anything," Sandler says. "It doesn't make sense to say you can import all this hemp, but you can't grow it and import it from North Dakota to South Dakota."

North Dakota's Legislature began considering allowing farmers to grow hemp more than 10 years ago after disease wiped out the wheat and barley crop, says state Rep. Dave Monson, a Republican leader in the Legislature and one of the farmers filing the lawsuit.

In 1993, the disease was so bad, "we actually burned every acre of wheat and barley we produced," says Monson, who lives in Osnabrock. "I came to the realization that we needed alternative crops."

Just across the North Dakota border, farmers in Canada are growing hemp and making a profit, he says. U.S. manufacturers who use hemp to produce textiles, soaps and other materials must import the crop from countries that allow hemp farming.

A North Dakota State University study in 1997 found a good market for hemp in the USA, so the Legislature passed laws to regulate hemp farming, Monson said. The laws require background checks on the farmers and monitoring to make sure illicit marijuana crops aren't growing in the middle of the hemp field, he says.

Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson issued the first permits on Feb. 6 to Monson and Wayne Hauge, a farmer and accountant in Ray, N.D. The farmers applied Feb. 12 for a DEA license, indicating they would need a decision by April 1 in time to plant the crop.

On March 27, DEA deputy administrator Joseph Rannazzisi in a letter to Johnson said it was unrealistic to expect a decision in seven weeks. That's where the plan stalled.

"I think it's pretty apparent that they are quite clearly choosing not to exercise their authority to distinguish between hemp and marijuana," says Johnson, who met with DEA officials in February.

"It's pointless to continue dealing with them," Johnson says. "Their inaction is a pretty clear indication that they're not taking the application process seriously. It's been an issue 10 years in the making."

Monson and Hauge say the time to plant the hemp has passed. Monson planted wheat in his field on June 1.

Courtney says the DEA is still reviewing the application and is concerned that the farmers will not be able to keep their fields secure. "We have to take a balanced approach to the application," he said. "We have to look at every aspect of the application. I don't think you can put a time frame on that sort of issue. It takes time."

afghooey Reviewed by afghooey on 06-19-2007. 2 farmers suing DEA over right to grow hemp http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-06-17-hempsuit_N.htm Two North Dakota farmers who want to grow hemp are filing a federal lawsuit today to challenge the Drug Enforcement Administration's ban on the plant that is the same species that produces marijuana. Hemp can be imported from Canada, Europe and China, but growing hemp in the USA is illegal, the DEA says. "Hemp is marijuana," DEA spokesman Garrison Courtney says. "There's no distinguishing feature between marijuana and hemp." Rating: 5

[afghooey]

It's pretty obvious that they have an agenda against this plant.. and actually, I think they might actually have more of an agenda against hemp than marijuana because it has so many uses. Ever read The Emperor Wears No Clothes by Jack Herer?

Here's an excerpt:

In the mid-1930s, when the new mechanical hemp fiber stripping machines and machines to conserve hemp's high-cellulose pulp finally became state-of-the-art, available and affordable, the enormous timber acreage and businesses of the Hearst Paper Manufacturing Division, Kimberly Clark (USA), St. Regis - and virtually all other timber, paper and large newspaper holding companies - stood to lose billions of dollars and perhaps go bankrupt.

Coincidentally, in 1937, DuPont had just patented processes for making plastics from oil and coal, as well as a new sulfate/sulfite process for making paper from wood pulp. According to DuPont's own corporate records and historians,* these processes accounted for over 80% of all the company's railroad carloadings over the next 60 years into the 1990s.

*Author's research and communications with DuPont, 1985-1996.

If hemp had not been made illegal, 80% of DuPont's business would never have materialized and the great majority of the pollution which has poisoned our Northwestern and Southeastern rivers would not have occurred.

In an open marketplace, hemp would have saved the majority of America's vital family farms and would probably have boosted their numbers, despite the Great Depression of the 1930s.

But competing against environmentally-sane hemp paper and natural plastic technology would have jeopardized the lucrative financial schemes of Hearst, DuPont and DuPont's chief financial backer, Andrew Mellon of the Mellon Bank of Pittsburgh.

Here's the rest of the chapter: http://www.jackherer.com/chapter04.html

[Markass]

lmao, another part of the DEA protecting some kind of industry...they protect the pharmaceutical industry from medical marijuana, and they shall protect DuPont and 'nylon' from hemp....what a motherfucking great country...EAT SHIT DEA

[theonlyshawn1]

not all DEA are bad, my neighbors dad is an ex-international dea agent and he smokes a joint every night because it makes him tired

[Myth1184]

Hemp is no threat to nylon..Hemp becomes brittle and weak after repeatedly getting wet and drying again, maybe Hemp was the thing back in the 19h Century and before, buts its the future now.

Medical Marijuana is pretty much a scam excuse to smoke and legalize pot

[mfqr]

Hemp is no threat to nylon..Hemp becomes brittle and weak after repeatedly getting wet and drying again, maybe Hemp was the thing back in the 19h Century and before, buts its the future now.

Medical Marijuana is pretty much a scam excuse to smoke and legalize pot

No, it's an early step of legalizing it. Also, there is overwhelming evidence that cannabis has medicinal qualities. Especially when you consider the fact that the federal government supplies 7 people (7 PEOPLE, WOW! I BET THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES WITH THOSE DISEASES!) with medical cannabis. They've been doing this for about 15 years, I believe. But it's only 7 people. So our government knows that it can help people, but the CIA and DEA don't want it to be legal. Where do you think their income comes from?

Look up "The CIA and the War on Drugs" on google.

[afghooey]

Myth--

What about DuPont's paper and plastic industries? No, hemp doesn't make the best rope. But it has many, many other uses where its quality meets or excels that of synthetics, and it's much better for the environment besides.

The paper industry in particular stands out to me. Hemp grows quickly and is thus far more renewable than forests. The paper making process is much less toxic (using peroxide instead of chlorine, thereby eliminating dioxin contamination in rivers), it contains significantly less lignin (requiring less sulfer-based chemicals to break down). Hemp, if utilized properly, could probably wipe out the tree-based paper industry, which would have a hugely-positive impact on our environment.

As for your comment about medical marijuana, there are quite a few medical professionals out there who would disagree with you. Are you a medical doctor? Here's a good site that lists all the pros and cons side by side:

Medical Marijuana ProCon.org

Weigh the pros against the cons and draw your own conclusions.

[Staurm]

Hemp is one of the most nutritious plant sources on earth, it bears the closest similarity to the correct balance of omega oils neccesary for human life of any food source, and it is the only plant source to contain ALL fatty acids neccessary to sustain human life in one packet. On top of that you can make just of anything out of it. How in the name of buggery did the human race evolved to such a state that companies such as Monsanto get funded to plant GM shit everywhere, and no-one is allowed to grow hemp?

[khronik]

Jack Herer is an idiot, and about 50% of the stuff on his web site is false. Here's a pretty balanced evaluation of growing hemp though:

The Straight Dope: Is hemp (nonpharmacological marijuana) the answer to our environmental problems?

[Markass]

Jack Herer is an idiot, and about 50% of the stuff on his web site is false. Here's a pretty balanced evaluation of growing hemp though:

The Straight Dope: Is hemp (nonpharmacological marijuana) the answer to our environmental problems?

Jack Herer is a hero for us.