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  WV Governor Signs Hemp Bill
Posted by FoM on April 14, 2002 at 19:52:24 PT
By Sam Tranum 
Source: Charleston Daily Mail  

hemp Charleston, West Virginia - Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass used to oversee the state workers who slashed and burned wild marijuana in an effort to eradicate it from the hills of the Potomac Valley.

But that was more than two decades ago. Now Douglass is the man in charge of growing hemp in West Virginia. "I sit here and whatever the laws demand, we in the Department of Agriculture will attempt to move in that direction," Douglass said this week.

Gov. Bob Wise recently signed the Industrial Hemp Act, kicking into motion a plan for West Virginians to cultivate the marijuana-like plant for use in clothing, bath products, car dashboards and other products.

Skeptics say hemp is marijuana by another name. But Sen. Karen Facemyer, R-Jackson, who sponsored the Hemp Act, said there is a big difference -- industrial hemp won't get anyone high.

Proponents hope West Virginia can take advantage of an untapped market. No other state is producing hemp for the commercial uses at this point, though Hawaii is growing a test crop.

There is still at least one major hurdle between West Virginia and hemp wealth - - the federal government isn't sure whether it's going to allow commercial cultivation of hemp.

A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman has said industrial hemp cultivation is stuck in legal limbo. When asked whether it was legal to grow industrial hemp, Bill Steffick of the federal drug agency said he couldn't answer that question.

"You have some questions there that I basically can't answer because this is just an area that there's going to have to be some more discussion on this," he said.

Douglass said step one for the state's industrial hemp project is going to be navigating the federal rules. He said he hopes to work with West Virginia University's Davis College of Agriculture to do some experimentation on growing industrial hemp.

Bill Vinson, associate director for the agriculture school's experiment station, said the school stood ready to help.

"I don't know the specifics. I do know that we are ready to support West Virginia Department of Agriculture in their research programs in whatever way we can," he said.

Facemyer said she hoped the ambiguities in the laws regarding industrial hemp would be resolved by the time the university's research was done and the state was ready to move into commercial production.

She said advocates of industrial hemp have been pushing hard for its legalization. U.S. Rep. Nick Joe Rahall, D-W.Va., has said he'll support that effort.

"Illegal drugs have no place in American society," he said in a statement.

"But industrial hemp is not a drug. Thirty nations -- including Canada and Japan -- harvest industrial hemp that we import into our country. Our farmers could become a part of this global industry."

This will not be the first time that West Virginia University has helped the state with research for cannabis. Or the first time state residents grew a hemp crop.

During World War II, the Japanese interrupted American's Philippine hemp supply. The federal government asked states to pitch in and grow hemp so the Navy could have all the rope it needed to fight the war.

Douglass said the hemp he was in charge of eradicating years ago spread from an old rope factory in Petersburg.

Besides making rope from it, West Virginia has toyed with using hemp as a legal drug.

The Legislature legalized marijuana use for medical purposes in the late 1970s. At the time West Virginia University was involved in research on how effective the drug was in treating glaucoma and the side effects of cancer treatment.

Note: Ready For New Cash Crop State Prepares For Commercial Growth Of Industrial Hemp.

Source: Charleston Daily Mail (WV)
Author: Sam Tranum
Published: April 9, 2002
Copyright: 2002 Charleston Daily Mail
Contact: editor@dailymail.com
Website: http://www.dailymail.com/

Related Articles & Web Site:

Hemp Links
http://freedomtoexhale.com/hls.htm

State Prepares for Commercial Growth of Hemp
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12468.shtml

Hemp Bill Questions Remain
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12156.shtml

Committee Backs Hemp Bill
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12104.shtml


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Comment #3 posted by Jose Melendez on July 24, 2002 at 21:38:39 PT
thanks
Thanks, FoM.

