North Dakota Issues Nation's First Hemp Permits

[cui bono]

N.D. issues nation's first hemp permits

By BLAKE NICHOLSON, Associated Press Writer Tue Feb 6, 5:15 PM ET

BISMARCK, N.D. - North Dakota issued the nation's first licenses to grow industrial hemp Tuesday to two farmers who still must meet federal requirements before they can plant the crop.

The farmers must get approval from the Drug Enforcement Administration, which treats hemp much the way it does marijuana and has not allowed commercial hemp production but has said it would consider applications to grow it.

Hemp is a cousin of marijuana that contains trace amounts of the chemical that causes a marijuana high, though hemp does not produce the same effects. The sturdy, fibrous plant is used to make an assortment of products including paper, rope, clothing and cosmetics.

Industrial hemp cultivation is legal in Canada and other countries but is banned in the United States. Law enforcement officials worry that industrial hemp can shield the growing of marijuana, although hemp supporters say that fear is unfounded.

more...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070206/ap_on_re_us/hemp_licenses

[Warpy]

1. AT LAST!!!

Good grief, what the hell too them so long?

I suppose the wood pulpers are going to have a hissy fit. I also doubt the damned DEA will issue permits, the bastards.

This is way overdue, though.

[Raksha]

2. Well, it's about time!

I've heard that the fiber is even stronger than linen. No reason at all not to grow it.

[cui bono]

3. And many, many reasons to grow it. nt

[patrice]

4. Hemp also acts as a soil builder by binding nitrogen.

It is naturally disease, pest, and drought resistant, so it doesn't need chemicals or irrigation.

Hemp seed nuts and hemp powder are whole food proteins high in the omega-3 oils that are good for your heart.

[aquart]

14. Yes, but won't the soil become addicted?

[meow mix]

5. its tough and fiberous, great stuff!

yay.
and why would anyone want to grow thier good stuff out in a field with a bunch of stinky hemp where theres bugs and stuff!?

it needs slightly more attention than that.. indoor's is tha best :D

[HappyWeasel]

6. Great things come in unlikely places.

[LeftyMom]

7. My understanding is that industrial hemp will breed with the other stuff

and you wind up with...

more industrial hemp, with as much capacity to get you high as a wingless airplane.

You'd think the drug warriors would want to plant it everywhere for that reason.

[meow mix]

9. welll....

yah.. that can be true =)
but the results can vary dramatically between 5000 offspring of one breeding "accident"

you can have 2500 cocker spanials and 1000 poodles and the remaining 1500 are not easily distuingished to be more of either breed.

[Porcupine]

10. The point is to suppress a cheap fiber source.

not to fight the drug war. The drug war is kept cooking so that the GOP can fill prisons and get lots of campaign cash from prison guards and Wackenhut.

[papau]

11. We can finally get rid of the cotton folks destruction of water and need for Federal support? n/t

n/t

[Raksha]

15. I was surfing the hydroponic gardening section on eBay

and I wondered why all the auctions were "private" listings. That's not the norm for the gardening section. But then the proverbial light bulb went on over my head... :)

[Dr.Phool]

8. Henry Ford made auto body parts out of it.

Strong, easy to mold, and cheap to build and replace.

And it's a better source of bio-fuel than ethanol.

[scarletwoman]

12. You know what really sucks? A few years ago the Pine Ridge Reservation wanted to start up a hemp

growing project. The tribal government -- "sovereign nation", right? -- voted to approve it, and one of the reservation families started growing it on reservation land. They had buyers lined up, the hemp was almost ready to harvest, and then the DEA showed up and destroyed all the plants.

This project would have brought badly needed jobs and income to the Pine Ridge Reservation, which is one of the most economically depressed places in the entire U.S., with approximately 60% unemployment and no industry to speak of.

Pine Ridge is in South Dakota, therefore this doesn't change anything for them. So while I'm happy to give kudos to North Dakota, I'm still incensed that the American Indians got screwed over once again.

See http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/437/pineridge.shtml for some of the story.

sw

[cui bono]

13. Better that they should have casinos.

As if gambling isn't a problem. God forbid anything that makes anyone think about pot is allowed to be grown, even though hemp is not the type that gets you high and it has so many uses and could help so many small farmers out.

:eyes:

[B Calm]

16. During WW2 they grew a lot of it here in Indiana...

You still see it growing wild in ditches along the edges of corn fields.

[sazemisery]

17. The petroleum industry will fight this

Hemp would replace a lot of petroleum byproducts and BIG OIL won't let that happen. All the profit to be made is THEIR'S not anybody else's!

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

19. kick to that post

They ie: dupont, have shut down any chance of hemp industry for years now. Good Luck to ND.

[ms liberty]

18. This is great news...

Of course, there are quite a few states who that comes to mind; I know here in NC it has been discussed among the farming community also. The replies above have pointed out most of the reasons, so I won't repeat them. This could really help the farmers in the South, many of them small family farms that have been having hard times.

[Jcrowley]

20. K&R

[redqueen]

21. Now THAT is good news!

:applause: