N. Dakota Man Aims to Be 1st Hemp Farmer

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BISMARCK, N.D. -- State legislator 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 lawmaker 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," Republican State Rep. Monson said. "For a while, it was getting really depressing."

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-farm-scene-legislator-hemp,0,3479690.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[dogday]

1. Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana and West Virginia

The above states have authorized industrial hemp farming