Farmers who plant industrial hemp in Kentucky soil risk prosecution regardless of a U.S. Department of Justice memo on federal marijuana enforcement issued earlier this year, Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway said Wednesday.
Regardless, the Kentucky Industrial Hemp Commission will continue its effort to launch a hemp-licensing program, said Holly Harris, chief of staff for Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer.
In an advisory opinion to Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rodney Brewer, Conway said hemp remains an illegal substance by federal law. Although the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 50 to set up a regulatory framework for industrial hemp farming, Conway said state law identifies hemp as a cannabis plant with a federally established concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive ingredient in hemp’s botanical cousin marijuana.
The problem, Conway said, is the federal government has not set such a tetrahydrocannabinol level and still bans hemp in the Controlled Substances Act.
“We do not have either a change in the Controlled Substances Act to exempt industrial hemp, nor do we have a federal waiver from the Drug Enforcement Administration,” Conway told reporters on a conference call.
Comer criticized Conway’s opinion, saying the attorney general “is wrong to threaten to prosecute farmers.”
“Hemp is legal in Kentucky, and the federal government has made it clear that it is not going to prosecute farmers for growing hemp,” Comer said in a statement.
“It makes no sense that Attorney General Conway would throw up an unnecessary government obstacle to an industry that has the potential to create jobs and revenue for Kentucky.”
The hemp commission pressed forward with a licensing program this month in light of a Department of Justice memo that laid out guidelines for prosecuting federal drug laws in Colorado and Washington, the first U.S. states to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana.
Luke Morgan, a Kentucky Department of Agriculture attorney, also presented a 2003 regulation from the Drug Enforcement Administration that separated hemp from marijuana.
The Department of Agriculture is drafting regulations governing hemp farming. Comer and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul will co-sign a letter notifying the Department of Justice of plans to implement a hemp-farming program.
But Conway disputed the department’s interpretations on both documents. The 2003 regulation deals with hemp products but not the plant itself, and the Department of Justice memo does not change the legality of hemp, he said.
“I think it’s irresponsible for anyone to take the Department of Justice’s guidance, their guidance to prosecutors in states that have legalized marijuana, and to take that and contort it that suddenly industrial hemp is now legal in Kentucky,” Conway said. “That’s not the state of the law.”
Conway said he heard concerns from state police and Gov. Steve Beshear’s office after the Department of Justice issued its memo to federal prosecutors, but he has not discussed the issue with Comer, a key supporter of industrial hemp farming in Kentucky.
Harris maintained that the 2003 DEA regulation clarified federal law on hemp and the Department of Justice ruling only cemented hemp’s status as a legal crop.
“It’s legal at the federal level, and it’s legal at the state level,” she said. “It’s legal, period. That is our position.”
Still, Conway’s opinion could have “a chilling effect” on progress made in recruiting hemp manufacturers to Kentucky, Harris said. The opinion does not carry the force of law, but she noted the department might need some clarification on his opinion before licenses are issued.
“It appears what he’s saying is farmers could be subject to prosecution,” Harris said. “Well, that’s not really an answer to that question: Are you going to pursue prosecution of hemp farmers?”
Conway did not say whether he would pursue criminal cases against hemp farmers, but the opinion made plain that those who plant hemp seeds could wind up in court.
“Any farmer that grows industrial hemp for business purposes is thus still subject to any applicable criminal provisions and the financial risks of investing and producing a product that it is illegal for the general public to possess or grow,” the opinion reads.
Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 01, 2015
Friday, June 26, 2015
Hemp seed destroyed in Chicago/bad news for Kentucky hemp growers
An article by Gregory Hale in the Courier Journal (Kentucky) tells the sad tale of the destruction of hemp seed as it entered the United States:
A year after Kentucky's agriculture department went to court to get hemp seed released for its research programs, a German exporter's failure to obtain the proper paperwork apparently will lead to the destruction of more than three tons of seed sitting in Chicago.
"That's not what we want, but, unfortunately, that's the situation where we're at," said Adam Watson, the coordinator of industrial hemp programs for the Kentucky ag department. "Snafus happen. ... It's not that we think there was any bad actor involved, but there apparently were mistakes involved."
The paperwork problem will reduce or eliminate the seed for almost a fourth of this year's research projects allowed under the 2014 Farm Bill that sets out federal agriculture policy. Since most of these projects are smaller in nature, the impact on Kentucky's hemp acreage is closer to 5 percent of the crop, Watson said.
The department doesn't directly obtain seed, which is a business transaction between growers and suppliers, but Watson said the department is considering taking a more active role in the future after the problem this year.
Seed for last year's first crop initially was held up over drug law issues, which resulted in a brief court battle, but this year's issue is the result of a German exporter's failure to get a routine agricultural paper called a Phytosanitary Certificate. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's website, the certificate is used to track "the inspection of agricultural products and certifies compliance with plant health standards of importing countries."
"It's not anything special to industrial hemp or even seeds, period," Watson said. The certificate "is very common within the agriculture industry whether you're importing or exporting. It ensures that you don't have plant diseases, animal diseases, noxious weeds, insects, things like that, entering or exiting countries."
The Kentucky department became aware of the problem in late May, Watson said. The USDA already granted an extension to produce the paperwork but, apparently, Germany wouldn't issue the certificate after the fact when the seed already had been shipped to the United States, Watson said.
Watson said the Kentucky agriculture department believes that the USDA and customs officials have done their best to help, "but they're bound by regulations." He said the Drug Enforcement Administration permits that were the issue last year weren't a problem this year.
The amount of seed stuck in Chicago is about 6,600 pounds, which would result in about 100 field acres, Watson said. In all, the Kentucky hemp crop this year is planned to be about 1,700 acres in 38 projects. The seed shipment would serve nine projects.
While some growers won't have this variety of hemp desired for fiber "by and large the impact on the entire program as a whole is very minimal," Watson said. He said the department is looking at finding other sources of seeds for growers who might have none now because of the issue.
Another USDA extension is being sought, Watson said, but it's questionable whether the problem can be fixed even if the extension is granted. The options for federal regulators are destroying the shipment or sending it back — an alternative where the costs likely would outweigh the benefits, Watson said, particularly because the growing season for hemp already is well underway and because of the additional shipping costs.
A USDA spokeswoman was not prepared Thursday to comment on the status of the shipment.
Going forward, Watson said the department is considering being more involved in acquiring seeds and moving up the deadline for proposing hemp projects to the department to give more time for seed, the supply of which is limited according to some reports, to be obtained more easily. The department received 326 applications this year.
"This is the one shipment that didn't make it here this season," Watson said, noting that plants already are out of the ground from other shipments. "We regret that this happened, but the program as a whole is still moving forward."
Monday, June 15, 2015
Hemp to be sown in Kentucky legally
I was just asked by a friend in Canada about what the hemp movement is doing in the US. Lots of stories about medical marijuana, and that is going state-by-state - about 16 states now have legal cannabis for patients, with varying degrees in the quality of the administration. In 2012 Mina Hegaard - www.minawear.com - started a petition to the White House to make industrial hemp legal again, and soon afterwards the feds did just that, but allowing the states to set their own agenda. So far only two states have made it legal, Colorado and Kentucky. And while a crop of 60 acres was sown in Colorado, in advance of it being legal, and in what may have been the catalyst for the lifting of the ban, there has been little mention of its cultivation elsewhere in the US.
Ironically, not 10 seconds after I replied to the Canute, I saw the following:
Locust Grove, the 18th century home of the sister and brother-in-law of George Rogers Clark and William Clark, is growing industrial hemp.
The seeds were planted last week at the site by its gardener, Sarah Sutherland. Locust Grove says the crop was grown by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Locust Grove is participating in the hemp pilot program administered by the Kentucky Agriculture Department and plans a Hemp Festival on Aug. 9.
The festival will feature a Hemp Village, where products may be purchased, a Hemp Cafe with foods made from hemp oil and seeds, rope and paper-making demonstrations and a question-and-answer session with experts about the future of hemp in Kentucky. A World War II-era documentary, "Hemp for Victory," and a new film, "Bringing It Home," will be shown.
