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Dear Reader,
The legislative season in some states is
winding down, and planting season is almost
upon us. In many smaller states where farmers are
often legislators, the legislative
calendars revolve around the seasons. In
many larger states, however, being an elected official
is now a full-time job.
Ten farming states have introduced industrial
hemp legislation in 2007: California,
Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New
Mexico, North Dakota, South Carolina,
Vermont and Wisconsin.
I want to remind you that all state hemp bills and
resolutions
introduced since 1995 are listed on our State
Industrial Hemp Legislation page.
North Dakota leads the pack with five bills
introduced this year — two of which, SB
2099 and HB 1490, have already been signed by Gov.
John Hoeven. Two others are
resolutions urging Congress to recognize the
multiple benefits of industrial hemp and to
direct the DEA to differentiate between
industrial hemp and marijuana. The fifth
bill, HB 1020, has passed both the House and
Senate with different amendments and is now in
conference committee.
Vote Hemp continues to submit
testimony for bills in various states. In
Wisconsin
the Assembly Committee on Rural Economic
Development just held a public hearing on a
hemp study bill there. Vote Hemp sent testimony
in favor of the bill, and next week I will be
traveling to both New
Hampshire and
Vermont
to present testimony on behalf of Vote Hemp for hemp
farming bills in those states.
If you live in the United States, please
take a moment to send
a letter asking your U.S. Representative
to co-sponsor H.R. 1009, the Industrial Hemp
Farming Act of 2007. If you live in
Wisconsin, South Carolina, North Dakota, New
Hampshire, Hawaii or California, you can also
send a letter to your elected
representatives
in your state in support of hemp legislation
there.
Please make a vital contribution
to Vote Hemp today to help us continue fixing the
situation here in the U.S.
We need and truly appreciate your support!
Best Regards,
Tom Murphy
Weekly News Update Editor
| NH House Votes to Allow Farmers to Grow Hemp |
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By Norma Love, AP
The Nashua Telegraph
April 6, 2007
Concord, NH — The House voted Thursday to
allow
farmers to grow hemp — a close relative of
marijuana — despite federal hurdles to
planting the controversial crop.
Supporters pointed out that hemp, which has a
very low content of THC, the psychoactive
ingredient in marijuana, has unfairly been
characterized as the same as marijuana.
"You don't smoke hemp. A wheelbarrow full
would only make you sick," insisted Rep.
Derek Owen, D-Hopkinton.
"Hemp is one of the oldest and most useful
and strongest natural plants known to man,"
he told the House.
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| No Go for Hemp |
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Compiled By Staff
Dakota Farmer
April 9, 2007
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency won't be
acting on North Dakotans' applications to grow
industrial hemp in time for the farmers to
plant the crop this year.
North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger
Johnson says it is a "de facto denial."
"The DEA's latest response is a de facto denial
of permission," Johnson said. "If the
applicants cannot have a decision in time to
plant the crop, then the applications are
meaningless."
The DEA's delay was "not unexpected," Johnson
said, "but [it is] still disappointing."
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| A Soap Opera |
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By Elena Gaona
San Diego Union-Tribune
April 14, 2007
Escondido, CA — For an environmentally
friendly,
socially conscious company founded on the
principle of uniting humankind, Dr. Bronner's
Magic Soaps has fought its share of battles.
It successfully took on the Drug Enforcement
Administration, which tried to link its hemp
oil projects to marijuana. It got the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to back down,
winning the right to label its soaps organic.
Now it's dealing with the intricacies of
establishing a fair-trade deal to protect
farmers.
But in the latest twist involving Dr.
Bronner's Magic Soaps — an Escondido
company
founded nearly 60 years ago by the eccentric
Dr. Emanuel Bronner — the company is
challenging what it contends could be police
profiling of an aging punk rocker.
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The New Health Food Darling |
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Forget the illicit rumors.
Suspicious-sounding hemp is the latest heart
superfood
By Marge Perry
Prevention Magazine
April 2007
If anyone had told me a few years back that
edible hemp would go mainstream, I'd have
asked what they were smoking. But this little
seed — a marijuana relative without the
psychedelic effects — has grown into one of
the hot new ingredients of 2007, with sales
of hemp products such as milk, cereal, and
snack bars up 35% since last year. Although
novelty might be driving the hemp hype, it's
not a fad that's likely to fade anytime soon.
Hemp actually has a lot going for it
nutritionally:
It's an excellent source of protein.
Hemp seeds are one of the few plant sources
of all nine essential amino acids your body
needs to build and repair muscle. That's a
boon for vegetarians because most non-animal
sources of protein are incomplete.
It's packed with good-for-you fats.
Hemp is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids,
which may help prevent heart attacks and
reduce inflammation (but, unlike
heart-healthy seafood, hemp is mercury-free).
[More...]
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