The legislative season is now in full swing in a good number of states. Hemp bills have been carried over from 2007 in
five states and are expected to see some action in committee soon. We have great hope for the
Vermont hemp farming bill this year. The agriculture policy non-profit
Rural Vermont is holding a week-long series of hemp events across the state this week to raise awareness and funds to help pass the bill.
The "Hemp Week" lecture series and film tour features North Dakota Rep. David Monson and Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, as well as the films
Hemp and the Rule of Law and
Standing Silent Nation. For more information on "Hemp Week" and how you can help pass the hemp bill in Vermont, please see Rural Vermont's
Web site.
Over the past few weeks, there have been quite a few letters to the editor and editorials on hemp farming in newspapers, mainly in North Dakota. Most of the letters were in the
Grand Forks Herald and
The Bismarck Tribune. State hemp farming license-holder Wayne Hauge's piece "
Industrial Hemp Poses No Threat" in the
Grand Forks Herald on Sunday was a reply to earlier letters by certain opponents of all things hemp. Hauge and State Rep. David Monson have filed a lawsuit against the DEA to remove federal roadblocks to reviving commercial hemp farming in the U.S. Please read on for complete coverage of the exchanges.
A letter by Earl Callahan to the editor of
The Daily Star in central New York asks that we "
Reinstate [the] U.S. Hemp Industry." In his letter "
Hemp: Nothing Will Change" to
The Minot Daily News, Jason Hysjulien pens this insightful observation: "One is left wondering if the DEA runs Congress or if Congress runs the DEA."
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Happy New Year! Welcome to the latest issue of
The Hemp News Update, formerly called the
Weekly News Update. The newsletter is now a joint venture between Vote Hemp and the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) and incorporates the HIA's "Hemp Friends" email list, now that the HIA Newsletter is for HIA Members only. It will include new HIA-related features, as well as the best hemp news to be found, and will be sent roughly every other Tuesday.
"Standing Silent Nation" filmmaker Suree Towfighnia with Alex White Plume. Now that the holidays are over, reality is creeping back in a rather harsh manner. HIA Board Member Alex White Plume and his family lost their home to a fire late last month in South Dakota. Please see the HIA Featured Member story at the end of this newsletter for details and to find out how you can help them in this time of need. If you want additional information, please feel free to email me.
Events in North Dakota are progressing in a number of directions. North Dakota State University (NDSU) is weighing its options to be able to conduct hemp research this year. Prospective hemp farmers, state Rep. Dave Monson and Wayne Hauge, have applied for state hemp farming licenses again this year and have also filed an appeal of the recent dismissal of their lawsuit against the DEA. Please read the story "ND Delegation Won't Take Up Hemp Issue" for some key quotes from Rep. Monson and Congressman Earl Pomeroy. It looks like we really have our work cut out for us in the upcoming year.
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