Ironically, not 10 seconds after I replied to the Canute, I saw the following:
Locust Grove, the 18th century home of the sister and brother-in-law of George Rogers Clark and William Clark, is growing industrial hemp.
The seeds were planted last week at the site by its gardener, Sarah Sutherland. Locust Grove says the crop was grown by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Locust Grove is participating in the hemp pilot program administered by the Kentucky Agriculture Department and plans a Hemp Festival on Aug. 9.
The festival will feature a Hemp Village, where products may be purchased, a Hemp Cafe with foods made from hemp oil and seeds, rope and paper-making demonstrations and a question-and-answer session with experts about the future of hemp in Kentucky. A World War II-era documentary, "Hemp for Victory," and a new film, "Bringing It Home," will be shown.
Friday, August 08, 2014
Article on hemp in Virginia
Last year the Virginia legislature started to vote on the law to allow Virginians their constitutional right to grow hemp - as did so many of its famous sons, some of them former US presidents. Today this article appears in the Daily Progress of Charlottesville, VA, titled "Will Hemp be a cash crop again for Virginia?"
__________________________________________________________________________________
Hemp is not marijuana.
It looks like marijuana.
It’s related to marijuana.
But it’s not marijuana.
It’s a plant fiber so useful that it can be used in making things from auto parts to yarn. Not quite A to Z, but close enough.
A hemp car? Really? Apparently so. “Hemp fibers have higher strength to weight ratios than steel and can also be considerably cheaper to manufacture,” reports Alan Crosky of the School of Material Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales in Australia. He and other researchers are working on using hemp fiber to replace plastic in some car parts. The result could be a car that has more fuel efficiency because it weighs so much less, but is still just as strong.
So why aren’t American farmers rushing out to plant hemp and cash in on this miracle plant?
Umm, because it’s kind of illegal.
In Colonial times, Virginia required farmers to plant hemp because it was deemed so useful. Rope, clothes, sails for ships — all could be made from hemp. Thomas Jefferson penned the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper. In World War II, the federal government promoted “Hemp for Victory!” Growing hemp for use in making industrial fiber was considered patriotic.
Then came another war — the War on Drugs. Hemp got lumped in with marijuana (same cannabis species, but different genetics and vastly different psychotropic potential) and was effectively banned.
The feds do allow hemp farming, as long as your state has a law allowing it and regulating it. Lately, there’s been a campaign to do just that.
However, the push to legalize hemp isn’t coming from drug-addled hippies. It’s coming from people who see hemp as a potential cash crop to replace tobacco — or no crops at all. At the national level, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is pro-hemp, and he’d never be mistaken for a pot smoker.
In Virginia, one of the main hemp advocates is Jim Politis, a former Republican member of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors. He sees it as a pro-economic development measure for struggling rural areas. Another Republican, Del. Joseph Yost of Pearisburg, has already filed a bill for next year’s General Assembly to create the Virginia Industrial Hemp Farming Act.
The main objections to hemp come from law enforcement, which argues that it’s easy to confuse the two plants. The counter-argument is that alcohol looks pretty much the same but authorities do a good job of distinguishing between a craft brewery and a moonshine still.
So let’s say again: Hemp is not marijuana.
But if Yost’s bill passes, it could be a cash crop again.
Adapted from the Roanoke Times.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Hemp is not marijuana.
It looks like marijuana.
But it’s not marijuana.
It’s a plant fiber so useful that it can be used in making things from auto parts to yarn. Not quite A to Z, but close enough.
A hemp car? Really? Apparently so. “Hemp fibers have higher strength to weight ratios than steel and can also be considerably cheaper to manufacture,” reports Alan Crosky of the School of Material Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales in Australia. He and other researchers are working on using hemp fiber to replace plastic in some car parts. The result could be a car that has more fuel efficiency because it weighs so much less, but is still just as strong.
So why aren’t American farmers rushing out to plant hemp and cash in on this miracle plant?
Umm, because it’s kind of illegal.
In Colonial times, Virginia required farmers to plant hemp because it was deemed so useful. Rope, clothes, sails for ships — all could be made from hemp. Thomas Jefferson penned the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper. In World War II, the federal government promoted “Hemp for Victory!” Growing hemp for use in making industrial fiber was considered patriotic.
Then came another war — the War on Drugs. Hemp got lumped in with marijuana (same cannabis species, but different genetics and vastly different psychotropic potential) and was effectively banned.
The feds do allow hemp farming, as long as your state has a law allowing it and regulating it. Lately, there’s been a campaign to do just that.
However, the push to legalize hemp isn’t coming from drug-addled hippies. It’s coming from people who see hemp as a potential cash crop to replace tobacco — or no crops at all. At the national level, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is pro-hemp, and he’d never be mistaken for a pot smoker.
In Virginia, one of the main hemp advocates is Jim Politis, a former Republican member of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors. He sees it as a pro-economic development measure for struggling rural areas. Another Republican, Del. Joseph Yost of Pearisburg, has already filed a bill for next year’s General Assembly to create the Virginia Industrial Hemp Farming Act.
The main objections to hemp come from law enforcement, which argues that it’s easy to confuse the two plants. The counter-argument is that alcohol looks pretty much the same but authorities do a good job of distinguishing between a craft brewery and a moonshine still.
So let’s say again: Hemp is not marijuana.
But if Yost’s bill passes, it could be a cash crop again.
Adapted from the Roanoke Times.
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Hemp made legal by US Feds
press release
Feb. 3, 2014, 10:58 a.m. EST
Victory for Hemp Farmers as U.S. House of Representatives Legalizes the Cultivation of Hemp
LAS VEGAS, Feb 03, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) -- Hemp, Inc., /quotes/zigman/11676296/delayed/quotes/nls/hempHEMP+14.64% America's first all-industrial hemp public company, applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for legalizing the cultivation of hemp. For the first time in decades, the Federal government is allowing farmers to cultivate hemp. As of Wednesday, January 29, 2014, pursuant to the passage of the farm bill, the cultivation of industrial hemp is legal on a Federal level and is clearing the way for industrial hemp pilot programs in states such as Colorado, Washington, California, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont and West Virginia, where growing the plant is legal.
The bill was originally introduced as an amendment by Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO), Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). The provision allows universities, and now also state departments of agriculture, to grow hemp for academic or agricultural research purposes; however, it only applies to states where industrial hemp farming is already legal under state law.
Senator Mitch McConnell, who worked to retain and strengthen the provision, was the lead negotiator in getting hemp included on the Farm Bill was quoted, "We are laying the groundwork for a new commodity market for Kentucky farmers."
Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp, Inc. said, "I said it before and I'll say it again... these are monumental steps for the industry. What we are all trying to get people to understand is that this will finally unlock a clean 'American Industrial Revolution' that will not only be economically sound, but environmentally advantageous." Soon companies like Hemp, Inc. /quotes/zigman/11676296/delayed/quotes/nls/hempHEMP+14.64% will not have to import their hemp fabrics, hemp seeds, hemp hearts and hemp hurd for their hemp products.
According to the Associated Press article, written by Kristen Wyatt, "The plant's return to legitimacy could clear the way for U.S. farmers to compete in an industry currently dominated by China. Even though it hasn't been grown in the U.S., the country is one of the fastest-growing hemp markets.
"In 2011, the U.S. imported $11.5 million worth of legal hemp products, up from $1.4 million in 2000. Most of that growth was seen in hemp seed and hemp oil, which finds its way into granola bars and other products." Other estimates place the U.S. 2013 hemp sales at half a billion dollars ($500 million).
Hemp has thousands of uses. From rope and clothing, to soap and lotions and nutritional additives in everything from milk to cooking oil. Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp before the Federal government banned the plant in its anti-drug efforts through the 1970 Controlled Substances Act. According to the aforementioned article, it wasn't until 1999 that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a hemp permit for an experimental plot in Hawaii on a quarter acre of land.
Now the passing of the farm bill is a big first step towards allowing American farmers to once again grow industrial hemp, and giving Hemp, Inc. enormous new economic opportunities.
