US Stands Alone In Hemp Ban, Congressional Research Service Report Says

[illflem]

January 13, 2005 - Washington, DC, USA

Washington, DC: The United States is the only developed nation that fails to cultivate industrial hemp as an economic crop, according to Congressional Resource Service (CRS) report published last week. Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis sativa that contains only minute (less than 1%) amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Farmers worldwide grow hemp commercially for fiber, seed, and oil for use in a variety of industrial and consumer products, including food.

"In all, more than 30 countries in Europe, Asia, and North America grow hemp," the report states, adding that the European Union instituted a subsidy program in the 1990s for hemp fiber production. "The United States is the only developed nation in which industrial hemp is not an established crop."

Federal law makes no distinctions between cannabis and industrial hemp, and makes it illegal to grow hemp without a license from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). According to the CRS, "The DEA has been unwilling to grant licenses for growing small plots of hemp for research purposes," even when such research is authorized by state law, because the agency believes that doing so would "send the wrong message to the American public concerning the government's position on drugs." As an example, the report notes that the DEA "has still not ruled on an application submitted in 1999 by a North Dakota researcher" to grow a trial plot of hemp in compliance with state law. More than a dozen states have enacted laws authorizing the licensed cultivation of hemp for research purposes.

"The federal ban on hemp cultivation and production is a direct outgrowth of the government's absurd war on cannabis," NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. "This report should help to galvanize support among US farmers, industrialists, and environmentalists for the legalization and regulation of hemp as an agricultural commodity."

For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of NORML at [phone]. The CRS report, entitled "Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity," is available online at:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/RL32725.pdf

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6403

[Dr.Phool]

1. If they allowed it

It might give the tobacco farmers an alternative crop.

[yellowcanine]

5. Actually it probably wouldn't be all that profitable. Certainly not like

tobacco. A bunch of University of Kentucky ag economists did a big study a while back and came to that conclusion. Think about it. It is basically a fiber crop. Has to compete with not only other natural fibers but also synthetic fibers. Maybe they didn't consider the seed oils etc., but generally with multi use crops if you grow it for one use you don't do well on the other use.
Of course it should still be legal and let the market economics work themselves out.

[Trillo]

10. If we are approaching or past Peak Oil,

synthetic fibers will become increasingly expensive. Of course the U.S. cotton growers and their business syndicates, councils, and committees will do everything they can to insure that hemp never threatens their profits. Without hemp as a competitive alternative, cotton growers will be able to ratchet up their prices to match synthetic as those fibers rise with increasing oil prices.

"Black gold" seems to run everything.

[shanti]

16. bingo!

we have a winner! it's all about the $$$$

[Xithras]

Hemp paper could reduce deforestation n/t

[pokercat999]

20. That is why it is illegal it competed too well with nylon. NT

on edit....I should have said Nylon could not compete with Hemp and Dupont couldn't handle that.

[SHRED]

22. "...did a big study a while back .." BS!

Oh yeah? I say bullshit.
Give us some links. Who sponsored this "study"?
Your misinformation is what we DON'T need.

Read up:
http://www.hemp4fuel.com/nontesters/hemp4fuel/challenge.html

http://www.naihc.org/hemp_information/hemp_defined.html

http://jackherer.com/chapter02.html

http://www.naihc.org/hemp_information/naihc_position_pa...

http://www.masscann.org/hemp /

http://vote-smart.org/issue_rating_detail.php?sig_id=00...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=109x17307

[SHRED]

25. Educate yourself my friend

http://tinyurl.com/5efbc

http://www.haworthpress.com/store/product.asp?sku=J237

http://www.newfarm.org/international/canada_don/manitoba/index.shtml

[arcane1]

2. growing hemp reduces corporate profits

can't have THAT!!!

[Pushed To The Left]

21. Exactly

They make these ridiculous laws to protect corporate profits, then they manipulate gullible people into thinking the drug laws are about morality.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

3. again

we let our Puritanism royally screw us.

