Potential First U.S. Hemp Farmer Gets Fingerprinted
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 01.18.07
A North Dakota man aims to be the first hemp farmer in the United States. That is, the first one since the practice was made illegal in 1938 and only allowed again temporarily as part of the WWII war effort. After 10 years of recent effort by North Dakota lawmaker David Monson, he is now poised to receive a license to grow the crop beloved by sustainability advocates -- as long as he gets fingerprinted first.
Monson turned in an application Monday to the state Agriculture Department to become the nation's first licensed industrial hemp farmer along with a set of his fingerprints, which will be used for a background check to prove he is not a criminal. Hemp, a cousin of marijuana, does not have the drug's psychoactive properties however the federal Drug Enforcement Administration still has to give its permission before Monson, or anyone else, is allowed to grow industrial hemp. Law enforcement officials fear industrial hemp can shield illicit marijuana, although hemp supporters say the concern is unfounded with whom we agree. We’ve told you about all things sturdy, sexy and hemp, so we hope such state legislative initiatives do not remain purely symbolic.
When the DEA smoke clears, North Dakota may be the first to break important farm ground. Six other states have also authorized industrial hemp farming, but yet to push their initiatives into action. Those others states are Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana and West Virginia. Last year, California lawmakers approved legislation that set out rules for industrial hemp production, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it. The law asserted that the federal government lacked authority to regulate industrial hemp as a drug. Also, in 2005, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, introduced legislation to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana in federal drug laws. It never came to a vote. Canada made it legal for farmers to grow the crop in March 1998. Last year, Canadian farmers planted 48,060 acres of hemp, government statistics say. Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the provinces along North Dakota's northern border, were Canada's biggest hemp producers. Here's to blurring the border. ::AP | Susty.tv
Wow, who is that girl in the picture
"When the DEA smoke clears..."
Is that a pun?
American farmers need to be allowed to grow hemp, it could help our economy. The cannabis plant is such a benign and beneficial plant, it is time we were allowed to use it in the same way our founding fathers did. Anything, that can be made out of a tree, can be made out of the hemp plant. I hear pressed board made out of Hemp is stronger than that pressed board made out of wood.
Interesting enough..and nice to see a little education passing around where it counts! As for my comment....ive said it a million times but here goes again....when one can harvest as much paper off one acre of hemp as one can 4.1 acres of forest ..this in itself is reason enough to bring back Americas Industrial Hemp Crop....Let one get started on the pestisides used to harvest other industrial crops...and the absence of such used to grow and harvest hemp for any use could be a whole other article. Good for this farmer good for america great for the earth...
cheers
i really do hope he succeeds
As a non-resident North Dakotan I think it is a great Idea. In the face of hard times, todays farmers could certainly benefit from a crop with such diverse uses. In just recent reading on the plant there are so many beneficial products produced by the plant one would be sorely neglecting the good of society in continuing to disallow it to be grown.
How many other products came out of things originally thought of as dangerous. One only needs to look at artificial sweeteners. Originally these products were used to produce plant killing agents and now are billion dollar industries in themselves. i.e. aspartame.
lets give our farmers the same advantage other nations farmers have in producing yet another products we probably already import in mas quantities. People shouting about trade deficit could use this as one example of partial solution to that problem also.
Hurray for a fellow North Dakotan on having the grit to go after something worth fighting for.
I consider this ban on hemp growing to be a self unmasking of the US government as being plain old incompetent. I know I may be using a a very critic and harsh language but this is how I see things. The conclusion of this whole charade concerning hemp: if the government can't keep it's population from growing weed than hemp cultures will be no more. And what good does that make? Weed is plenty on the streets. Illegal but in plenty. All these resources could better be driven towards the improvement of some drugs or towards the prevention of legal drug abuse (a problem far more serious than simple old weed) or towards making some cheap medications. I can think of a number of purposes for these resources other than preventing hemp (not weed) cultivation.
the first nations are a soverin nation the u. s. government nor the d. e.a. have, under u. n. agreements and estabelashed rule of law to interfere ,prosicute and or dicate to a soverin nation as proclamed in most first nations treatys . rule of law takes persedent over politacil point of view . a soverin state vitoes all objestions .the u.s. government must respect the rule of universal law least the pricipals the foundation of what the free world become irevelent.
hi.mr..bresident of the united stata..
Since when is the government a seperate part of our country?People talk about government like they have all the power and we common folk have none.You let the politicians make laws to keep honest,hard working americans from competing globally by not speaking out louder.Email or call your local state representatives that can be found anywhere on the internet .GOV websites. Ask them to legalize Industrial Hemp to get this country back on track to being SELF SUFFICIENT... = NO more toxic toys.medicines,food or any other product from Places like China that have loose regulations or none at all.Walmart is the Broker to the World for China now and they used to sell their rep on saying a certain percent of their product was made in USA... NO longer is that true and we all know this. So if you really want change,Speak up and tell government what you want.Tell all your friends to do the same and tell your representatives in Gov that you have alot of friends that know how to vote for or against them also in the next elections.
The People in Government work for US.. the Taxpayers. We do not work for them.They can either help fix problems or get out of the way so someone else can.Industrial Hemp is only illegal because government officials do not have the courage to speak up about something that most people link to the illegal plant marijuana.
That's great but I argue that Mr. Whiteplume, Lakota from South Dakota was the first to do this so what is up with that