Hemp, Inc.'s TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE
Hemp, Inc. /quotes/zigman/11676296/delayed/quotes/nls/hempHEMP+14.64% seeks to benefit many constituencies, not exploit or endanger any group of them. Thus, the publicly-traded company believes in "upstreaming" of a portion of profit from the marketing of their finished hemp goods back to its originator. By Hemp, Inc. focusing on comprehensive investment results--that is, with respect to performance along the interrelated dimensions of people, planet, and profits-- our triple bottom line approach can be an important tool to support sustainability goals.
FORWARD-LOOKING DISCLAIMER
This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Hemp, Inc. to be materially different from the statements made herein.
www.minawear.com/about-us/ (petition to the White House/hemp clothing)
http://www.hempinc.com
http://www.herbagenix.com (hemp-based supplements division)
http://www.basichemp.com (hemp protein with enhanced nutritionals)
http://www.mjlover.com (MJ Lover for Him; MJ Lover for Her)
http://www.re-load.biz (hemp-based nutraceuticals)
http://www.hempinc.tv (media and entertainment division)
http://www.marijuanaincorporated.com
http://www.marijuana.tv
http://www.cartelblue.com (eco-friendly clothing)
http://www.ecoharmonycard.com (loyalty card sustainable fundraiser for non-profits)
http://www.supportpatchadams.com (hemp gemstone candles and fundraiser for patch adams)
Friday, September 27, 2013
Letter from Kentucky attorney general
As a footnote to the post below on Kentucky, the URL here will take you to the letter from the state's attorney general with giving the legal status of hemp in that state: http://votehemp.com/PDF/Hemp_advisory_letter_9-25-2013.pdf
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Kentucky hemp farmers may face prosecution
Kentucky hemp farmers chance prosecution
Attorney General Jack Conway says hemp remains illegal substance under federal law
By Kevin Wheatley,Published:
Saturday, September 07, 2013
Kentucky to challenge feds on hemp
One more state is willing to just let it grow: Kentucky. Colorado farmers planted
hemp despite the federal ban earlier this year, and now Kentucky is considering doing the same. The petition is still up to sign for lifting the federal ban, it goes to the White House when we get 25,000 signatures, please be one of those - www.minawear.com/about-us/ is where to go, just takes a few moments to do!
The article below gives us the latest in this saga from Kentucky:
Kentucky’s Commissioner of Agriculture James Comer said Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement last week of changes in the Justice Department’s marijuana policy could mean that the state can move ahead with industrial hemp farming. Louisville’s WDRB reported that Comer intends to forge ahead with industrial hemp in hopes that federal policy will continue to mellow with regards to marijuana.
“This is going to happen sooner than many of us thought,” said Comer. The state’s industrial hemp commission intends to meet next week and decide whether to proceed with hemp farming in Kentucky. Comer is sanguine enough about the outcome that he is already courting hemp processing companies in hopes that they will do business in the state.
Hemp and marijuana are both species of the plant Cannabis sativa L, but marijuana contains high amounts of THC, the psychoactive chemical that produces a “high” in users. Hemp does not contain enough THC to get users high, but both species of Cannabis are illegal to grow and cultivate in the U.S., except in the 20 states that have legalized medical marijuana for medical use or Colorado and Washington, which have also made marijuana legal for recreational use.
Hemp is grown for its oil, seeds and fibers, which Comer believes will re-invigorate Kentucky’s agricultural economy. He is eager to move forward.
“The DOJ is saying that is saying that it’s legal to grow marijuana in states that have a regulatory framework but not legal to grow hemp? I don’t think so,” said Comer to reporters. “We’re going to proceed unless the DOJ specifically tells us not to proceed.”
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R) issued a statement supporting Comer on Wednesday.
“I support Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer in his efforts to move forward with the production of industrial hemp in the Commonwealth,” Paul wrote. “This fight has always been about jobs and providing another opportunity for Kentucky’s farmers, and I expect the Obama Administration to treat all states equally in this process. I will continue to fight at the federal level to enact legislation to secure this new industry for Kentucky.”
The Kentucky state state legislature passed a measure earlier this year legalizing hemp production in the state. Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear withheld his option to veto, saying, “I strongly support efforts to create additional legal cash crops for our farm communities. At the same time, we have a tremendous drug problem in Kentucky, and I want to make sure that we don’t do anything that will increase that drug problem. I still share the same concerns our law enforcement officers have about the impact hemp cultivation may have on our drug eradication efforts.”
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Tennessee considering hemp
This story just in from the Memphis Business Journal:
Following the lead from Kentucky, Tennessee may be beginning to see the start of a pro-hemp farming contingent in its state legislature.
According to the Associated Press, two Republican lawmakers, Sen. Frank Niceley of Strawberry Plains and Rep. Andy Holt of Dresden are drafting legislation seeking to legalize the commercial farming of hemp. The dup plan to introduce the measure in the next legislative session.
Even Senator Lamar Alexander may be interested in the legislation.
"This is a very interesting proposal that has a good economic argument behind it. Unfortunately, an amendment by Sen. Paul to allow industrial hemp to be grown and processed was not considered during the farm bill debate, but Sen. Alexander will carefully consider this issue going forward," Alexander's spokesman, Jim Jeffries, said in an email.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Too High to Fail: Doug Fine Interview
Will Marijuana Farming in Mendocino County, California, Lead America to Pot?
By Mark Karlin, Truthout |
Interview
Source: truth-out.org
A
locally permitted cannabis plant in Mendocino
County, California, with a yellow sheriff's department
"Zip-tie" indicating it is taxed. (Photo: Doug Fine)
Source: truth-out.org
A
locally permitted cannabis plant in Mendocino County, California, with a yellow sheriff's department
"Zip-tie" indicating it is taxed. (Photo: Doug Fine)
Why
does the political class in DC persist in promoting a "reefer madness" image of
marijuana as a dangerous drug? After all, even the Obama administration
periodically cracks down on states that have legally allowed the dispensing of
medical marijuana. Congress has made no moves to ease up on federal prosecution
of marijuana growing and distribution, as it continues to finance a war on drugs
that is fueled by taxpayer dollars and law enforcement and contracted-industry
financial incentives.
But
there is a populist revolt brewing. Beginning with state legalization of
marijuana use for easing medical pain, the movement to fully decriminalize pot
has picked up steam as the voters of Washington and Colorado approved an end to
marijuana prohibition.
As
with many trends, California is pointing the way. Doug Fine, author and rancher,
detailed how the de facto tolerance for marijuana farms and use in Mendocino
County is likely a harbinger for a new green economic revolution in the United
States: a legalized pot industry.
Truthout
talked with Fine about the issues covered in his book "Too High to Fail" and
what he calls "the coming drug peace era."
Mark
Karlin: Let's take a look at a recurring focus that you adopt in "Too
High to Fail." Why should marijuana be legalized for its positive economic
impact on the US economy? How much tax revenue and spinoff economic development
could it create as legally taxed product that could be grown in the United
States and sold here?
Doug
Fine: Following a year of field-side research alongside farmers of
America’s number one crop (cannabis), I believe most conventional estimates
about the size of the crop are way low. In “Too High to Fail,” I studied the
progress of one California county, Mendocino, whose deciders legalized and
permitted the regional cannabis farmers, out of economic necessity. The sheriff
signed on, as did the local government. Why? $6 billion. That’s a conservative
estimate of the plant’s value to local farmers (on paper) in one of California’s
poorest counties.
The
way I came to that figure was that the 600,000 plants seized by law enforcement
in 2010 were estimated (also by law enforcement) to be 10 percent of the crop. I
gave the 6 million plants that did make it to market a very low-end value of
$1,000 per plant. In other words, cannabis is not just America’s number one cash
crop, it is that by far. We shouldn’t be surprised. One hundred million
Americans have used the plant, including the past three presidents. Tax that
plant nationwide, and you not just generate billions in tax revenue (Harvard’s
Jeffrey Miron estimates $30 billion annually) but you cripple criminal
enterprises, the way that the end of alcohol prohibition pretty much put
bootleggers out of work.
