N. Dakota Man Aims to Be 1st Hemp Farmer

[Omaha Steve]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070115/D8MLRN300.html

N. Dakota Man Aims to Be 1st Hemp Farmer
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Jan 15, 12:35 PM (ET)

By DALE WETZEL

(AP) Rep. Dave Monson, R-Osnabrock, testifies in favor of legalizing industrial hemp processing, before...
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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - 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 turned in an application Monday to the state Agriculture Department to become the nation's first licensed industrial hemp farmer. State Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson said Monson provided fingerprints with his application, which will be used for a background check to prove he is 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."

FULL story at link.

[bamacrat]

1. wow a republican that doesnt seem to have his whole head up his ass.

I hope this leads to the reversal of so many useless bans on things as natural as plants.

[Lautremont]

2. I don't understand. Why is it illegal to grow hemp?

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. Read about the history

http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html

[Lautremont]

7. That's about marijuana, not hemp.

But I'm glad you gave me that link - looks like a good read. I was more interested in why hemp should be illegal. It's perfectly legal to grow it here in Canada.

But the posts below give a hint, and reading the article linked to the OP once again, I find that DEA officials are "worried" that real marijuana could be hidden within a field of hemp and grown secretly. Oooh, scary! As if that's a reason to keep a perfectly beneficial and harmless crop illegal.

[freethought]

8. Good for Canada!

I read that the Canadian government gave the go-ahead for industrial hemp in 1999. Since then it has been a great success. A few articles I have read put the growth of the hemp product markets at 40%-50% per year for the next few years. Everything from animal bedding, food products, fabrics, beer, oils, non-petroleum derived plastics, varnishes and finishes. Should I keep going?
Hope this fellow's venture works out. It could be a great thing for this country.
As I understand it, Winnipeg has become the de-facto center of the hemp industry in Canada and is reaping the benefits.

[iverglas]

10. got my little brother some of this

http://www.ruthsfoods.ca

for Christmas a couple of years ago -- at the biggest grocery chain hereabouts. ;)

(Might have been a different brand -- you can order that one here:
http://www.claruscanadian.com/getcategory.php?id=6
not that I support the selling of water in plastic bottles ...)

[Whoa_Nelly]

9. The 1937 law started the change, then in 1972...

Read here:
(especially #8)
http://www.american.edu/TED/hemp.htm

[Lautremont]

12. Thank you - good link.

[buddysmellgood]

4. Because some fools might try to smoke it and get a headache.

[TlalocW]

6. Because politicians equate hemp to marijuana

And those politicians are divided into two camps - those who don't know that hemp and marijuana are different, and that you couldn't get a buzz from smoking a field of hemp, and those who do know this but perpetuate the myth anyway to protect special interests like the timber industry.

TlalocW

[GreenZoneLT]

22. Because it's just pot without the THC

It's easy to spot pot from the air, even if you hide it among rows of corn, but it's virtually impossible to distinguish low-THC fiber hemp from high-THC dope hemp. It's the same plant, just a different strain.

The anti-hempers have an actual argument, tho based on the stupid premise that pot does more harm than hemp could do good.

[Doremus]

27. Not according to the link above

Hemp plants are tall and 'stalky,' whereas pot plants are grown to be leafy (as that is the "product").

Someone growing a patch of short leafy "hemp" is simply blowing smoke. ;)

[High Plains]

28. That's funny, cops in other countries don't seem to have a problem

telling lanky, fibrous hemp plants from bushy pot plants.

Also, people trying to grow marijuana DO NOT want hemp plants anywhere near their crop. The hemp will pollinate the pot plants and turn sinsemilla into shitty seeded weed.

[tanyev]

5. Good for him.

It is ridiculous that this country is not growing a crop that can be used for so many things. Wouldn't this be a good crop for farmers who want to get out of growing tobacco?

[Trillo]

11. Just think of how many trees will be saved IF

hemp paper were to replace wood-pulp paper!

Can toilet paper be made from hemp?

[WindRavenX]

15. you can make pretty much anything out of hemp

It's an insanely useful plant that is so irrationally hated it boggles the mind.

[killbotfactory]

21. Hell...

"That is so irrationally hated it boggles the mind."

Same goes for marijuana.

[BearSquirrel2]

18. None ...

Trees are not cut for the sake of paper wood pulp. They're cut for lumber then the unsable wood bits is made into paper and particle board.

Now making hemp-board lumber could reduce the need for tree-harvesting. Hemp is cool cool stuff that has tremendous potential to make superior fiber fiber materials to those we use today. It's a potentially abundant source of fuel as quick effective biological solar collector. It would also be an excellent alternative to growing tobacco.

