North Dakota to be first state to issue licenses to hemp farmers

[ziggyzagman]

North Dakota to be first state to issue licenses to hemp farmers
Thursday, May 11, 2006 9:28 AM CDT
Public hearing on proposed rules set for June 15

BISMARCK, N.D. - In a trail blazing move, North Dakota's Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson formally proposed rules to license farmers in his state to grow industrial hemp under existing state law.

With the backdrop of farmers across Canada planting over 50,000 acres of industrial hemp in 2006 to meet expanding demand for the nutritious and versatile plant in the United Sates, the rule-making process announced by Johnson is an important step towards bringing back U.S. commercial hemp farming that was stopped nearly 50 years ago.

Johnson will hold a public hearing on June 15 in Bismarck on the proposed rules prior to publishing final rules later this year.

“These rules will implement state legislation, covering the cultivation of industrial hemp in North Dakota,” Johnson said. “It is an important step in the process of enabling farmers to grow and sell this valuable crop.”

The proposed hemp farming rules may be viewed online at http://www.agdepartment.com/PDFFiles/ProposedIndustrialHempRules5-2006.pdf
 
In February, Johnson, along with agriculture commissioners from three other states, met with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials in Washington, DC to explore acceptable rules on industrial hemp farming. The official meeting marked a turning point in the federal government's relations with hemp-friendly policymakers who have been routinely ignored by DEA officials.

This is seemingly an about face for an agency that has threatened to prosecute anyone who tries to grow non-psychoactive hemp in America.

While North Dakota's rules would require farmers to secure a permit from DEA before their licenses would become effective, there is precedent for this as the DEA permitted a test plot of industrial hemp in Hawaii from 1999 to 2003. North Dakota's proposed rules cover commercial hemp farming and include a number of restrictions to alleviate law enforcement concerns.

Some highlights of the proposed hemp farming rules include:

* Farmers must consent to a criminal background check including fingerprints.

* Who the farmer sells to and how much is sold must be documented within 30 days of sale.

* The location of the hemp field must be provided using geopositioning (GPS) coordinates.

* Planted hemp must contain less than three-tenths of one percent tetrahydrocannabinol. 

“We are pleased that North Dakota is pursuing a common sense hemp policy by issuing hemp farming regulations,” said Vote Hemp President Eric Steenstra. “U.S. farmers want to grow hemp legally like their counterparts in Canada, Europe and Asia. Many of hemp's uses such as in foods, animal bedding, biofuel and composites will become more viable if hemp is treated like other crops. How can a raw material that's legal to import, to sell, to eat and to use in all kinds of everyday products not be legal for farmers in America to grow? No other agricultural commodity is restricted to just importation.”

Currently seven states - Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia - have passed pro-hemp farming laws. Sales of hemp foods in 2004/2005 grew by 50 percent over the previous 12-month period. U.S. retail sales of hemp products are estimated to now be $250 to $300 million per year. There are more than 2.5 million cars on U.S. roads that contain hemp composites.

Hemp cultivation in Canada is expected to exceed 50,000 acres in 2006, while European farmers now grow more than 40,000 acres.

More information about hemp legislation and the crop's many uses can be found at http://www.VoteHemp.com

[illegal smiles]

great news!!

votehemp.com looked pretty professional!  i may donate to them..

[illegal smiles]

U.S. Businesses Back Return of Industrial Hemp Farming
Interest Grows as States Take Action to Grow Hemp in 2007
Monday, June 12, 2006

WASHINGTON, DC — North Dakota and California are in a race to be the first state in the U.S. to commercially grow industrial hemp since Wisconsin grew the last hemp crop nearly 50 years ago. This week, each state will conduct important public hearings on the subject. The California Senate Public Safety Committee holds a hearing Tuesday, June 13, 2006 on AB 1147, a bill that would affirmatively grant farmers the right to grow industrial hemp to produce seed and fiber, while North Dakota's Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson holds a public hearing on Thursday, June 15, 2006 about rules expected to be finalized later this year that would license farmers to grow hemp under existing state law.

