While You Were Sleeping: The Hemp Bill (hmmmmm..what are your thoughts?)

[cthrumatrix]

While You Were Sleeping: The Hemp Bill

You may be forgiven for missing it, but several weeks ago, amid the hubbub of a Supreme Court nomination, a White House scandal, corporate welfare in the form of energy and transportation bills, and more terrorist uprisings than one cares for during the slow summer season, an historic bill was introduced: H.R. 3037, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2005.

This legislation -- sponsored by Reps. Sam Farr (D-CA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Jim McDermott (D-WA), George Miller (D-CA), Ron Paul (R-TX) (yes, that´s a Texas Republican on the docket), and Pete Stark (D-CA) -- is the first bill ever to be introduced in Congress to repeal the federal ban on the cultivation of industrial hemp as a commercial crop.

If passed, H.R. 3037 would allow states the legal authority to license and regulate hemp cultivation without conflicting with federal law. So far, several states have passed legislation authorizing industrial hemp cultivation for research and commercial purposes only. But farmers in these states can´t legally grow hemp without federal permission to do so. The House bill -- assuming it is passed by the House and Senate and signed by you-know-who -- would remove this federal hurdle by granting states "exclusive authority" to regulate the growing and processing of industrial hemp.

Environmentalists have long praised hemp -- not for what you´re thinking, but for its environmental benefits. The widespread use of industrial hemp, they say, could result in numerous environmental benefits, including less reliance on fossil fuels, especially from foreign sources; more efficient use of energy; fewer greenhouse gas emissions; forest conservation; agricultural pesticide use reduction; dioxin and other pollution reduction; and landfill use reduction. Hemp is superior to many other plants for many uses, from cosmetics to clothing to carpet.

snip

link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/joel-makower/while-you-were-sleeping-_5378.html

[Fridays Child]

1. It needs to pass.

No excuses.

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. Its about damn time

Industrial Hemp could solve at least half of our energy problems. If we really want to end our dependence on polluting, foreign oil, the solution will have to include Industrial Hemp.

I hope this bill makes it.

[cthrumatrix]

5. TPTB probably would prefer not....

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Oops dupe post

Please delete

[slor]

4. God, I hope this passes...

we all need to push this hard!

[leftchick]

6. this is fantastic!

I hope it passes.

[jody]

7. Excellent bill but it would fuel a DEA nightmare unless marijuana is

decriminalized.

[evilqueen]

8. If I had a vote, I'd vote in favor of hemp.

Also see this $100,000 challenge:
http://www.jackherer.com/