[VegasWolf]

8. I think that's "Let our Puritan royalty screw us!" n/t

[DELUSIONAL]

4. This used to be a crop in the 1800s

and it was listed in the Agricultural schedule of the Federal Census.

I'm not sure when it stopped being considered an agricultural commodity.

From what I understand the Industrial hemp can be grown in a wide variety of soil.

[yellowcanine]

6. That is mainly because it was used a lot for rope. Not much call for

hemp rope anymore. Synthetics are far superior for most uses. And the clothing? If it were legal that market would be saturated overnight.

[NYC]

11. Carpet padding.

I'm pretty sure it used to be used for carpet padding. I think synthetic carpet padding damages floors.

[MADem]

12. What is funny is that the synthetics

...last longer, but if they are assigned a task (hawsers, e.g.) where they are taking a strain, when they fail, they fail with a LOUD BANG, snap in half and if you are in the way you could lose a leg or a head (seen the former, have heard about the latter). The natural ones do not last as long, but they fail slower, unravelling. giving you time to make a replacement. Also, if you fail to care for the synthetic ones properly, and leave them sitting in a puddle of water and waste oil, that greatly shortens their viability.

[SHRED]

24. "Synthetics are far superior..."

WTF?

Yeah they are. Why just look at the process to make them. So environmental ...eh?

No they aren't. Not even close.
In what way are they "superior"?

You are pissing me off.

[htuttle]

It puts down an 18" tap root

It can practically grow in solid clay, etc...

Used to be a very important anti-erosion force in areas such as Bangladesh before the US forced them to stop growing it in the '70's.

[WarNoMore]

7. Hemp was used as payment at the beginning

of country. I've seen the certificate of one of my anecestors.

[PowerToThePeople]

9. Gateway legalization

Hemp is a gateway plant, the gateway to marijuana, then cocaine, then LSD, then.... Oh my! Gawd help us then :-)

[Catchawave]

13. Industrial Hemp info:

http://www.thehia.org/

[olddad56]

14. why the govt. is afraid of hemp.

There is no reason not to allow people to grow hemp. I have seen clothes made from hemp that would amaze you. Not burlap bags, but fine business suits.

Pot, not low grade hemp, has many medical applications, but I believe that the government knows what a catalyst for social change pot can be. Pot was a big factor in the ending of the Vietnam war. Troops smoked it to ease the boredom and when the got loaded, they started wondering why they were there. At the same time, pot was widely used on every college and high school campus in the country. Smoking pot brought people together in a peaceful way. They collectively wondered why our government was killing all of these people. They began to protest. This was back in the daze of democracy and people still had civil rights. The war became so overwhelmingly unpopular that the government finally pulled out.

I'll bet that more people on DU have smoked pot than haven't. I'd wager that most pot smokers are democrats and a person who is likely to vote republican has not smoked any appreciable amount of pot.

I think pot prevents brainwashing. I smoked it for 20 years and haven't smoked it in 17 years. My brain still works and my distrust for the government hasn't changed.

[shanti]

17. yes

at the moment, i am wearing a hemp jacket and i love it. this stupid, stupid law MUST be repealed!! :grr:

[shanti]

15. this law is so absurd!

:kick:

[Sparkly]

18. Geez, we look like Puritanical Idiots.

:(

[rqstnnlitnmnt]

19. we can credit extremist and racist policies...

our drug war is so inexorably tied up in a long and infamous history of using propaganda exploiting the fears of the american public (imagine that) that any efforts to even crack through this shelter will take DRAMATIC social change.

for example, i doubt that many of these people who voted for those who are most closely tied to the ideology that gave rise to our current situation re: drugs (aka neo-cons) even know that the plant that we extract hemp fibers from is NOT THE SAME SPECIES as that which contains THC.

we ought to tie all of our beliefs about personal responsibility and transparent government into exposing the lies surrounding our drug war and its causes and effects.

it's not about what's healthy -- it's about exposing the blatant racism that continues to sustain these policies (why else would marijuana be classified along with cocaine?)

[SHRED]

23. An email I sent:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=109x17307

Here is a great site:
http://www.naihc.org/hemp_information/hemp_defined.html