California
already generates $100 million annually from its medical cannabis industry, and
that’s with the majority of farmers still operating underground until federal
prohibition ends. Space is preventing me from getting into ancillary industries,
but in Mendocino County alone the legalizing of the local economic engine
supported inspectors, contractors and flower trimmers (where skill and
experience matter and are well-remunerated) – dozens of jobs per farm.
Mark
Karlin: We've engaged in a decades-long "war on drugs" that has
resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Mexico and Latin
America and enriched drug cartels. Would the end of legal prohibition in the
United States put the narcos out of business and reduce the dramatic death toll
in Mexico?
Doug
Fine: Without question ending the war on cannabis will be devastating
to criminal enterprises south of the border. This is why Latin American
governments (as well as an increasing number of European ones) are lining up
behind ending the drug war. The Mendocino County, California, experiment I
followed in “Too High to Fail” itself hurt criminal cartels by bringing the
local industry aboveground. The administrator of what was called the Zip-tie
Program (for the bright yellow bracelets every permitted plant wore) is named
Captain Randy Johnson. A 27-year veteran of the force, most of those as a
conventional drug warrior, Johnson told me that most important reason the
program is an important model nationwide is not just the revenue it raised
(saving seven deputy jobs locally). “It’s that we brought an entire community
back into the law-abiding fold.”
South
of the border, Bill Martin at Rice University estimates that up to 70 percent of
cartel profits derive from cannabis (just as most drug war funding goes to the
fruitless and unnecessary war on cannabis). Whenever I throw these numbers out
in debates with the last of the taxpayer-funded drug war boosters (they’re
becoming rare), I hear, “Oh, that’s exaggerated. Cannabis is only responsible
for 50 percent of cartel proceeds, and they’ve diversified.” Hmm, I’d hate to
lose 50 percent of my income.
Mark
Karlin: What is the story with the ongoing stigmatization of marijuana
on a political level that is far out of touch with its use on a social level?
How can it be more evil than alcohol when liquor counts for far, far more road
accidents, more addictions, deaths and violent encounters?
Doug
Fine: The war on drugs, America’s longest and most expensive (with a
price tag of $1 trillion to you and me already, with $40 billion more added to
our tab every year), is based at core on a crucial lie: that cannabis is very
dangerous. Now, I’m a father, and I want my kids to grow up in a safe,
responsible society. Guess what? Even youth cannabis use rates go down, without
fail, in places that legalize cannabis, whether completely (Portugal) or for
medicinal use (New England).
So
why does such a fundamental lie endure? The easiest way to understand it is
through the concept of a tipping point. Along with “soft on crime,” “soft on
drugs” has, for 40 years, been something every politician fears hearing in an
opponent’s television spot. The good news, for those interested in a stronger,
safer America, is that the Drug Peace tipping point has been reached. Across the
nation, across all demographics, Americans want to end the Drug War. Forty
percent of Colorado Republicans voted to legalize cannabis in 2012, and youth
turnout (the holy grail for Democrats since 18-year-olds got the vote in 1972)
was up 12 percent in Colorado in 2012 vs. the 2008 “Yes We Can” election. This
is the issue that galvanizes all Americans.
Even
in my very conservative New Mexico valley, the cowgirl next to me in the post
office line might believe that our president was born in Kenya, but she knows
from seeing our border region chaos with her own eyes that cannabis is not the
problem with our region’s public safety. The war on cannabis is the problem
(along with meth and prescription pill abuse). In fact, it was a massive raid of
my AARP member retiree rancher neighbor for something like a dozen cannabis
plants that spurred me to write “Too High to Fail.” The raid, paid for by you
and me, pointedly ignored criminal cartels operating with impunity nearby.
Eighty percent of Americans call the drug war a failure, which it is. Almost
everyone is onto the myths and lies that allowed the war on cannabis to endure
for ten times longer than World War II.
Mark
Karlin: A lot of urban rumors have circulated that the cigarette
industry is sitting on brand names and marketing plans for selling marijuana
when "the time is right." Where does big tobacco stand on marijuana
legalization?
Doug
Fine: More than one tobacco company has, at some point during the war
on drugs, said or done something that indicates it wasn’t opposed to profiting
from cannabis when the time was right. But having spent so much time with small
farmers, I take to heart the views of Tomas Balogh, co-founder of the Emerald
Growers Association farmer trade group, which is creating a brand of Northern
California’s sustainable, outdoor-cultivated, third-generation cannabis culture.
In his view, the cannabis crop is already decentralized and farmer-controlled,
and it’s up to consumers to keep it that way after legalization.
As
I often put it when “Emerald Triangle” farmers speak of creating a top-shelf,
regionally based international brand (like Champagne), “If Napa is any model,
get ready for the Bud and Breakfast.” When prohibition ends, some consumers will
choose a Big Tobacco or Big Alcohol model, and some will seek out the co-op,
farmers market or CSA farm. That’s why we have Dom Perignon and Two Buck
Chuck.
Mark
Karlin: Obviously, the jury is still out on the how the recent
legalization of possession in Washington and Colorado will play out. What do you
think the passage of the two statewide propositions mean to the pace of
legalization?
Doug
Fine: It’s the fall of the Drug War’s
Berlin Wall – the end of America’s worst policy since segregation. The tipping
point has been reached – I think we’ll
see cannabis removed from the Controlled Substances Act entirely within five
years. And not a moment too soon – states want to regulate it and need the
revenue. Another huge event was last week’s inclusion of hemp cultivation
provisions in the House side of the Farm Bill. It’s imperative that the Senate
come on board, too. I’m researching a hemp book now, and it will play a
significant role in America’s energy independence. Already, a Kentucky utility
company is planning to plant hemp on coal-damaged land to use to generate
electricity via ethanol and other processes.
Mark
Karlin: The Washington and Colorado votes came after years of inroads
in state approvals of medical marijuana use. In at least some jurisdictions, the
Obama Department of Justice has pounced on medical marijuana dispensaries,
including in California. Doesn't Eric Holder have better things to do with our
taxpayer dollars?
Doug
Fine: If there’s one thing that pretty
much full-time, front-line coverage of the cannabis plant during the drug war’s
final battles has taught me, it’s that looking for rationality in the execution
of this war is an exercise in futility. At this point the drug war, having lost both scientific
and public support, operates on bureaucratic inertia, and even many of the law
enforcers who have to fight the war admit as much.
The
bottom line is that the people have spoken, their voices are only getting
louder, and the people who are paid to win elections realize this. This is why
President Obama, in his first major post-re-election interview in December 2012
(with Barbara Walters) for the first time took a cannabis legalization question
seriously. He said he didn’t “yet” support it, but he had “bigger fish to fry”
than harassing Colorado and Washington.
If
you want to know why federal policy suddenly became laissez-faire, it’s about
public opinion in swing states. Arizona, just about as silver and red a state as
a Goldwaterite could wish for, is polling at 56 percent in support of regulating
cannabis for adult use like alcohol. In heartland Illinois, 63 percent of voters
support the about-to-be-enacted medicinal marijuana program. Heck, 60 percent of
Kentuckians favor medical cannabis. The fact is, if President Obama were to step
to the podium next week and announce that he was returning to his pre-2008 drug
policy position, which called the Drug War an “utter failure,” his favorable
numbers would go up in key swing states. This is true for anyone who’d like to
succeed the president by spurring an energized youth turnout in 2016.
Mark
Karlin: How does marijuana-growing in Mendocino County, which you
feature prominently in your book, present a model for future breakthroughs in
marijuana becoming a national and legal homegrown industry?
Doug
Fine: As a sustainability journalist who lives on a solar-powered goat
ranch, the Mendocino Zip-tie model is a vital one if small independent farmers
are to retain a foothold in the industry that is born around America’s number
one cash crop after prohibition ends. The craft beer model is illustrative here.
Yes, Coors et al. control the corner store, but the microbrew sector is worth
$10 billion annually. The Emerald Triangle farmers of Northern California
acutely realize this – they are developing what Michael Pollan calls
“supermarket pastoral.” This is the story that an organic food provider tells on
her packaging – we imagine the chickens who lay our eggs playing cards and
attending square dances.