That was my fifth published LTE. I'd like to assemble a selection of my online writings and have them fact checked and published. If anyone can help with that, please email me: jose@narcosoft.com

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #2 posted by FoM on July 24, 2002 at 21:25:42 PT
Way To Go Jose!
Good Job!!!

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #1 posted by Jose Melendez on July 24, 2002 at 09:12:57 PT
published again...
I sent a letter to the editor of the Charleston Daily Mail. Here it is:
URL:From: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1380/a06.html
Newshawk: chip
Pubdate: Tue, 23 Jul 2002
Source: Charleston Daily Mail (WV)
Copyright: 2002 Charleston Daily Mail
Contact: editor@dailymail.com
Website: http://www.dailymail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/76
Author: Jose Melendez

CITY'S DRUG POLICY SIMPLY IGNORES REALITY

The Daily Mail's July 5 editorial, "Drug tests: Charleston's policy is working for the public and employees," ignores reality.

Admit it.  Employee drug tests do not generally catch the drug alcohol, which was mentioned or linked to drug use in the column no less than seven times.

The fact is that this type of testing will expose only marijuana use, since metabolites stored in fatty cells remain in the user's system sometimes more than several weeks.

The article therefore implies that a potential employee who used marijuana, whether yesterday or two weeks ago, is not sober.

That is about as ridiculous as the idea that someone who tests negative for alcohol yet got hammered last night should be allowed to operate heavy machinery.

So while you are busy keeping some of your better employees from working for the city of Charleston, remember that you have just increased the percentage of those who will be bingeing before and after work, and popping pills that don't show up in tests.

Jose Melendez DeLand, Fla. 

Here is the letter I was responding to:

US WV: Editorial: Drug Tests

URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1247/a04.html
Newshawk: chip
Pubdate: Fri, 05 Jul 2002
Source: Charleston Daily Mail (WV)
Copyright: 2002 Charleston Daily Mail
Contact: editor@dailymail.com
Website: http://www.dailymail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/76">http://www.mapinc.org/media/76">http://www.mapinc.org/media/76

EDITORIAL: DRUG TESTS

Charleston's Policy is Working For the Public and Employees

IN February, the city of Charleston instituted a drug and alcohol testing policy.  New job applicants would be tested.  Current employees whose job involved operating a vehicle or some other type of equipment would face random testing.

Two of the more than 80 city employees who had been tested through the end of May failed.  Four of 83 job applicants failed, and many others withdrew their applications rather than face drug tests.

Testing works.  Obviously, there is more drug use out there than anyone wanted to believe.

"We suspected it," said Mayor Jay Goldman, "but it may be deeper than we thought.  The thing that has surprised us all is the number of potential hires who don't want to take the drug test."

While that may make it more difficult for some departments to fill positions, the tests are functioning as intended: protecting taxpayers from the damage done by drug and alcohol abusers.

Before testing began, the city gave employees fair warning.  It held classes on drug abuse for all city workers.

As for job applicants, if a person cannot show up for the job interview sober, imagine how that person will show up for the job.

City residents can't have city employees impaired by drugs or alcohol operating heavy equipment.  At a minimum, this is a safety issue.

Drug and alcohol abuse also are a liability issue.  Taxpayers deserve protection from having to pay for the damage done by abusers.

"Hopefully ( the drug policy ) works as a deterrent and people are getting away from it," Goldman said.  "You just want safe people out here."

City workers also deserve protection.

"People deserve a safe place to work," Goldman said.  "Those who don't use drugs should not be forced to work around people who do."

The city's policy ultimately may help people with drug or alcohol problems overcome their addictions.  Testing positive does not automatically lead to firing.

Both of the employees who tested positive entered a treatment program.  One used the opportunity for a second chance, completed the program, and came back to work.  The other did not finish the program and was fired.

The testing also shows that City Hall is hardly a den of inequity.  Of the dozens of city employees who were tested, only two showed up for work with drugs or alcohol in their system.  That's reassuring. 



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