The hearings are taking place in the shadow of Canadian hemp farming which has seen steady growth over the last six years. This year, Canada is expected to grow a record 40,000 acres of industrial hemp. Nevertheless, rumors persist that the demand for hemp seed from U.S. food producers — whose sales are growing 50% each year — will create shortages before harvest again this summer, forcing buyers to go to Europe or China for seed. "American farmers are tired of looking around the world and seeing other farmers making healthy profits growing hemp for export to the U.S. They want change," says Vote Hemp President Eric Steenstra.

Support for state action on industrial hemp farming is growing among U.S. manufacturers whose appetite for hemp fiber, seed and oil is fueling the increased demand. For example, in the automotive industry, industrial hemp is used in the natural fiber composites that have rapidly replaced fiberglass as the material of choice for vehicle interiors. FlexForm, an Indiana manufacturer whose hemp-content materials are found in an estimated 2.5 million vehicles in North America today, uses approximately 250,000 pounds of hemp fiber per year. The company says industrial hemp could easily take a greater share of the 4 million pounds of natural fiber it uses yearly, as "hemp fiber possesses physical properties beneficial to our natural fiber-based composites." In addition, FlexForm says it would "gladly expand domestic purchases."

Patagonia, an environmentally conscious outdoor clothing manufacturer and retailer that sells hemp clothing at Whole Foods, has recently agreed to add its name to the list of businesses that support California's hemp bill. That list already includes Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps (North America's top-selling natural soap company), Alterna (a high-end salon hair products company) and Nutiva (a rising star among innovative health food companies).

Sales of hemp foods in 2004/2005 grew by 50% over the previous 12-month period. U.S. retail sales of hemp products are estimated to now be $250 to $300 million per year. European farmers now grow more than 40,000 acres of hemp.

Currently seven states (Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia) have changed their laws to give farmers an affirmative right to grow industrial hemp commercially or for research purposes. California's AB 1147 already passed the state Assembly in January and is expected to be voted on in the state Senate before August. Both the California and North Dakota plans for hemp farming require that planted hemp contain less than three-tenths of one percent (0.3%) tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — which ensures no impact on drug testing and no psychoactive effect. North Dakota also prescribes criminal background checks, sets standards on the minimum acreage, and requires reporting of the location of hemp fields to law enforcement.

More information about industrial hemp legislation and the crop's many uses may be found at www.VoteHemp.com and www.HempIndustries.org.

http://www.votehemp.com/PR/6-12-06_back_return.html

[~~Señor Nuggs~~]

i'm an kinda unsure of these articles, just a little, becuase one states that there is 2.5 million vehicles with hemp products used for buliding them in the US while the other states 2.5 million in North America

[illegal smiles]

i'm an kinda unsure of these articles, just a little, becuase one states that there is 2.5 million vehicles with hemp products used for buliding them while the other states 2.5 million in North America

yeah i guess by North America they meant the US & Canada, and maybe the other one just left out Canada?

[~~Señor Nuggs~~]

wow, u got it b5 i did the edit, very wise of u.

[~~Señor Nuggs~~]

i'm an kinda unsure of these articles, just a little, becuase one states that there is 2.5 million vehicles with hemp products used for buliding them while the other states 2.5 million in North America

yeah i guess by North America they meant the US & Canada, and maybe the other one just left out Canada?

well doesnt the geograpical term include mexico and evrything else all the way down to the really skinny part?  and isnt there something above canda too?

[illegal smiles]

wow, u got it b5 i did the edit, very wise of u.

haha b5 of me? LOL thanks

[~~Señor Nuggs~~]

hahahaha, i didnt notice.  haha thats funny

[illegal smiles]

I don't think a single hemp plant has been grown legally in North Dakota yet... I could be wrong, (hope so), but I doubt it.

[illegal smiles]

Hemp-Growing Rules Take Step Forward
By Dale Wetzel, Associated Press Writer 

Bismarck, N.D. -- State rules for growing industrial hemp are close to taking effect, although federal drug agents will have the final say on whether farmers may cultivate it, Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson said.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem issued a letter Wednesday saying the proposed rules comply with state law. A legislative committee that reviews North Dakota agency regulations still must go over them before they take effect, Johnson said.

Industrial hemp is a relative of marijuana, but does not have the hallucinogenic chemical that provides a "high" when the leaf is smoked. It is used to produce an assortment of goods, including paper, rope, clothing and cosmetics.

