U.S.: House Passes Amendment Protecting State Rights To Grow Hemp For

[loves420]

U.S.: House Passes Amendment Protecting State Rights To Grow Hemp For Research

 

Bipartisan Coalition Works to Give Colleges and Universities Ability to Conduct Critical Research
By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

An amendment allowing colleges and universities to grow and cultivate industrial hemp in states where it is already legal, without fear of federal interference, passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday by a vote of 225 to 200.

Reps. Jared Polis (D-CO), Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced the amendment to H.R. 1947, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, the FARRM Bill.

“Industrial hemp is an important agricultural commodity, not a drug,” said Rep. Polis. “My bipartisan, common-sense amendment, which I’ve introduced with Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), would allow colleges and universities to grow and cultivate industrial hemp for academic and agricultural research purposes in states where industrial hemp growth and cultivation is already legal.

"Many states, including Colorado, have demonstrated that they are fully capable of regulating industrial hemp," Rep. Polis said. "George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp. The first American flag was made of hemp. And today, U.S. retailers sell over $300 million worth of goods containing hemp—but all of that hemp is imported, since farmers can’t grow it here.

"The federal government should clarify that states should have the ability to regulate academic and agriculture research of industrial hemp without fear of federal interference," Rep. Polis said. "Hemp is not marijuana, and at the very least, we should allow our universities—the greatest in the world—to research the potential benefits and downsides of this important agricultural commodity.”

“Industrial hemp is used for hundreds of products including paper, clothing, rope, and can be converted into renewable bio-fuels more efficiently than corn or switch grass,” said Rep. Massie. “It’s our goal that the research this amendment enables would further broadcast the economic benefits of the sustainable and job-creating crop. I look forward to working with Rep. Polis and Rep. Blumenauer on this issue.”

“Because of outdated federal drug laws, our farmers can’t grow industrial hemp and take advantage of a more than $300 million dollar market," Rep. Blumenauer said. "We rely solely on imports to sustain consumer demand. It makes no sense.”

“Our fear of industrial hemp is misplaced – it is not a drug," Blumenauer said. "By allowing colleges and universities to cultivate hemp for research, Congress sends a signal that we are ready to examine hemp in a different and more appropriate context.”

Nineteen states have passed pro-industrial hemp legislation. Nine states -- Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia -- have removed barriers to its production.

"Vote Hemp applauds this new bi-partisan amendment and we are mobilizing all the support we can," said Eric Steenstra, President of Vote Hemp. "This brilliant initiative would allow colleges and universities the opportunity to grow and cultivate hemp for academic and agricultural research purposes.

"It would only apply to states where industrial hemp growth and cultivation is already legal in order for those states to showcase just how much industrial hemp could benefit the environment and economy in those regions," Steenstra said.

“Federal law has denied American farmers the opportunity to cultivate industrial hemp and reap the economic rewards from this versatile crop for far too long,” said Grant Smith, policy manager with the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA). “Congress should lift the prohibition on the domestic cultivation of industrial hemp as soon as possible. Allowing academic research is an important first step towards returning industrial hemp cultivation to American farms.”

To view a clip of the debate on this amendment last night, click here. In addition to the co-sponsors of this amendment, Ranking Member Colin Peterson (D-MN) and Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) also spoke in support of this amendment.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=6SchFcJFESU

 

 

http://hemp.org/news/content/us-hous...-hemp-research

 

Bipartisan Hemp Amendment Passes House Over DEA Objections (UPDATE)

Posted: 06/20/2013 1:25 pm EDT | Updated: 06/20/2013 3:50 pm EDT




WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives on Thursday overcame last-minute lobbying from the Drug Enforcement Administration to pass a farm bill amendment that would legalize the growing of hemp for research purposes. The 225-200 vote came after a flurry of opposition from the DEA, which argued that it would be too difficult for the agency to differentiate legal hemp from illegal marijuana, both varieties of the cannabis plant.


The House amendment, proposed by Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), is far more modest than a Senate effort by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to fully legalize growing hemp for industrial purposes. McConnell had hoped to have his measure inserted into the underlying farm bill or approved on a simple voice vote, but neither path proved open.



Polis said he'd been unsure whether the amendment would pass, but was gratified by the final tally. "We're having a hemp milkshake," he joked to HuffPost afterward. "Break out the hemp ice cream."


"On the merits, this is a no-brainer. Industrial hemp is an important product," he added. "It's perfectly legal, but currently we require that it be imported from other countries. Basically it's taking jobs away from American producers."


Allowing hemp to be grown in this country for research purposes, said Polis, would likely pave the way for Colorado State University to take a closer look at the crop.


Other hemp advocates were bullish about House passage, having had a chance encounter with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) at the Kentucky Derby in early May. The state's agriculture commissioner, James Comer, bent the ear of Boehner and his chief of staff, after which the speaker invited Comer and others to Capitol Hill for a meeting. Boehner was receptive to their pitch, Comer told The Huffington Post later.



On Wednesday, HuffPost obtained a copy of talking points the DEA was circulating among members of Congress to press them to oppose the amendment. "I saw that ridiculous, inaccurate letter. I'm glad my colleagues in the Congress saw through the bogus attempts to discredit" the hemp amendment, Polis said.


Hemp is legal in many countries, including Canada, and is legal to import but not to grow in the United States. Nineteen states have passed pro-industrial hemp legislation, and nine have removed barriers to its production: Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.


Polis waved an American flag made of hemp on the House floor during debate over the measure.


The next task for hemp advocates is to keep the provision in the farm bill when the House and Senate versions are melded. "We just wanna make sure this language remains in the conference," Polis said. "We hope that with the help of [senators] Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul and others, we'll be able to keep it."


A recent HuffPost/YouGov poll found that by a 56 percent to 24 percent margin, most Americans think it should be legal to grow hemp.



UPDATE: 2:39 p.m. -- The farm bill, in a last-minute surprise, was rejected by the House on Thursday. It's unclear what the legislation's path forward will be, as the two parties trade blame for its failure. The fate of the hemp amendment is currently tied to the farm bill, but now that it has garnered majority support, the measure stands a good chance of passage the next time it can be attached to pending legislation.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3472967.html

Edited June 24, 2013 by loves420

[brick]

Henry Ford also used hemp material in the panels on his Model T.

 

And the US dosen't have the best uni's in the world. Aus has them. cos we are better pisspots than them.