Man Aims to Become Licensed Hemp Farmer

[Guest guest]

Man Aims to Become Licensed Hemp Farmer

By DALE WETZEL

January 15, 2007 6:34 AM EST

 

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, 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. "

 

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On the Net:

 

Vote Hemp: http://www.votehemp.com

 

DEA: http://www.dea.gov

[Guest guest]

Hemp has a major potential to help to heal the Earth.

 

Hemp fabric is wonderfully comfortable, rather like linen.

It is strong, and does not require tons of pesticides like cotton.

Hemp seeds are rich on those precious Essential Fatty

Acids. We'll need them after all the fish die out.

 

USA founding fathers grew it. But then they didn't

have buddies in the oil industry yet.

Besides, even if some of it would shelter marihuana,

SO WHAT?

It is a healing herb. So, it makes people woozy.

So don't drive under the influence! Use common sense!

 

My son in law said it best:

" How dare they come between me and a

herb that grows wild on my planet? "

 

Ien in the Kootenays

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" The world is as you dream it.

But your dream has become a nightmare.

What you need is a new dream. "

Amazon Shaman, quoted in Utne

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