Go hemp!!! Save forests, but please don't tell me that paper recycling saves any trees when it costs more to dispose paper by recycling it as opposed to dropping it in with the rest of the trash. If there was a pulp shortage, paper recycling (like steel/aluminum recycling) would be very economical.

[Trillo]

19. (Hemp Bricks) I'm glad you brought that up,

wood framed homes, while being relatively earthquake safe, are also a fire danger that needs to be rethought in the warming situation (which is also a danger to trees and forests).

I saw some guy, I think a native American, that had hemp bricks that looked an awful lot like concrete. This was several years ago, and didn't save that particular link.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&as_qdr=all&q=+hemp+bricks&btnG=Search

There are also earthquake approved super adobe homes designed by Cal-Earth of Hesperia, California, that also work well in warm environments such as deserts because of the thickness of their walls ... but I don't see any city councils petitioning to amend state building codes.

Current homes are energy inefficient and fire sensitive, these types of inefficiencies are very good for corporate biz including the lumber industry, and we have a government of advocates that have the best repeat biz money can buy.

Perhaps the time has come to Wake Up.

[GreenZoneLT]

23. That's not completely true

There are two types of tree-farming in Georgia; timber harvested for lumber and straight pulpwood. Same loblolly pines, but you can harvest pulpwood more frequently because the logs don't have to be as large.

Actually, the biggest danger to forests in the U.S. currently is also a danger to potential future hemp fields -- sprawl development turning forested or farmed rural areas into McMansion suburbs.

[Vincardog]

33. Trees are not cut for the sake of paper wood pulp? Please explain that to the rain forest.

Millions of trees are cut every yer just for paper pulp.

[kestrel91316]

13. kestrel's prediction: He gets the state license, plants himself a

real nice crop or industrial hemp, and promptly finds himself arrested by the DEA, his crop destroyed, his home confiscated and sold at auction, and himself thrown in jail for years.

The feds ain't gonna let this stand.

:mad:

[Barrett808]

14. Word. n/t

[druidity33]

17. but he's a poster boy Repub! nt

[Lost4words]

30. The lobbyist at Scott, Kimberly Clarke and others wont let this happen.

who are some of the other giant paper mills? They would stand to lose only a gazillion dollars.

Big biz wins over logic every time in our Liberty & Freedom Filled Nation.

Keep those stock holders happy.

[faithnotgreed]

16. right on - all my best wishes to this gentleman

occasionally there is some sanity in the world

then the corporate government bullies its way in to squelch it ....

[puebloknot]

20. It's about time. We can write articles of impeachment...

on hemp paper, put on our hemp jeans, and fill our "gas" tank with hemp fuel and drive to D.C. to deliver the goods.

Isn't the Constitution written on hemp paper? Am I dreaming?

[GreenZoneLT]

24. Oh, BTW, don't get TOO crazy about hemp

If hemp were such a miracle crop, other countries without our silly marijuana prejudice (like, say, China) would be growing it up a storm. It's a useful fiber plant, but it's not a panacea. Bamboo is a better wood substitute, cotton and flax are superior for cloth, and pulp good enough for cardboard you can get anywhere.

[High Plains]

29. China DOES grow hemp, as does Canada and much of Europe

The market is growing. US farmers are losing out.

[Lost4words]

31. Do you know what chemicals it takes to turn wood into paper or cardboard?

Just asking.

I'll take natural over chemical almost every time.

[Solon]

34. Not a miracle crop, but does have its advantages...

First, unlike Bamboo or Cotton, has a much larger climate range, tolerance if you will, everything from tropical climates to damned near tundra climates. In addition to this, it makes a good paper substitute because, unlike trees, which can take a decade to reach harvesting maturity, hemp can be grown in a season.

It is also a plant that is not "high maintenance" like cotton, and is also a nitrogen fixer, which is good for other crops that can be grown in crop rotation with it.

[msedano]

25. not headachy

the local wild hemp kept most of the battery high most of the time. this was in korea. cannabis crapolia has abysmally low levels of THC, but keep a big kaywoodie bowl going and we filled the offhours with laughter and good fellowship.



there's an interesting novel called "cellophane" that uses hemp as a prime ingredient. the novel's not about getting high--though the author, marie arana, makes one mention of that.

http://labloga.blogspot.com/2007/01/review-marie-arana-cellophane.html

[shortcake]

26. There are about 15

states with these laws on the books now. When West Virginia passed their law in 2001 or 2002 it was sponsored by Karen Facemire a R state senator. Her family money comes from timber if I'm not mistaken. I guess someone sees an opportunity for profit down the road. The way I understand it these bills allow you to be ready when the federal bill passes.

[Lost4words]

32. Welcome to DU shortcake :-)!

good input! :hi: