Posted on 01/15/2007 2:07:51 PM PST by ellery
BISMARCK, N.D. - David Monson began pushing the idea of growing industrial hemp in the United States a decade ago. Now his goal may be within reach but first he needs to be fingerprinted. Monson plans this week to apply to become the nation's first licensed industrial hemp farmer. He will have to provide two sets of fingerprints and proof that he's not a criminal.
The farmer, school superintendent and state legislator would like to start by growing 10 acres of the crop, and he spent part of his weekend staking out the field he wants to use.
"I'm starting to see that we maybe have a chance," Monson said. "For a while, it was getting really depressing."
Last month, the state Agriculture Department finished its work on rules farmers may use to grow industrial hemp, a cousin of marijuana that does not have the drug's hallucinogenic properties. The sturdy, fibrous plant is used to make an assortment of products, ranging from paper, rope and lotions to car panels, carpet backing and animal bedding.
Applicants must provide latitude and longitude coordinates for their proposed hemp fields, furnish fingerprints and pay at least $202 in fees, including $37 to cover the cost of criminal record checks.
Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson said the federal Drug Enforcement Administration still must give its permission before Monson, or anyone else, may grow industrial hemp.
"That is going to be a major hurdle," Johnson said.
Another impediment is the DEA's annual registration fee of $2,293, which is nonrefundable even if the agency does not grant permission to grow industrial hemp. Processing the paperwork for Monson's license should take about a month, Johnson said.
A DEA spokesman has said North Dakota applications to grow industrial hemp will be reviewed, and Johnson said North Dakota's rules were developed with the agency's concerns in mind. Law enforcement officials fear industrial hemp can shield illicit marijuana, although hemp supporters say the concern is unfounded.
North Dakota is one of seven states that have authorized industrial hemp farming. The others are Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana and West Virginia, according to Vote Hemp, an industrial hemp advocacy organization based in Bedford, Mass.
California lawmakers approved legislation last year that set out rules for industrial hemp production, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it. The law asserted that the federal government lacked authority to regulate industrial hemp as a drug.
In 2005, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (news, bio, voting record), R-Texas, introduced legislation to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana in federal drug laws. It never came to a vote.
Monson farms near Osnabrock, a Cavalier County community in North Dakota's northeastern corner. He is the assistant Republican majority leader in the North Dakota House and is the school superintendent in Edinburg, which has about 140 students in grades kindergarten through 12.
In 1997, during his second session in the Legislature, Monson successfully pushed a bill to require North Dakota State University to study industrial hemp as an alternative crop for the state's farmers.
Canada made it legal for farmers to grow the crop in March 1998. Last year, Canadian farmers planted 48,060 acres of hemp, government statistics say. Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the provinces along North Dakota's northern border, were Canada's biggest hemp producers.
"I do know that industrial hemp grows really well 20 miles north of me," Monson said. "I don't see any reason why that wouldn't be a major crop for me, if this could go through."
Dump cotton.... go for the hemp
The burden is on you to provide proof of the connection, otherwise you're basing your arguments off of "feelings" or "what you know in your heart". Neither of which are good enough arguments, unless you're a liberal.
"Guilt by association" is a logical fallacy. If it "suffers from it" it's due to irrational thinking by those making the association.
Nothing about my tagline would concern growing hemp for clothing. Libertarians may want to smoke marijuana, but I'm sorry I'm against that. Now for clothing, rope, and other such things, hemp is great. Marijuana, the bad cousin, is still on my enemies list.
And yes, I still consider Libertarians wrongheaded.
I understand all of that completely. Robertpaulsen and Mojave both claimed earlier in this thread that people who want to legalize hemp are fond of marijuana. I was pointing out an example of someone who breaks that stereotype.
And yes, I still consider Libertarians wrongheaded.
I do not like the Libertarian Party myself. I do, however consider myself a small-l libertarian with similar beliefs to Rep. Ron Paul (minus his dopey stance on Iraq). Did you know that Ronald Reagan considered libertarianism to be "the heart and soul of conservatism" and that he rejected the Libertarian Party as well? Unfortunately, the LP has tainted the image of mainstream libertarianism by association.
Best of luck with your business venture.
How do you feel about the damage marijuana is doing to teenagers and children under 18 and why does this somehow get left out of the equation in these types of discussions?
"I understand all of that completely. Robertpaulsen and Mojave both claimed earlier in this thread that people who want to legalize hemp are fond of marijuana. I was pointing out an example of someone who breaks that stereotype."
