cannabisnews.com: N.H. House Approves Growing Hemp





N.H. House Approves Growing Hemp
Posted by CN Staff on April 06, 2007 at 06:04:18 PT
By Norma Love, The Associated Press 
Source: Associated Press
Concord, N.H. -- The House voted Thursday to allow farmers to grow hemp _ a close relative of marijuana _ despite federal hurdles to planting the controversial crop.Supporters pointed out that hemp, which has a very low content of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, has unfairly been characterized as the same as marijuana. ''You don't smoke hemp. A wheelbarrow full would only make you sick,'' insisted Hopkinton Democrat Derek Owen.
''Hemp is one of the oldest and most useful and strongest natural plants known to man,'' he told the House.Peterborough Republican Andrew Peterson spoke briefly against the bill, urging the House to kill it.But the House voted 190-76 to send it to the Senate.Hemp, known for its strong fiber, is used in a wide range of products, including clothing, canvas, rope, fiberglass, insulation, automobile clutch- and brake-liners, cement and paper. It can be grown legally in other countries, including Canada.''No one confuses water with vodka though they look the same,'' Owen said.Hemp can be grown only with permission from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. North Dakota farmers are currently trying to get DEA permission to grow hemp under that state's rules.''This is in the end an issue of liberty. Small farmers in the state need all the help they can get,'' Owen said.The bill would let farmers grow hemp after obtaining a permit. The state would issue licenses to grow hemp and be the sole supplier of the seed. The state also would regulate the industry. People with criminal records involving drug offenses within 10 years would not qualify for a permit.The House passed a bill two years ago to allow farmers to grow hemp, but the Senate killed it.Sidebar: Facts about Hemp:* Hemp is a close relative of marijuana; both are classified scientifically as cannabis sativa.* Hemp generally is defined as cannabis sativa containing less than 1 percent THC, the mind-altering chemical in marijuana. The National Institute for Drug Abuse defines marijuana as cannabis sativa containing more than 3 percent THC.* There are more than 400 varieties of cannabis.* Hemp, known for its strong fiber, is used in a wide range of products, including clothing, canvas, rope, fiberglass, insulation, automobile clutch- and brake-liners, cement and paper.* Hemp seeds are considered a health food rich in essential amino acids.* Hemp seeds can be pressed for oil, which is used in skin lotions, shampoos, soap and cosmetics.* In Russia, hemp butter is considered superior to peanut butter.* Hemp is a stalky plant that typically reaches heights of 8 feet to 12 feet.* Hemp was brought to South America from Spain in 1545. The first use of hemp in North America is attributed to the Puritans in New England, who used it with flax to produce cloth.* Hemp can be grown legally in other countries.___On the Net:Hemp Industries Association: http://www.thehia.org/North American Industrial Hemp Council: http://www.naihc.org/Newshawk: The GCWSource: Associated Press (Wire)Author:  Norma Love, The Associated PressPublished: Friday, April 6, 2007 Copyright: 2007 Associated Press CannabisNews Hemp Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/hemp.shtml
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Comment #23 posted by mayan on April 09, 2007 at 00:12:41 PT
"Nanny State"
You can't grow hemp. We know what's best for you. Obey.
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Comment #22 posted by John Tyler on April 08, 2007 at 07:24:03 PT
do it 
The states should just do it. The states should refuse to cooperate with the Feds in federal enforcement in this area also in order to protect their citizens. If the Feds have a problem with it they should take it up with the state government. The two can then squabble over it endlessly in court. Meanwhile, life for the people will continue. If one state after another keeps doing this the Fed is going to have to cease it efforts.
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Comment #21 posted by dongenero on April 07, 2007 at 12:02:42 PT
One reason hemp is opposed...$$$
According to official DEA figures, police seized an estimated 223 million marijuana plants last year. But 219 million of them, or 98%, were ditchweed. That figure is in line with previous years. And a whopping 212 million plants came from Indiana alone. Missouri came in second with 4.5 million plants, Kansas third with 1.1 million, and Wisconsin fourth with 272,000. Most states reported no ditchweed seizures.http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/452/vast_majority_of_marijuana_plant_seizures_ditchweedThere are a lot of salaries being paid to chase down more than 200 million industrial hemp plants! Lam enforcement and the national guard will oppose ending those paychecks from us, the taxpayers.
It's also nice outdoor work in the fall.
