While engaged in a discussion over at dKos on query of Dems supporting legalization of Marijuana, ben masel posted a comment with a link to Thomas to a bill introduced in June, by Rep Paul, Ron [TX-14],
Jump into the field with me for a minute….
Perhaps Mr Paul recognizes the need to Do Something about our energy crisis, but viewing his list of introduced bills, I suspect that it has something to do with taxes, and tax credits, as that seems to be a pretty strong focus of his this year, or perhaps Big Oil is setting up to make alternatives their new cash cow, as they are doing with wind.
Whatever the motivation is, whether you say marijuana or marihuana, I’ll take it. I hope all will write reps, urging this bill forward and over the hump to amending the law that prohibits the use of this saving grace of a plant.
Unable to edit origional Hemp diary from last march, it is here, for those who wish to see.
Make me laugh, make me cry.
With a few minutes I’ll try and attempt,
To write a limerick on the merits of hemp.
A pharmaceutical with fiber,
And a hypocritical rider,
Why are tobacco and alcohol exempt?
Ron Paul is da bomb. He’s a RINO, who would be Libertarian if we were not cursed with the two party system. He was also one of the few to vote against the Patriot Act. And he does not accept corporate funds.
Do you want your U.S. Representative in the House to support H.R. 3037 the First-Ever Hemp Bill Introduced in Congress? It is easy to do. You have your choice of one click to write them or two:
One click
Then enter your Zip Code and click Go! and follow the instructions to contact your representative.
Two clicks
Then go to the * ACTION ALERT! * heading and click on the Click here which will take you to the same place as the one click link above.
Click here, enter your Zip Code, then click Go! and follow the instructions to contact your Representative and encourage them to support domestic hemp farming.
If you are lucky your representative may already be a sponsor or co-sponsor of H.R. 3037. Here is the list:
Rep Ron Paul, [TX]
Rep Tammy Baldwin [WI]
Rep Sam Farr [CA]
Rep Barney Frank [MA]
Rep Raul M. Grijalva [AZ]
Rep Jim McDermott [WA]
Rep George Miller [CA]
Rep Fortney Pete Stark [CA]
If you are a constituent please write them too and thank for supporting this bill! You should also as them to write a Dear Colleague Letter asking for the support of other representatives.
Please encourage everyone you know to go to the Vote Hemp Web site to send a letter to their U.S. Representative urging them to co-sponsor the first-ever hemp farming bill, the “Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2005” (H.R. 3037).
Sincerely,
Tom Murphy
Board Member
Vote Hemp
Thanks so much for this info. See you posted at the dKos diary too. Great site. Bookmarked.
Yes, I posted at dKos as well. We need to get as much support for H.R. 3037 as possible. It’s a good bill. Short, sweet and to the point.
I’m pretty sure the impetus for the bill came not from Congressman Paul himself, but from one of his staffers, Adam Dick, who’d spent a year here in Wisconsin, initially working on Ed Thompson’s 2002 race for Governor on the Libertarian Party line.
I spent a good bit of time with Adam selling him on hemp’s potential economic impact. The actual bill text, leaving any regulation of hemp farmers to the States, reflects Congressman Paul’s general philosophy of defering to smaller governmental units whenever possible.
to the extent the hemp bill has anything to do with taxes, it’s simply that growing the economy through diversification means a wider tax base, ebabling the burden to be shared.
hemp has less to do with oil tan one might imagine from many of my colleagues in the movement to reintroduce it. It’s more likely to see application replacing coal in electric generation, but not at a scale which would threaten that industry. Paper’s likely to be the big market for hemp, but even there, as a complement, not a replacement for trees. most likely to see a real threat down the road are cotton producers.
(Adam was the initial LP designee on the Wisconsin State Elections Board, a seat earned when Ed topped 10% in the governor race. In that post, he followed my suggestion to make his first initiative decertification of unverifiable touchscreen voting systems. The unanimous April 2003 vote of the Board made Wisconsin the 1st State to block diebold, etc. for he 2004 election cycle.)
It’s my understanding that industrial hemp can be used to construct building materials as well. Why not push it as the multi-use plant that it is. The development of hemp could replace whatever employment is lost in other industries.
Anyone know the name of that incredible documentary on the history of hemp and its uses?
the USDA movie Hemp for Victory?
Hemp and the Rule of Law by Kevin Balling of Tin Roof Video? It’s an incredible DVD! Every member of Congress should see this video. If you watch it and don’t think that hemp farming should be legalized then you weren’t paying attention. It’s so good that I would show it to my grandfather without any reservation. If you are interested in hemp it’s the best $24.90 that you will spend.
There’s a transcript of Hemp for Victory here.
Quicktime video of Hemp for Victory.
As with so many of the alternative things, it is not that any one is a be all and end all, is it? It is just that every little bit helps.
Re: cotton, Just read today that a lot of us rice crop is contaminated with arsenic, from being grown on played out cotton crop land.
Hemp won’t save the planet, that’s too much to expect from one plant. But, hemp is part of the solution rather than being part of the problem.