I sincerely apologize to you. I thought your reply was sarcasm, which I get a lot of these days....lol. I've broken many stereotypes in my life. I'm unique in that I tend to look at each subject as independent. A for instance, I'm strongly pro-life even to the point of not liking abortions even due to rape or incest but I am also strongly pro death penalty. I guess I'm an enigma....lol
"I do not like the Libertarian Party myself. I do, however consider myself a small-l libertarian with similar beliefs to Rep. Ron Paul (minus his dopey stance on Iraq). Did you know that Ronald Reagan considered libertarianism to be "the heart and soul of conservatism" and that he rejected the Libertarian Party as well? Unfortunately, the LP has tainted the image of mainstream libertarianism by association."
Love Ronald. In fact just began to read a book about Reagan and his strong faith in God. I firmly believe that there is a world of difference between libertarians and Libertarians. The former is what I'd consider myself, the latter I detest as nothing but a bunch of kooks who want to get high all day.
"Best of luck with your business venture."
I thank you kindly. Small businesses die easily these days to due government regulations and red tape. I'm hoping that I'm the exception and not the rule. When it gets going, I will freep mail you in case you might want to peruse my line.
Alcohol kills many more youngsters than pot. I would have a deep respect for your opinion if you were consistent enough to advocate banning booze. There are a few freepers that take such a stand and while I disagree with them greatly, I take their arguments seriously.
There are actually many similarities between the anti-pot crowd and the anti-gun crowd. Just substitute the word "marijuana" in your quote with "guns".
What you people need to realize is that kids will still get high with or without pot and people will continue to kill each other with or without guns.
What is the title of that book? Sounds like something I'd like to check out. Many people simply assume that since I'm a libertarian, I am faithless. This could not be further from the truth. I'm comfortable in the fact that I've accepted Jesus as my savior, and therefore am not as afraid of things that might endanger me otherwise causing me to desire more government to protect me as such.
While we're on the subject of Reagan, here's my personal favorite quote of his...
"I had a copy of the Soviet Constitution and I read it with great interest. And I saw all kinds of terms in there that sound just exactly like our own: 'Freedom of assembly' and 'freedom of speech' and so forth. Of course, they don't allow them to have those things, but they're in there in the constitution. But I began to wonder about the other constitutions -- everyone has one -- and our own, and why so much emphasis on ours. And then I found out, and the answer was very simple -- that's why you don't notice it at first. But it is so great that it tells the entire difference. All those other constitutions are documents that say, 'We, the government, allow the people the following rights,' and our Constitution says 'We the People, allow the government the following privileges and rights.' We give our permission to government to do the things that it does. And that's the whole story of the difference--why we're unique in the world and why no matter what our troubles may be, we're going to overcome."
That's a really good point you make. With alcohol, there are some very good real-world warnings to youngsters about its dangers. One thing that comes to mind is here in Jersey around high school graduation time, nearly all of the county sheriff's agencies provide a wrecked vehicle in which people died in to display on the front lawns of the schools. Simple, blunt, and effective.
Contrast that with some of the idiotic, hysterical, poorly acted, and inaccurate propaganda that the federal ONDCP puts out with regards to marijuana. It's no wonder why teens shrug them off and have no reservations about using pot irresponsibly.
exactly
"What is the title of that book? Sounds like something I'd like to check out."
It's titled "God and Ronald Reagan, a spiritual life" by Paul Kengor.
It details how he came by his faith, mainly a very heavy influence from his mother. I'm only on Chapter 3 but the book is a great read.
I'm not only a libertarian but I like the thoughts of Objectivism. The only problem I have with that philosophy is the fact that they do no like the idea of God. But as I stated I'm a little weird. I have no set "philosophy" because none of them encompass all that I am. I pick certain parts of all philosophies and make that my own. I think I'm my only follower....lol.
Not the least of which is their tactics. The bureaucrats have set up a system for licensing and approval that's intentionally so problematic that it's measure of success is that no one ever actually use it. The can effectively have a prohibition while maintaining that there is no prohibition.
The gun grabbers will follow the same model, trying to make it impossible in practical terms to actually own a firearm while maintaining that as long as it is theoretically possible, there is no infringement of your right to keep and bear arms.
Indeed. Why did they pass a "Marijuana Tax Act" at a time when very few people had ever even heard the term "marijuana", but virtually everyone knew what hemp was? .
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