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on April 07, 2007 at 11:42:58 PT
  19
That is one weird story.Legalizing cannabis...even just for medical....is "Nanny State" behavior?Legalizing anything isn't "Nanny State" behavior. It's making more and more and everything illegal that's "Nanny State" behavior.Did the Prohibs have a meeting and say "Well, let's just start saying everything they've been saying. It worked for them." ?
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on April 07, 2007 at 08:06:07 PT
Republicans Criticize Bills Passed By House
Excerpt: "They're over-reading the mandate from the election last fall," said Fergus Cullen, chairman of the state Republican Party. "People weren't talking about civil unions in the campaign last year or legalizing hemp, legalizing marijuana, mandatory seat belt laws in New Hampshire -- all these nanny-state provisions that the Democrats are pushing." 
 A bill to legalize medical marijuana failed in the House, but Cullen said all of the bills are symbolic of a threat to New Hampshire's "Live Free or Die" way of life. Democratic leaders said the opposite is true.URL: http://www.wmur.com/politics/11553602/detail.html
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on April 07, 2007 at 06:55:22 PT
John Tyler 
I did see the series but it doesn't separate marijuana from cocaine and heroin etc. so I didn't seriously check it out. As long as they bunch hard drugs with Cannabis we will lose. I have seen it happen over and over again thru the years. One thing mixing all drugs together will do is prolong the war on marijuana and all the people who are arrested every year for marijuana only.
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Comment #17 posted by John Tyler on April 07, 2007 at 06:50:57 PT
Article on Drug War
NPR has a multipart series on the Drug War on the air and on their web site. It is in depth, but pretty much futile I think. I have two major criticisms about it. The first one and most serious is that it falls into the trap of lumping all of the illegal drugs together. Then it swirls them all around. It jumps from cocaine to heroin and back again and mentions cannabis here and there. Curiously, it never mentions the two most dangerous and widely used drugs, alcohol and tobacco. The next thing I noticed is that except for names and places, it could have been written today or ten ago. You could even dig it up next year and publish the same thing. The issues are still the same. The writers said that basically nothing has changed and nothing is going to change. Basically it’s economics. Certain people want a product and other people will provide it to them for a price. It’s the politics of contraband. I guess it was OK, because it brought the subject back into the public forum.
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on April 07, 2007 at 06:00:14 PT
NPR: Making the Case for Legalizing Marijuana
All Things Considered, April 6, 2007 · As founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, Ethan Nadelmann is pursuing alternatives to the war on drugs. He is keenly aware of the many ojections to legalizing street drugs. But is marijuana a special case? Nadelmann offers his views on the subject in a conversation with Robert Siegel.URL: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9434794
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Comment #15 posted by gloovins on April 07, 2007 at 03:07:37 PT
Chef Ra RIP
I met him once or twice in Ann Arbor - got pics of him with me, always cooking up stuff right there & then - & always tasted superior...he was really cool...at least he went in his sleep, that's how I'd like to go...RIP James Wilson Jr aka Chef Ra...
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on April 06, 2007 at 21:34:25 PT
fight_4_freedom 
It doesn't look very promising for good weather but miracles do happen. Please let us know how the day goes then.***Rally Faces Cold, Low Turnout***At campus tradition, student attendance has fallenBy Alese Bagdol, Daily Staff Reporter April 6, 2007 Organizers of tomorrow's Hash Bash hope the Ann Arbor tradition will help convince lawmakers to decriminalize getting high.Low temperatures and low student turnout, though, could get in the way.Temperatures in the 30s and a chance of snow are in the forecast.Last April, a crowd of about 900 people composed of both elderly hippies with dreadlocks and giddy high school students gathered on the Diag to participate.But the attendance at Hash Bash, which used to number in the thousands, has declined in the last several years, and increasingly fewer University students are attending, said Adam Brook, the event's organizer.Complete Article: http://tinyurl.com/2fk7sc
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Comment #13 posted by fight_4_freedom on April 06, 2007 at 21:28:16 PT:
Thanks FOM
Well unfortunately from what I've seen on the news, it's not going to be a nice day weather-wise. But I've got hope that the turnout should still be pretty strong.There might just be a surprise celebrity joining us as well. I will definitely update you guys on how it all goes.It's time to LEGALIZE!
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on April 06, 2007 at 21:20:50 PT
fight_4_freedom
I forgot all about the annual Hash Bash. I hope you have good weather and a nice turnout. Stay safe.