Industrial hemp cultivation is legal in Canada and other countries, but it is banned in the United States, a situation that Johnson and North Dakota lawmakers have been working to reverse. Johnson and other state agriculture officials met with U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials last February in Washington, D.C., to discuss the issue.

North Dakota farmers who want to grow industrial hemp must undergo a criminal background check, provide their fingerprints, and let law enforcement officials know the exact location of their fields, the proposed Agriculture Department regulations say.

Farmers must document the amounts of harvested hemp they sell, and to whom, and show that their hemp seeds have less than three-tenths of 1 percent of the hallucinogenic chemical THC.

Even if the state conditions are met, the Drug Enforcement Administration must agree to allow hemp to be grown before any state license is issued, Johnson said.

Hemp has a number of benefits for producers, Johnson said. It grows rapidly, generates a great deal of usable fiber, and does not require much, if any, pesticide, he said.

"I think from an agronomic standpoint, it will be very attractive ... assuming that there's a decent market for it," Johnson said. "The reason it will take a while to develop is because it's been illegal in this country for a long time."

Source: Associated Press (Wire)
Author: Dale Wetzel, Associated Press Writer
Published: Thursday, November 16, 2006
Copyright: 2006 Associated Press

[illegal smiles]

ND hemp rules take effect Jan. 1
Dec 4 2006 5:03PM
Associated Press

Bismarck, N.D. (AP) North Dakota farmers can begin applying for a license to grow industrial hemp after the first of the year.

Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson says the state rules were approved today by a legislative committee.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem ruled last month that they comply with state law.

Johnson says the rules would require a criminal background check on farmers who want to grow hemp. The sale of hemp and location of the hemp fields must be documented. And the farmer must get a permit from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Johnson says getting the D-E-A to sign off on the license will likely be an uphill battle.

Steve Robertson is a D-E-A special agent in Washington. He says the regulations for hemp are the same as they are for marijuana.

Industrial hemp is used to make an assortment of products from paper to rope and cosmetics.

Johnson says industrial hemp has no value for drug use. He says it does not contain enough of the mind-altering ingredient in marijuana for such use.

http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?s=rss&ArticleId=73398

[illegal smiles]

State To Begin Taking Applications for Hemp
December 05, 2006
By James MacPherson, Associated Press Writer 

Bismarck, N.D. -- North Dakota farmers may start applying for state licenses to grow industrial hemp next year but no seed may be sown until federal drug agents approve, Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson says.

"We'll see where it goes," said Johnson, who has been pushing industrial hemp as a crop in North Dakota for more than a decade. "Hopefully, North Dakota will be the first state where producers can grow hemp for legitimate uses."

The federal Drug Enforcement Agency remains a major hurdle for would-be growers of marijuana's biological cousin.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said last month that the rules crafted by North Dakota's Agriculture Department comply with state law. A state legislative committee approved the rules on Monday, with no changes, Johnson said.

"Nobody has ever put something like this in front of the DEA," he said. "We want to make industrial hemp happen.

"We have put these rules together in such an airtight fashion that we know we are not going to have illicit drugs being grown in North Dakota," Johnson said."

Hemp contains trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, a banned substance, and it falls under federal anti-drug rules, said Steve Robertson, a DEA special agent in Washington.

"There is no differentiation between hemp and marijuana," Robertson said. "The regulations for hemp are the same as they are for marijuana."

The rules, which take effect on Jan. 1, require a criminal background check on farmers who want to grow hemp. The sale of hemp and the location of the hemp fields must be documented.

The application fee for the state license will cost at least $150, said Ken Junkert, the state agriculture department's plant industries manager. He said the total amount of the application fee won't be known until next month.

Industrial hemp would be an alternative cash crop for North Dakota farmers because it's used to make food, clothing, cosmetics, paper, rope and other products, Johnson said. It's the only crop that would have to be licensed in North Dakota, he and Junkert said.

Johnson and Junkert said several North Dakota farmers are interested in getting a state license, despite the unknowns with DEA.

"I don't think there is going to be a stampede, but there are going to be some farmers who will want to go through this process with the intent of at least planting a small amount of industrial hemp this spring," Johnson said.