If
any cannabis cultivating region can brand itself as top shelf, the way we have
fine wines coming from Washington to Vermont, it can beat Wall Street’s
offerings. And as with wine and craft beer, farmers in plenty of places besides
California, such as Oregon, Kentucky, Louisiana and Colorado, to name a few, can
claim to have top-shelf cannabis farmers. The most marketable branding model, I
believe, will be family-owned, outdoor cultivating sustainable farmers
explaining that they’re just growing a plant that the original American colonist
cannabis farmers (including Thomas Jefferson and George Washington) did. When
the kind of people who shop at farmer’s markets start asking how their cannabis
is grown, models like this will be huge; I think even bigger than for high-end
wine and beer.
Mark
Karlin: How does the opposition to the growing of hemp hamper
the US economically?
Doug
Fine: Ah, that one is fresh in my mind. I’m just back from a whirlwind
tour of the world industrial cannabis (hemp) industry, and it’s staggeringly
large and growing 30 percent per year. Canadian farmers can’t grow enough hemp
to satisfy US demand for hemp seed oil, and North Dakota’s farmers want nothing
more than to take up the slack. In fact the Roughrider State’s agricultural
commissioner, Doug Goehring, no liberal, called the half-billion dollars of hemp
seed oil we import from Canada every year while not allowing American farmers to
take part in the bounty “a lost opportunity” that “sometimes wants to make you
shake somebody.”
That’s just hemp seed. Kentucky, Hawaii, Colorado,
California and a growing number of other states are ready to roll on both seed
and fiber and energy versions of the crop the moment the absurdity of hemp
prohibition ends. And that side of things might come to pass this year, since
hemp looks poised to be approved, albeit at a moderate “university study” level,
in this year’s Farm Bill. It’s another huge victory that reflects the will of
the people. Folks would do well to get their U.S. senators on board for the
fight, because the lobbyists for the Drug Enforcement Administration, bless
them, are still sending the old laughable untruths about hemp in memos to
legislators: kids could smoke it anyway, it looks like psychoactive cannabis.
These have never been problems in the 15 years that Canada, like 55 other
nations, has cultivated industrial cannabis. The rest of the world smacks its collective forehead in
disbelief at this “debate.” Luckily it looks like it’s nearly
over.
Mark
Karlin: For decades, and particularly in recent years, black and Latino
males have been jailed as unconscionably high rates for marijuana "crimes."
Wouldn’t legalization hopefully end this discrimination?
Doug
Fine: Without question. It takes years of
effort to work up to the position of a big-city police chief. You’re generally
not a rebel. This is why I listened up when Norm Stamper, 34-year police veteran
and former Seattle chief of police, said in 2011, “besides causing thousands of
deaths worldwide and costing billions of taxpayer dollars, the Drug War’s most
serious collateral damage has been to undermine the role of civilian law
enforcement in our free society.” Stamper was talking about what can amount
to law enforcement budgetary addiction
to Drug War funding.
In
cities, the racial profiling to build arrest numbers (and thus federal drug war
finding) is unconscionable. On the production side that I followed in rural
areas in “Too High to Fail,” it’s no better. In the U.S. today, millions of
dollars of property is seized and homes raided for no crime other than alleged
cultivation one of humanity’s longest-utilized plants. While I was researching
the industry, a federal prosecutor in California handed Stanislaus County a
$154,000 check for assisting with a raid. This process is not just addictive,
it’s parasitic.
You
don’t even need to be a cultivator to get profiled in cannabis-growing country –
you just need to be youngish, male and driving out of the Emerald Triangle
cultivation region. I know this because while I was researching the cannabis
industry in 2011, I was pulled over and my truck searched based on a false claim
of a marijuana smell. “I’m not a cannabis farmer,” I told the local narcotics
squad as they pilfered my kids’ car seats. “But I am an author writing about the
drug war. Can I come along on a ride to see how the taxpayers’ money is being
spent in that effort?” I was very quickly released after that.
Later
learning that cannabis couriers call this stretch of California’s I-5 “The
Gauntlet,” I did the math and determined that I caused Sonoma County law
enforcement to spend about $1,100 of taxpayer money fruitlessly digging through
some fairly moldy recycling crates that morning. Even if they’d found a joint
some hitchhiker had dropped, I’m not sure how hard that would’ve hit the cartels
or justified the expense. But hey, it’s a living.
The
worst part about the drug war catastrophe is that I’m a law enforcement
supporter. I believe most cops at all levels are decent and trying to do their
job. The problem is cannabis interdiction needs to stop being their job. It has
single-handedly turned the United States the most incarcerated nation in
history, with several hundred thousand more prisoners than China. Embarrassing,
is my view on that. The drug war is an unnecessary, un-American war.
Mark
Karlin: Aside from marijuana, more people in the US die from overdoses
of prescription medications than illegal drugs. How much of a threat is the
legalization of marijuana to the pharmaceutical industry?
Doug
Fine: It’s not a threat. I think the bigger question is, how much of a
threat is the pharmaceutical process for consumers who wish to use a whole plant
medicinally, socially, spiritually or for health maintenance? Cannabis has more
than 90 known cannabinoids (chemical components) whose interplay is just
starting to be understood by Western science and medicine. In Chinese medicine,
it’s just another herb. In fact, there are numerous cannabis remedies included
in the oldest existing medical handbook, from China more than 2,000 years
ago.
My
general view about Wall Street is it’s going to do what it does. It’s up to the
consumer to demand whole plant access and home cultivation rights as
legalization comes about. If America allows these, it doesn’t matter if Coors
markets its version of cannabis, Philip Morris its version and Merck its
version. What is imperative is that cannabis be removed entirely from the
federal Controlled Substances Act so states can regulate it like alcohol. Utah’s
cannabis laws will very likely be different from Nevada’s. That’s the way it
should be.
The
bottom line is prohibition doesn’t do anything except enrich criminal
enterprises. It’s time to bring America’s far and away number one crop into the
taxpaying economy. We’ll be stronger and safer as a result. I say that as a
journalist, a voter, a patriot and a father.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
hemp gains ground in the US
This year has been dramatic for hemp awareness, and in the US many legal battles have been won. A petition is under way to the White House - www.minawear.com/about-us/ if you care to sign - and there is a good chance that hemp will ge cultivated again soon. Some setbacks have occured this year however, and the press as usual has ignored the story - but yesterday more good news pushed it back into the papers - see below:
An amendment to legalize industrial hemp for research purposes was included in the Farm Bill yesterday – and passed the United States House by a vote of 216 to 208.
Representatives Jared Polis, a Democrat from Colorado, Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky and Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon sponsored the amendment.
It allows colleges and universities to grow hemp for academic and agricultural research purposes, but applies only to states that have already legalized industrial hemp production. Colorado legalized industrial hemp in November, when it also legalized recreational use of marijuana.
And even the representatives who disagreed with the Republican version of the Farm Bill, were pleased that the industrial hemp amendment passed.
“This commonsense amendment will allow colleges and universities to grow and cultivate industrial hemp for academic and legal research purposes,” Polis said.
Industrial hemp legislation has been introduced in 20 states: Alabama, Colorado, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.
It’s estimated that the United States imports $500 million in industrial hemp products for food, hygiene products and clothing every year.
Two other stand-alone industrial hemp bills have been introduced in Congress as well – one in the House and Senate. If passed, the bills will removed feral restrictions on the domestic cultivation of industrial hemp, which has no THC, the chemical that induces the “high” in marijuana.
Colorado is one of nine states that have removed barriers to hemp production.
An amendment to legalize industrial hemp for research purposes was included in the Farm Bill yesterday – and passed the United States House by a vote of 216 to 208.
Representatives Jared Polis, a Democrat from Colorado, Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky and Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon sponsored the amendment.
It allows colleges and universities to grow hemp for academic and agricultural research purposes, but applies only to states that have already legalized industrial hemp production. Colorado legalized industrial hemp in November, when it also legalized recreational use of marijuana.
