Posted on 01/15/2007 2:07:51 PM PST by ellery
BISMARCK, N.D. - David Monson began pushing the idea of growing industrial hemp in the United States a decade ago. Now his goal may be within reach — but first he needs to be fingerprinted. Monson plans this week to apply to become the nation's first licensed industrial hemp farmer. He will have to provide two sets of fingerprints and proof that he's not a criminal.
The farmer, school superintendent and state legislator would like to start by growing 10 acres of the crop, and he spent part of his weekend staking out the field he wants to use.
"I'm starting to see that we maybe have a chance," Monson said. "For a while, it was getting really depressing."
Last month, the state Agriculture Department finished its work on rules farmers may use to grow industrial hemp, a cousin of marijuana that does not have the drug's hallucinogenic properties. The sturdy, fibrous plant is used to make an assortment of products, ranging from paper, rope and lotions to car panels, carpet backing and animal bedding.
Applicants must provide latitude and longitude coordinates for their proposed hemp fields, furnish fingerprints and pay at least $202 in fees, including $37 to cover the cost of criminal record checks.
Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson said the federal Drug Enforcement Administration still must give its permission before Monson, or anyone else, may grow industrial hemp.
"That is going to be a major hurdle," Johnson said.
Another impediment is the DEA's annual registration fee of $2,293, which is nonrefundable even if the agency does not grant permission to grow industrial hemp. Processing the paperwork for Monson's license should take about a month, Johnson said.
A DEA spokesman has said North Dakota applications to grow industrial hemp will be reviewed, and Johnson said North Dakota's rules were developed with the agency's concerns in mind. Law enforcement officials fear industrial hemp can shield illicit marijuana, although hemp supporters say the concern is unfounded.
North Dakota is one of seven states that have authorized industrial hemp farming. The others are Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana and West Virginia, according to Vote Hemp, an industrial hemp advocacy organization based in Bedford, Mass.
California lawmakers approved legislation last year 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.
In 2005, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (news, bio, voting record), R-Texas, introduced legislation to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana in federal drug laws. It never came to a vote.
Monson farms near Osnabrock, a Cavalier County community in North Dakota's northeastern corner. He is the assistant Republican majority leader in the North Dakota House and is the school superintendent in Edinburg, which has about 140 students in grades kindergarten through 12.
In 1997, during his second session in the Legislature, Monson successfully pushed a bill to require North Dakota State University to study industrial hemp as an alternative crop for the state's farmers.
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.
"I do know that industrial hemp grows really well 20 miles north of me," Monson said. "I don't see any reason why that wouldn't be a major crop for me, if this could go through."
You're not.
Oh, the humanity.
Life without dope. The horror.
You're nothing more than a troll as evidenced by your evasion.
Again:
Q. It's called Hempfest, why isn't it more about industrial hemp?
A. Hempfest features an entire area and stage, the Hemposium, that features exhibits, displays, demonstrations, panel discussions and featured speakers on the issue of industrial hemp and it's many uses. There are many hemp product vendors at Hempfest to choose from. But any serious discussion about domestic industrial hemp production will inevitably end up at the Drugwar. As Americans, we feel equally passionate about industrial hemp, medical marijuana and responsible adult recreational use.
http://hempfest.org/
We all ~have~ life with horrible dope; roscoe..
So that's your entire body of evidence that shows that people who want to farm hemp are druggies? LOL
You want to farm hemp?
It's all about the dope. Root, stalk, stem, and leaf, all dope.
Your friends in Washington promise to create a "drug-free America". It's interesting to ponder what they're probably going to have to do to make that happen.
Your friends in Somalia just declared martial law.
Goodnight, Roscoe.
It's legal to import industrial hemp (provided it's not for consumption) crude oil. What's this great urge to grow drill for it domestically?
Pleasant pipe dreams.
LOL....way to stick with the old ways.
Yep. From what I've heard you'd have to smoke a few acres of industrial hemp to get a high and by that time you'd have a headache that would kill a bull elephant.
There are numerous differences between industrial hemp and marijuana. First, industrial hemp is, I believe, the male plant. Second, the stalks are allowed to grow to enormous heights where marijuana is forced to remain smallish. And third, industrial hemp plants are grown very close together where marijuana is supposed to be grown so many feet apart.
It's a shame that hemp must be purchased from Europe, Canada, and China to be made into fine clothes that last so much longer than cotton.
From what I've heard clothing made from hemp last far longer and hold up to washing greater than cotton. I am looking into opening a hemp clothing store here in Kansas City. The clothing makes the sales pitch for me. It's organic, long lasting, and environmentally friendly. Now if we can get it grown here in the good ole USA, the prices will drop drastically over the next few years. I mean, I love hemp clothing but it is a tad expensive for the average Joe.
I'm betting that the shirt lasted quite a long time. As soon as I get my store up and running, you can always buy new t-shirts from me.....lol
If Congress cannot regulate the activities that substantially affect the interstate commerce they're constitutionally regulating, then what's the point?
Why regulate interstate flights when local flights are off limits and can fly when and where they please?
Well, Mr. Anarchist?
I remember my mother telling me that she used to make hemp rope during the Depression.
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