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Comment #11 posted by fight_4_freedom on April 06, 2007 at 21:10:26 PT:
Article giving you a little hash bash history
Newshawk: Michigan NORML http://www.minorml.org
Pubdate: Wed, 04 Apr 2007
Source: Michigan Daily (U of MI, Edu)
Copyright: 2007 The Michigan Daily
Contact: editpage.editors umich.edu
Website: http://www.michigandaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/582
Author: Allison Pincus
Note: This article draws on sources from the Bentley Historical Library
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/John+Sinclair (John Sinclair)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Hash+BashTHE FIRST 'HIGH NOON' MARCHThirty-five years ago, students couldn't RSVP to Hash Bash on 
Facebook.com - word-of-mouth and fliers were the only advertisements 
for the event. But the lack of easy, online publicity didn't stop 
scores of students from gathering for the first-ever Hash Bash during 
the first weekend of April in 1972.The first Hash Bash was held as a celebration after the success of 
the "Free John Now" campaign that arouse in response to the 
incarceration of political activist and Ann Arbor local, John Sinclair.Sinclair was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison for the 
possession of two marijuana joints in July 1969.He quickly became an icon of the counter-cluture movement and 
inspired a number of protests around the country.John Lennon and Yoko Ono sponsored a Free John Now rally at Crisler 
Arena on Dec. 10, 1971. They argued that Sinclair's incarceration had 
been cruel and unusual punishment and that Sinclair was convicted as 
a result of police entrapment.Three days after the rally at Crisler Arena, Sinclair's case was 
re-examined by the Michigan Supreme Court. He was released from 
prison on Dec. 13, 1971.The first Hash Bash occurred three and a half months after Sinclair's 
release from jail. The leaders of the 1960s counterculture, many of 
them students and young adults living in Ann Arbor, were prominent 
participants in the first Hash Bash.The event included speeches, demonstrations in favor of marijuana 
legalization, music and street vending.Police officers have often turned a blind eye to some of the drug use 
that typically accompanies the festival.Over the years, student attendance at the Hash Bash "High Noon" march 
on the Diag has waned. But enthusiasts and pro-marijuana advocates 
have continued holding the event in Ann Arbor partly because of its 
history and the city's relatively lax marijuana laws.In Ann Arbor (except on campus, which is under state law), possession 
of marijuana is a civil infraction rather than a criminal offense.Organizers at the first event hoped it would become a tradition."The hash festival should become an annual affair, and we hope to see 
everybody out here again next year," one organizer told The Michigan 
Daily at the time.Thirty-five years later, the tradition is still alive.
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Comment #10 posted by fight_4_freedom on April 06, 2007 at 21:03:59 PT:
Hash Bash is here once again
Cold weather, patrols may put kibosh on Hash Bash
Memorial for pot concocter Chef Ra planned on Diag
Thursday, April 05, 2007
BY MEGAN BROWN
News Staff ReporterScores of pro-marijuana activists will gather on the University of Michigan Diag this Saturday for the 36th annual Hash Bash.The event serves as an outlet for citizen protest against current marijuana laws, said Adam Brook, its organizer and master of ceremonies since 1989."It's a reminder that when you make a law we don't agree with, we're going to come out and let you know,'' Brook said.But Therese Doud, the substance abuse prevention coordinator for Washtenaw County Public Health, said the Hash Bash is not a positive form of protest."It really presents a climate that condones and supports anything goes, that in-the-open illicit drug use is OK,'' Doud said. "Looking at the devastation of substance abuse, it's not a good message to send to our youth.''This year's Hash Bash will memorialize James Wilson Jr., known as Chef Ra to those who read his food column, "Chef Ra's Psychedelic Kitchen,'' in the pro-marijuana magazine "High Times.'' Wilson drove a cab in Urbana, Ill., and instructed readers to cook using marijuana as an ingredient. He died in his sleep on Dec. 26 at age 56."