And even the representatives who disagreed with the Republican version of the Farm Bill, were pleased that the industrial hemp amendment passed.
“This commonsense amendment will allow colleges and universities to grow and cultivate industrial hemp for academic and legal research purposes,” Polis said.
Industrial hemp legislation has been introduced in 20 states: Alabama, Colorado, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.
It’s estimated that the United States imports $500 million in industrial hemp products for food, hygiene products and clothing every year.
Two other stand-alone industrial hemp bills have been introduced in Congress as well – one in the House and Senate. If passed, the bills will removed feral restrictions on the domestic cultivation of industrial hemp, which has no THC, the chemical that induces the “high” in marijuana.
Colorado is one of nine states that have removed barriers to hemp production.
Monday, June 24, 2013
James Comer fights on in Kentucky
The crop once flourished in Kentucky until it was banned decades ago when the federal government classified it as a controlled substance related to marijuana.
Despite numerous failed attempts to legalize industrial hemp in Kentucky, Commissioner of Agriculture James Comer vows to continue his campaign.
Comer spoke about his efforts to re-establish industrial hemp as a legal crop.
"Industrial hemp is an agricultural crop just like corn and soybeans. It should be legal, and the United States should have legalized it a decade ago," says Comer.
Over 30 countries produce industrial hemp and hemp products can be legally sold in the United States but the hemp must be imported from other countries. Comer believes the crop could be an economic boon for Kentucky.
"If we can have more food processors and more company's that manufacture agricultural products like industrial hemp in small towns that will help create jobs in those small towns and make them more self sustainable."
He adds it could lead to manufacturing jobs that produce products ranging from paper to cosmetics.
"Toyota uses a hemp like fiber in the manufacturing in the interior parts for their vehicles here in Kentucky, that hemp like fiber comes from Indonesia, that should be coming from Kentucky farmers."
The bill is largely unpopular with law enforcement, who says hemp could be used to camouflage marijuana, which has similar looking leaves but far less potency.
"Marijuana and hemp is like broccoli and cauliflower. They're in the same plant family but they're very different plants. They don't look that much alike and they don't taste the same. They're different plants. I am against marijuana. I am not for legalizing marijuana," says Comer.
He says some were skeptical on his recent trip to Washington but he remains optimistic, and will continue educating others about the crop and it's benefits.
"We've come along way in a short period of time and I think industrial hemp will be a reality in the very near future and hopefully Kentucky can be the leading state in that," says Comer.
In the Farm Bill there was an amendment to allow for the production of industrial hemp that was recently passed, although the entire Farm Bill failed Comer says they will start over and re-introduce the bill in the future.
Even though it may still be more than a year away we asked the commissioner if he had any plans to run in the 2015 Gubernatorial Race in Kentucky.
While he didn't give us a yes or no answer he didn't rule out the possibility, and says it's an honor to be considered a potential candidate.
"It's something that we're looking at but right now I'm focused on being AG Commissioner. I love being Commissioner of Agriculture. I love Kentucky. I was a state rep. for 11 years so I know a lot about the issues and challenges our state faces, but right now were focused on trying to grow our agriculture economy in Kentucky."
Comer adds he believes its a good year too early to be announcing any plans for the Gubernatorial Race by any candidate democrat or republican.
Despite numerous failed attempts to legalize industrial hemp in Kentucky, Commissioner of Agriculture James Comer vows to continue his campaign.
Comer spoke about his efforts to re-establish industrial hemp as a legal crop.
"Industrial hemp is an agricultural crop just like corn and soybeans. It should be legal, and the United States should have legalized it a decade ago," says Comer.
Over 30 countries produce industrial hemp and hemp products can be legally sold in the United States but the hemp must be imported from other countries. Comer believes the crop could be an economic boon for Kentucky.
"If we can have more food processors and more company's that manufacture agricultural products like industrial hemp in small towns that will help create jobs in those small towns and make them more self sustainable."
He adds it could lead to manufacturing jobs that produce products ranging from paper to cosmetics.
"Toyota uses a hemp like fiber in the manufacturing in the interior parts for their vehicles here in Kentucky, that hemp like fiber comes from Indonesia, that should be coming from Kentucky farmers."
The bill is largely unpopular with law enforcement, who says hemp could be used to camouflage marijuana, which has similar looking leaves but far less potency.
"Marijuana and hemp is like broccoli and cauliflower. They're in the same plant family but they're very different plants. They don't look that much alike and they don't taste the same. They're different plants. I am against marijuana. I am not for legalizing marijuana," says Comer.
He says some were skeptical on his recent trip to Washington but he remains optimistic, and will continue educating others about the crop and it's benefits.
"We've come along way in a short period of time and I think industrial hemp will be a reality in the very near future and hopefully Kentucky can be the leading state in that," says Comer.
In the Farm Bill there was an amendment to allow for the production of industrial hemp that was recently passed, although the entire Farm Bill failed Comer says they will start over and re-introduce the bill in the future.
Even though it may still be more than a year away we asked the commissioner if he had any plans to run in the 2015 Gubernatorial Race in Kentucky.
While he didn't give us a yes or no answer he didn't rule out the possibility, and says it's an honor to be considered a potential candidate.
"It's something that we're looking at but right now I'm focused on being AG Commissioner. I love being Commissioner of Agriculture. I love Kentucky. I was a state rep. for 11 years so I know a lot about the issues and challenges our state faces, but right now were focused on trying to grow our agriculture economy in Kentucky."
Comer adds he believes its a good year too early to be announcing any plans for the Gubernatorial Race by any candidate democrat or republican.
Friday, June 21, 2013
DEA overruled on hemp bill
The DEA, often called DEA/LER - is an agency which many think is full of drug dealing morons who hate America. It may well be the truth. Congress finally opposed them and their stupid contention that they could not tell hemp from pot - anyone else in the world can, and the first American flag was made of hemp - so these guys may be either bozos or drug dealers or both. For a full account read below:
WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives on Thursday overcame last-minute lobbying from the Drug Enforcement Administration to pass a farm bill amendment that would legalize the growing of hemp for research purposes. The 225-200 vote came after a flurry of opposition from the DEA, which argued that it would be too difficult for the agency to differentiate legal hemp from illegal marijuana, both varieties of the cannabis plant.
The House amendment, proposed by Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), is far more modest than a Senate effort by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to fully legalize growing hemp for industrial purposes. McConnell had hoped to have his measure inserted into the underlying farm bill or approved on a simple voice vote, but neither path proved open.
Polis said he'd been unsure whether the amendment would pass, but was gratified by the final tally. "We're having a hemp milkshake," he joked to HuffPost afterward. "Break out the hemp ice cream."
"On the merits, this is a no-brainer. Industrial hemp is an important product," he added. "It's perfectly legal, but currently we require that it be imported from other countries. Basically it's taking jobs away from American producers."
Allowing hemp to be grown in this country for research purposes, said Polis, would likely pave the way for Colorado State University to take a closer look at the crop.
Other hemp advocates were bullish about House passage, having had a chance encounter with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) at the Kentucky Derby in early May. The state's agriculture commissioner, James Comer, bent the ear of Boehner and his chief of staff, after which the speaker invited Comer and others to Capitol Hill for a meeting. Boehner was receptive to their pitch, Comer told The Huffington Post later.
On Wednesday, HuffPost obtained a copy of talking points the DEA was circulating among members of Congress to press them to oppose the amendment. "I saw that ridiculous, inaccurate letter. I'm glad my colleagues in the Congress saw through the bogus attempts to discredit" the hemp amendment, Polis said.
Hemp is legal in many countries, including Canada, and is legal to import but not to grow in the United States. Nineteen states have passed pro-industrial hemp legislation, and nine have removed barriers to its production: Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.
Polis waved an American flag made of hemp on the House floor during debate over the measure.
The next task for hemp advocates is to keep the provision in the farm bill when the House and Senate versions are melded. "We just wanna make sure this language remains in the conference," Polis said. "We hope that with the help of [Senators] Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul and others, we'll be able to keep it."
A recent HuffPost/YouGov poll found that by a 56 percent to 24 percent margin, most Americans think it should be legal to grow hemp.
WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives on Thursday overcame last-minute lobbying from the Drug Enforcement Administration to pass a farm bill amendment that would legalize the growing of hemp for research purposes. The 225-200 vote came after a flurry of opposition from the DEA, which argued that it would be too difficult for the agency to differentiate legal hemp from illegal marijuana, both varieties of the cannabis plant.
The House amendment, proposed by Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), is far more modest than a Senate effort by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to fully legalize growing hemp for industrial purposes. McConnell had hoped to have his measure inserted into the underlying farm bill or approved on a simple voice vote, but neither path proved open.
Polis said he'd been unsure whether the amendment would pass, but was gratified by the final tally. "We're having a hemp milkshake," he joked to HuffPost afterward. "Break out the hemp ice cream."
"On the merits, this is a no-brainer. Industrial hemp is an important product," he added. "It's perfectly legal, but currently we require that it be imported from other countries. Basically it's taking jobs away from American producers."
Allowing hemp to be grown in this country for research purposes, said Polis, would likely pave the way for Colorado State University to take a closer look at the crop.
Other hemp advocates were bullish about House passage, having had a chance encounter with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) at the Kentucky Derby in early May. The state's agriculture commissioner, James Comer, bent the ear of Boehner and his chief of staff, after which the speaker invited Comer and others to Capitol Hill for a meeting. Boehner was receptive to their pitch, Comer told The Huffington Post later.
On Wednesday, HuffPost obtained a copy of talking points the DEA was circulating among members of Congress to press them to oppose the amendment. "I saw that ridiculous, inaccurate letter. I'm glad my colleagues in the Congress saw through the bogus attempts to discredit" the hemp amendment, Polis said.
Hemp is legal in many countries, including Canada, and is legal to import but not to grow in the United States. Nineteen states have passed pro-industrial hemp legislation, and nine have removed barriers to its production: Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.
Polis waved an American flag made of hemp on the House floor during debate over the measure.
The next task for hemp advocates is to keep the provision in the farm bill when the House and Senate versions are melded. "We just wanna make sure this language remains in the conference," Polis said. "We hope that with the help of [Senators] Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul and others, we'll be able to keep it."
A recent HuffPost/YouGov poll found that by a 56 percent to 24 percent margin, most Americans think it should be legal to grow hemp.
Friday, June 14, 2013
New head of Kentucky Industrial Hemp Commission
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Harrison County farmer Brian Furnish has been chosen as the new chairman of the Kentucky Industrial Hemp Commission.
Furnish said Thursday that Kentucky is at the forefront of efforts to revive the crop.
His election as chairman came during a meeting of the hemp commission. State Agriculture Commissioner James Comer stepped aside as commission chairman in accordance with legislation that passed the General Assembly and is set to take effect.
Under the new law, the agriculture commissioner will serve as the hemp commission's vice chairman.
The state law would allow the crop to be reintroduced, but only if the federal government lifted its prohibition on the plant.
Hemp flourished in Kentucky until it was banned decades ago when the federal government classified it as a controlled substance related to marijuana.
Furnish said Thursday that Kentucky is at the forefront of efforts to revive the crop.
His election as chairman came during a meeting of the hemp commission. State Agriculture Commissioner James Comer stepped aside as commission chairman in accordance with legislation that passed the General Assembly and is set to take effect.
Under the new law, the agriculture commissioner will serve as the hemp commission's vice chairman.
The state law would allow the crop to be reintroduced, but only if the federal government lifted its prohibition on the plant.
Hemp flourished in Kentucky until it was banned decades ago when the federal government classified it as a controlled substance related to marijuana.
Saturday, June 08, 2013
Living Green Magazine article for Hemp History Week
By Richard Kujawski, Managing Editor
Thomas Jefferson once said, “Hemp is of greatest importance to our nation.” The Declaration of Independence was drafted on hemp paper. American farmers were required by law in the 1700’s to grow hemp. More than 150,000 acres of hemp were cultivated as a part of the USDA’s “Hemp for Victory” program during World War II.Kentucky is the latest of 19 states to make industrial hemp legal. Why doesn’t the U.S. government understand the difference between the hemp that helped us win World War II—and marijuana joints?
This is Hemp History Week, and hundreds of events are occurring across the country to promote hemp products for our belly and our body—and the economy. Premiering this week is the documentary Bringing It Home, showing the benefits of industrial hemp—a variety of cannabis that does not contain psychoactive chemicals.
It’s legal to eat hemp seeds (full of Omega-3 and -6 essential fatty acids) in your salads, wear hemp woven into chic clothing, to rub it into your skin by using an organic body care product, and to use it in building materials.
But U.S. farmers are no longer able to grow industrial hemp. The1937 Marihuana Tax Act defined hemp as a narcotic drug, just like its cousin marijuana. Technically, this law and the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA) do permit the growing of hemp, but place strict controls and taxes on the commodity. And the DEA has been turning down all permit requests to set up commercial production.
Documentary Film Premiere
Bringing It Home, a new hour-long documentary film about industrial hemp, explores the question of why a crop with so many widespread benefits cannot be farmed in the U.S. today. The film explores the history of hemp, its myriad industrial applications and legalization efforts. Through a grassroots audience engagement screening tour, the documentary aims to magnify dialogue about hemp in order to facilitate America’s transition to a more informed, sustainable and healthy future. The film will premiere in conjunction with Hemp History Week 2013 with screenings in major cities across the country.
Filmmakers Linda Booker and Blaire Johnson were inspired by environmentally conscious home designer Anthony Brenner’s story to find the healthiest building material available to build a safe indoor environment for his young daughter, Bailey, who has a sensitivity to synthetic chemicals. Brenner received national media attention when he and Hemp Technologies completed “America’s First Hemp House” for the former mayor of Asheville, North Carolina. Booker and Johnson tell the story of hemp through animation, archival images and footage of hemp business leaders and entrepreneurs like Brenner from England, Spain, Washington, D.C., California and North Carolina. For more information, go to: www.BringingItHomeMovie.com.
Even Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Endorses Industrial Hemp
A grassroots movement (no pun intended) is underway to legalize hemp at the state and federal levels. An online letter-writing drive to encourage the Obama Administration and Congress to change federal law that currently prohibits American farmers from growing industrial hemp are all facets of the campaign to bring this environmentally sustainable and profitable crop back to American soil. More information and a promotional video for the campaign are available at: www.HempHistoryWeek.com.
This month, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013 (H.R. 525) was introduced in the House with twenty-eight original co-sponsors, and it was quickly joined by a companion bill in the Senate (S. 359) which was introduced by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Rand Paul (R-KY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), underscoring the bipartisan support around the hemp issue. If passed, the bills would remove federal restrictions on the domestic cultivation of industrial hemp, defined as the non?drug oilseed and fiber varieties of Cannabis. The full text of the bills, as well as status and co-sponsors, can be found at: www.VoteHemp.com/legislation.
Environmental News from Living Green Magazine – Where Green Is Read
Read more at http://livinggreenmag.com/2013/06/07/green-business/bringing-it-home-industrial-hemp-documentary-highlights-hemp-history-week/#XmJRRUcHOq303V9V.99
Thursday, June 06, 2013
Debate on hemp heats up in DC
This is from the Huffington Post, which follows this issue now that it is hot:
WASHINGTON -- The attempt to move industrial hemp legalization through the Senate as part of the farm bill is running into stiff resistance from law enforcement, threatening to derail the effort.
Hemp is a non-psychoactive relative of marijuana that is banned for its familial association. Hemp products are legal to import and sell in the United States, but the plant cannot be grown without a license from the Drug Enforcement Administration -- which, unsurprisingly, the agency rarely grants.
Legalizing hemp crops has the backing of two Kentucky Republicans, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and tea party favorite Sen. Rand Paul, and two Oregon Democrats, Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley. McConnell, taking the tactical lead, has been pressing either to simply insert the hemp language into the underlying farm bill or to specifically add it through a voice vote (rather than a recorded vote), according to multiple people involved in the negotiations. The Senate will return to debate on the farm bill Thursday morning.
