On June 23, Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) will introduce the Industrial Hemp Farming Act, a bill that would allow states to regulate industrial hemp farming while freeing U.S. farmers from federal restrictions on this versatile and profitable crop. The Bill itself is simple. It changes the definition of “marijuana” in Federal statutes to exclude material with less than 3/10 of a percent of THC, the psychoactive ingredient.
Please contact your Representative in the House this week and ask them to sign on. There will not be a Bill Number until formal introduction on Thursday.
The last licenses to produce hemp in the United states were issued in 1957.
Update [2005-6-20 16:34:36 by ben masel]: Link fixed
Numerous individual states have expressed interest in industrial hemp. Twenty-six states have introduced hemp legislation and six (Hawaii, Montana, Kentucky, North Dakota, West Virginia and Maine) have removed barriers to its production. Rep. Paul’s bill would allow laws in these states regulating the growing and processing of industrial hemp to take effect.
Follow the progress of this legislation at: http://VoteHemp.com.
For a vast collection on the history of Wisconsin’s Hemp industry, and analysis of it’s future prospects, see Dr. Dave’s Hemp Archives.
Wow, no comments yet. I saw this just before dinner and thought for sure that I’d be posting at the end of a string of comments. I guessed wrong.
Nice diary, Ben. The link to Dr. Dave’s Hemp Archives needs fixing, though. Thank you very much for the plug for Vote Hemp. We, like any non-profit, need donations to continue our work.
Hemp farming is not at the top of a lot of people’s list of important issues, but hemp got me involved in politics and media and I can now see how a small group of dedicated people can make large changes. Hemp’s not going to save the world, but it is part of the solution rather than being part of the problem.
5 of our 8 Representatives have expressed prior support for hemp in agriculture, tho none as yet cosponsor the bill. Moved a little over 1,000 flyers on the bill at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair over the weekend, so the incoming calls should be getting attention.
not that I know of…
Laws against hemp make no sense, have made no sense and will never make any sense.
I hope this passes.
or at least makes a very big media splash – TV coverage would be great!
Wasn’t the constitution written on hemp paper? And weren’t the sails on the Mayflower made with hemp cloth?
this is truly a silly law, since Americans were encouraged to grow hemp for the war effort in WW2.
it would be a great way to decrease paper pulp from trees and keep the northwest green, and absorbing CO2.
I understand it’s a good source of biomass and veg. oil, too, since it grows like a weed, really. I heard some guys who were at a venture capitalist meeting on some radio program the other day, and two guys were trying to set up biomass production facilities at the point where people would also fill up their cars.
I don’t expect any sort of rational take on this issue, however. I hope I’m happily surprised, but things that make sense don’t seem to be part of govt, do they?