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House bill calls for legalizing industrial hemp

Posted by Joshua Holland at 6:38 AM on February 14, 2007.


Joshua Holland: Second attempt since hemp cultivation was banned
hemp

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I know there are some readers who will find this particularly interesting ...

An act to legitimize hemp farming has been introduced in Congress, according to a press release.

"For the second time since the federal government outlawed hemp farming in the United States," the release states, "a federal bill has been introduced that would remove restrictions on the cultivation of non-psychoactive industrial hemp."

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), a maverick 2008 presidential candidate, is the chief sponsor behind the bill, H.R. 1009. Nine co-sponsors, including fellow White House hopeful Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), are all Democrats.

The bill "would give states the right to regulate farming of the versatile hemp crop," the release says.

"It is indefensible that the United States government prevents American farmers from growing this crop," the release quotes Rep. Paul. "The prohibition subsidizes farmers in countries from Canada to Romania by eliminating American competition and encourages jobs in industries such as food, auto parts and clothing that utilize industrial hemp to be located overseas instead of in the United States."

Paul states that the passing of the act would "help American farmers and reduce the trade deficit -- all without spending a single taxpayer dollar."

I doubt this bill is going anywhere. But it should. According to the Congressional Rsearch Service, the U.S. "is the only developed nation that fails to cultivate industrial hemp as an economic crop." Here's a list of the plant's many uses.

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Tagged as: hemp

Joshua Holland is a staff writer at Alternet and a regular contributor to The Gadflyer.


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And...
Posted by: JoshuaLudd on Feb 14, 2007 6:53 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
While we are at it.. lets get rid of that useless crap Bush pushed through early on about anyone with a drug conviction being unable to get federal financial aid for education.

Then we can decriminalize posession and personal use.

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» RE: And...JoshuaLudd Posted by: Basenjis
hemp is good
Posted by: brasilaron on Feb 14, 2007 6:54 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
North Dakota now has 2 licensed hemp farmers and several other states have statues that allow industrial hemp farming but nobody has gotten licensed. The Governator myopically vetoed a CA industrial hemp bill. Farmers around the country need to be educated about hemp, how to grow it without the suspicion of ganja being interplanted with it etc. There are many conspiracy theories about why The Man has kept hemp down post 1950s, but if farmers started advocating for it en masse, i think hemp would very rapidly be legal to grow.

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Hemp is God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: eddie torres on Feb 14, 2007 8:11 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
How can anyone deny the devine characteristics of the greatest vegetation in human history?????????? Are they high????????? Anyone who opposes this legislation must be thrown out of office!!!!!!!!!!!! Did you know that hemp is the greatest natural laxative known to mankind????????? How can anyone deny that our future is hemp-powered?????? My computer is hemp-powered, and I'm typing these words on a keyboard made of hemp and human teeth!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Right now!!!!!!!!!! As I type!!!!!!!!!!!! Can anyone deny it????????????

Come in, NDnative, come in...

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» RE: Hemp is God!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Posted by: Joshua Holland
Side Issue
Posted by: Gaubladt on Feb 14, 2007 8:19 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I know that this is a divergence. But, as long as the Taliban are relying on opium and marihuana for their war of terror, then it would be in the US interest to grow, process, and distribute it to our addicts for free. After all, just one nuke would certainly ruin an otherwise nice day.

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» RE: Side Issue Posted by: Basenjis
Why ...
Posted by: OldRedleg on Feb 14, 2007 8:31 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
does any discussion of the legalization of industrial hemp inevitably decay into a "discussion" of the legalization of marijuana? Too many of you folks out there just can't seem to understand that the fools out there resisting the local growth and use of this very wonderful crop are doing so mainly because all they truly see are massive fields of pot, not fields of beneficial plants. Perhaps if you folks could stay away from the emotional and oftentimes divisive issues around pot, then maybe legal hemp growing would get a fair look and chance once again.

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» RE: Why ... Posted by: picket
» RE: Why ... Posted by: JoshuaLudd
» I think ... Posted by: Joshua Holland
» RE: I think ... Posted by: ConnecttheDots
» RE: I think ... Posted by: Basenjis
» Us too Posted by: Joshua Holland
A good reasons for grownin hemp.
Posted by: Herbert Levinson on Feb 14, 2007 2:15 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I think the best reason for growing hemp, can solve several problems. First we can change problems with the oxygen carbon dioxide cycle to reduce global warming. Since green plants that grow so quickly change carbon dioxide into carbon and oxygen. thereby reducing the atmosphereric carbon dioxide responsible for global warming. Also, for fuel for energy production simular to what corn is doing for gas-ahol. Although hemp grows much faster than corn and reached 9 to 12 feet in a little over 2 months

I believe global warming is a result of deforesting of the Amozon and rain forest around the world. Also burning to clear these areas also raise carbon dioxide dramatically. This is a massive problem because of the exponential effect cause by the many things that increase carbondioxide. We may already be to late in turning this problem around. I fear that the whole world is about to become extinct if we don't fix this problem. It is of little consolation that Rothschild will go down with us all if He don't change his stand on this subject!

Hemp has many other uses such as a better substitute for making fabrics that is 4 ties better than cotton. Rope that don't rot.

The cotton and cecil rope are two of the industries are against this because of the money they would lose from the competition.

Cecil Rhodes was a force that was instrumental to changing the ships lines used by the British to the inferior fiber cecil rope. Which, He introduced to the British Navy as a way to make Baron Rothschild richer than He already was. Rothschild according to internet files owns the The Britist Army and Navy and Baron Rothschid is the force against legalizing hemp. Which is a better product and outlasts cotton and cecil. Baron Rothschild is the richest family in the world and this is why it's so hard to legalize hemp production.

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One step closer...
Posted by: Alan8 on Feb 14, 2007 2:54 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Legalizing industrial hemp will take us one step closer to marijuana legalization. Right now marijuana is a threat to the alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceutical, and textile corporations, who see it as a threat to profits.

After industrial hemp is legalized, we'll only have three industries against it!

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earl
Posted by: earl on Feb 20, 2007 10:46 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The comments suggest why this bill undoubtedly will not make it very far. Ignorance of the history of how we arrived where we are has many thinking that industrial hemp and the psychoactive kind are one and the same. Without a doubt industrial hemp could solve our paper problem so that we could cease cutting down all those trees. Without a doubt industrial hemp could do away with plastic, which pollutes when it's made as well as when we try to get rid of it. There are over 25,000 uses for the maligned hemp plant. During colonial times it was a requirement to grow it. New processes have taken the intensive labor getting it ready away. Now that we know its DNA is different from its marijuana cousin, our legislators need to get on the ball.

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