The purpose of a voice vote would be twofold: First, it would give senators a low-profile way to support an issue still perceived as controversial and strongly opposed by police and prosecutors. "Law enforcement is very opposed," said one top Democratic aide, explaining the reluctance to hold a floor vote.
Second, because there has not been a hemp vote in modern memory, supporters are uncertain that they have the 60 votes needed to meet the threshold for farm bill amendments.
A voice vote would also require unanimous consent, which means that a single senator could object and force a roll call. On Tuesday, Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) told HuffPost that he was a longtime hemp opponent. "I just have concerns about legalizing hemp production, and so I've never been a supporter of it," he said, citing "law enforcement concern." Johanns is retiring after the 2014 elections.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), according to three Senate aides involved with negotiations, told McConnell he would be willing to allow hemp to come up for a vote as a farm bill amendment. They say McConnell declined, insisting that he wanted it either made part of the base bill or added as a voice vote.
A McConnell aide disputed that Reid offered the minority leader a vote. Aides to Reid and to Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) insisted that such an offer was made. It was delivered in person to McConnell staff on the floor of the Senate by Reid's agriculture counsel, a Reid aide said.
A Stabenow aide said that Stabenow staff witnessed both Reid's aide making the offer on the floor to McConnell staff and Reid personally making the offer to Rand Paul on the Senate floor, after which Paul canvassed his colleagues on the floor for potential support.
The Republican side of the effort doesn't appear to be working in unison. On Tuesday, according to two Democratic aides involved with the talks, the Senate Republican Policy Committee insisted that hemp be included as one of the amendments to receive a vote or Republicans would not agree to a final list. But McConnell had already been offered and declined such a vote.
Moving to a voice vote traditionally requires sign-off from the bill's floor managers, as well as from the chairman and the ranking member of the Senate committee with jurisdiction. Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) has expressed support, and Stabenow, who is shepherding the farm bill, has said she's open to a vote.
But Stabenow's Republican counterpart told HuffPost Tuesday that he wasn't aware of having signed off on any hemp amendment. "I haven't had it brought to my attention," Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) said.
"We'll be disappointed if there's not a voice vote," said Holly Harris, chief of staff to Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, a Republican who ran on legalizing hemp and managed to push it through the state Legislature. He has been on Capitol Hill lobbying for it.
Wyden, who has introduced a hemp bill in successive Congresses, said Tuesday that he was planning to talk with Stabenow regarding a possible vote.
Hemp is not an issue that many senators have thought much about. HuffPost canvassed a wide swath from both parties and found most of them without enough information to form an opinion. Even those from farm states who have been supportive in the past were reluctant to take a stand on it -- with the exception of Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who said she remains a longtime backer.
"We passed it in our state for our farmers, and what we ran into is the federal restriction and specifically the DEA, their concern," said Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.). "So industrial hemp I think it's reasonable to grow, but we've got to work it out with law enforcement." After asking if McConnell was backing the amendment, Hoeven added that he plans to examine it with an open mind.
"I've been supportive of it, but I'd have to look at it," said Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
Even Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a tea party ally of Rand Paul's, told HuffPost that he hadn't made up his mind on Paul's amendment. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), another advocate of states' rights, said simply "no" when asked if he would back the McConnell-Paul effort. Asked why not, he added, "I haven't looked at the issue."
Wyden said that he is continuing to lobby his colleagues, frequently pointing out to them that if the finished product can be purchased at Costco, there's no reason farmers in the U.S. shouldn't be able to grow it. He's also working to convince them that nobody can get high by smoking hemp.
"The first challenge we have -- and suffice to say, this has been the case for some time -- is to make sure that people see the THC level, which of course is the active ingredient, is very different with hemp than it is with marijuana," Wyden said.
A recent HuffPost/YouGov poll found that, by a 56 percent to 24 percent margin, most Americans think it should be legal to grow hemp in the U.S.
Hemp is a non-psychoactive relative of marijuana that is banned for its familial association. Hemp products are legal to import and sell in the United States, but the plant cannot be grown without a license from the Drug Enforcement Administration -- which, unsurprisingly, the agency rarely grants.
Legalizing hemp crops has the backing of two Kentucky Republicans, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and tea party favorite Sen. Rand Paul, and two Oregon Democrats, Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley. McConnell, taking the tactical lead, has been pressing either to simply insert the hemp language into the underlying farm bill or to specifically add it through a voice vote (rather than a recorded vote), according to multiple people involved in the negotiations. The Senate will return to debate on the farm bill Thursday morning.
The purpose of a voice vote would be twofold: First, it would give senators a low-profile way to support an issue still perceived as controversial and strongly opposed by police and prosecutors. "Law enforcement is very opposed," said one top Democratic aide, explaining the reluctance to hold a floor vote.
Second, because there has not been a hemp vote in modern memory, supporters are uncertain that they have the 60 votes needed to meet the threshold for farm bill amendments.
A voice vote would also require unanimous consent, which means that a single senator could object and force a roll call. On Tuesday, Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) told HuffPost that he was a longtime hemp opponent. "I just have concerns about legalizing hemp production, and so I've never been a supporter of it," he said, citing "law enforcement concern." Johanns is retiring after the 2014 elections.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), according to three Senate aides involved with negotiations, told McConnell he would be willing to allow hemp to come up for a vote as a farm bill amendment. They say McConnell declined, insisting that he wanted it either made part of the base bill or added as a voice vote.
A Stabenow aide said that Stabenow staff witnessed both Reid's aide making the offer on the floor to McConnell staff and Reid personally making the offer to Rand Paul on the Senate floor, after which Paul canvassed his colleagues on the floor for potential support.
The Republican side of the effort doesn't appear to be working in unison. On Tuesday, according to two Democratic aides involved with the talks, the Senate Republican Policy Committee insisted that hemp be included as one of the amendments to receive a vote or Republicans would not agree to a final list. But McConnell had already been offered and declined such a vote.
Moving to a voice vote traditionally requires sign-off from the bill's floor managers, as well as from the chairman and the ranking member of the Senate committee with jurisdiction. Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) has expressed support, and Stabenow, who is shepherding the farm bill, has said she's open to a vote.
But Stabenow's Republican counterpart told HuffPost Tuesday that he wasn't aware of having signed off on any hemp amendment. "I haven't had it brought to my attention," Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) said.
"We'll be disappointed if there's not a voice vote," said Holly Harris, chief of staff to Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, a Republican who ran on legalizing hemp and managed to push it through the state Legislature. He has been on Capitol Hill lobbying for it.
Wyden, who has introduced a hemp bill in successive Congresses, said Tuesday that he was planning to talk with Stabenow regarding a possible vote.
Hemp is not an issue that many senators have thought much about. HuffPost canvassed a wide swath from both parties and found most of them without enough information to form an opinion. Even those from farm states who have been supportive in the past were reluctant to take a stand on it -- with the exception of Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who said she remains a longtime backer.
"We passed it in our state for our farmers, and what we ran into is the federal restriction and specifically the DEA, their concern," said Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.). "So industrial hemp I think it's reasonable to grow, but we've got to work it out with law enforcement." After asking if McConnell was backing the amendment, Hoeven added that he plans to examine it with an open mind.
"I've been supportive of it, but I'd have to look at it," said Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
Even Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a tea party ally of Rand Paul's, told HuffPost that he hadn't made up his mind on Paul's amendment. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), another advocate of states' rights, said simply "no" when asked if he would back the McConnell-Paul effort. Asked why not, he added, "I haven't looked at the issue."
Wyden said that he is continuing to lobby his colleagues, frequently pointing out to them that if the finished product can be purchased at Costco, there's no reason farmers in the U.S. shouldn't be able to grow it. He's also working to convince them that nobody can get high by smoking hemp.
"The first challenge we have -- and suffice to say, this has been the case for some time -- is to make sure that people see the THC level, which of course is the active ingredient, is very different with hemp than it is with marijuana," Wyden said.
A recent HuffPost/YouGov poll found that, by a 56 percent to 24 percent margin, most Americans think it should be legal to grow hemp in the U.S.
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