It would be up to farmers to seek the final approval from federal drug agents once the state license is approved, Johnson said.

"Only after they do that can they can humbly ask the DEA for its stamp of approval," Johnson said.

Robertson said the DEA would review each application fairly under the law.

Johnson said farmers who want to grow hemp might go to court if the state issues them a license but the DEA ignores or denies it.

"It's possible their (DEA's) response will be no response," Johnson said. "The license holder then would probably be in a position to take the matter to some sort of legal proceedings."

Complete Title: State To Begin Taking Applications for Hemp Farmers

Source: Associated Press (Wire)
Author: James MacPherson, Associated Press Writer
Published: Monday, December 04, 2006
Copyright: 2006 Associated Press

[illegal smiles]

State Asks DEA To Waive Hemp Registration Fees
December 27, 2006
By James MacPherson, Associated Press Writer 
Source: Associated Press

hemp Bismarck, N.D. -- A $2,293-a-year federal registration fee for growing industrial hemp is ridiculous, says North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, who wants the government to waive the fee so more state farmers can grow the crop.

Johnson said he sent a letter on Wednesday to federal Drug Enforcement Administration chief Karen Tandy, objecting to the fee and to confusing paperwork associated with the registration.

"I think it's ridiculous that you have a fee exceeding a couple of thousand dollars for someone to grow industrial hemp," Johnson said.

Garrison Courtney, a spokesman for the DEA in Washington, D.C., said the annual registration fee is set by Congress. It also applies to such businesses such pharmaceutical companies that uses opium to manufacture morphine, he said.

North Dakota farmers may start applying for state licenses to grow industrial hemp on Jan. 1, though federal drug agents must approve each license, Johnson said. The state licenses require a criminal background check of farmers who want to grow hemp, the biological cousin of marijuana. The sale of hemp and the location of the hemp fields must be documented.

Johnson said the rules crafted by his department make North Dakota the first state to allow commercial hemp cultivation, but the DEA continues to be a hurdle.

Hemp contains trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, a banned substance, and it falls under federal anti-drug rules, the DEA says.

"For anybody considering manufacturing a controlled substance, the fee is required," Courtney said. "The fee is standard across the board, whether it's a big or little company."

Paying the registration fee does not guarantee the applicant will be approved, Johnson said. The fee is nonrefundable.

Besides the federal fee, the state will charge $150 for its license, Johnson said. Applicants also must pay for a criminal background check, which will cost about $100, he said.

"I expect there will be handful of folks - maybe fewer than a handful and maybe just one - who will apply because somebody wants to test this," Johnson said.

Industrial hemp would be an alternative cash crop for North Dakota farmers because it's used to make food, clothing, cosmetics, paper, rope and other products, Johnson said. It's the only crop that would have to be licensed in North Dakota, he said.

State Rep. David Monson, R-Osnabrock, said he intends to apply. Monson, who also is a farmer, was the primary sponsor of the first bill to authorize research on industrial hemp in North Dakota, which was approved by the 1997 Legislature.

Hemp is grown legally in Canada, 25 miles north of Monson's farm in northeastern North Dakota. Hemp production has been legal in Canada since 1998, after 60 years of prohibition.

Monson said the cost of the fees "takes a lot of the shine off" for many potential hemp farmers in the state.

"You can't possibly make it come out as a profit, if that's the way the fees are going to be," Monson said.

He believes the DEA will keep the fee in place intentionally, as a stumbling block for potential growers.

"If they can't get you one way, I suppose they'll get us another," Monson said. "If they're going to try to make it impossible by jacking up the price and impossible to make a profit, it's probably going to end up going through the courts."

Source: Associated Press (Wire)
Author: James MacPherson, Associated Press Writer
Published: Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Copyright: 2006 Associated Press

[illegal smiles]

North Dakota's legislature wrapped up last week by telling the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that it would no longer require state-licensed industrial hemp farmers to seek DEA licenses. The law change removes the DEA license as a requirement of state law, but it can't protect farmers from federal prosecution....

CONTINUED.... http://www.cannabishq.com/forum/index.php/topic,3263.new.html#new