(Chef Ra) is like an icon to people in the marijuana movement,'' said Tim Beck, the executive director of the Michigan chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.NORML seeks marijuana legalization through ballot initiatives, and the Michigan chapter is sponsoring Saturday's event, Beck said. In 2004, Ann Arbor voters approved by 74 percent an amendment to city code directing law enforcement officials not to arrest medical marijuana users.Hash Bash isn't affiliated with U-M and in the past Brook has reserved use of the Diag through student organizations. This year, Brook said he has not pursued a permit.Ann Arbor's city code punishes marijuana possession as a civil infraction, fining $25 for the first offense, $50 for the second and $100 for subsequent offenses. But the U-M Department of Public Safety enforces state law and university ordinances on campus, including the Diag. The minimum punishment under state law is $100 or 90 days in jail."We probably will have extra officers,'' Diane Brown, the spokeswoman for the DPS, said of Hash Bash. "We expect that attendees will engage in lawful behavior and unlawful behavior will be addressed,'' Brown said.The Ann Arbor Police Department will also have increased patrols in the downtown area, said Lt. Michael Logghe.Attendance has declined in recent years, Brown said. Last year approximately 750 people turned out for the event, which takes place on the first Saturday of April. In its heyday in the 1970s, thousands packed the Diag.Hash Bash began 35 years ago as a reaction to poet and activist John Sinclair's 1969 prison sentence on charges of possessing two marijuana cigarettes. It also marked the implementation of a $5 fine for possession in Ann Arbor.Contact Megan Brown at734-994-6852 ormbrown annarbornews.com.Come on out and join us folks! It may be cold and windy, but the good vibes should keep us warm and energized all day!RIP Chef Ra
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Comment #9 posted by mayan on April 06, 2007 at 17:59:55 PT
New Hampshire
Either they legalize hemp or they should change the name of their state. Seriously. THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...9/11 Truth Reaches The Tipping Point:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/april2007/060407tippingpoint.htm9/11 Truth Movement: Only Growing Stronger – And the Media are Frightened to Death!
http://tvnewslies.org/blog/?p=593Everything's coming up 'Rosie':
http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2007/04/04/71415O'REILLY: ROSIE STORY IS HUGE (But 9/11 Claims Aren't):
http://www.jonesreport.com/articles/050407_oreilly_rosie_big.htmlNew Right Wing Slime Machine Approach: Fire-The-TruthTellers:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_rob_kall_070405_new_right_wing_slime.htmSTOP ROSIE DOT COM'S PETITION FRAUD:
http://fawkesfiles.com/reality/stop_rosie_fraud.html
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Comment #8 posted by RevRayGreen on April 06, 2007 at 17:05:00 PT
If I was an medi-chronic patient in NH
I'd be plenty pissed off after they shot down a medical marijuana bill in NH last week. well one thing at a time, you would think Iowa would introduce a Hemp bill,
but our politicians are swimming in Bio-Fuel kickbacks
from corn these days :(
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Comment #7 posted by OverwhelmSam on April 06, 2007 at 17:03:16 PT
MikeEEEEE
Law enforcement opposses hemp because they know if they eradicate the wrong crops, they'll be sued. Our mission, that we decided to accept, is to confound marijuana enforcement with a multitude of legislative initiatives, law suits against individual officers and government at all levels, law enforcement oversite committees, jury nullification education and fighting our charges. At some point, law enforcement should realize that marijuana prohibition is unjust and simply unenforceable.
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Comment #6 posted by MikeEEEEE on April 06, 2007 at 15:47:31 PT
OverwhelmSam
Initially, the testers may not care about the false positives. The result be what prohibition always produces, more innocents will be victimized.
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Comment #5 posted by OverwhelmSam on April 06, 2007 at 10:02:01 PT
Hemp Makes Cannabis Eradication Too Difficult
Hemp legalization is a "Trojan Horse" for marijuana legalization too. So is Jury nullification, medical marijuana and retired mandatory minimum laws. Law enforcement will whine because they can't tell the difference and it will frustrate marijuana eradication. Oh well, if marijuana prohibition is too hard to enforce, I recommend regulation similar to alcohol. 
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Comment #4 posted by laduncon on April 06, 2007 at 09:55:17 PT
Followed by a not-so-good point...
''No one confuses water with vodka though they look the same,'' Owen said.Hemp is cannabis (it doesn't just look like cannabis), and I have no problem with that. However, it is not cannabis intended for smoking or medicinal use, but rather fiber and/or food. My point is, I don't like demonizing "marijuana" just so someone can think that hemp isn't really cannabis and somehow feel better about who knows what. Is it really that hard to comprehend that a plant could have multiple uses depending upon how it is bred and cultivated?
Once again (preaching to the choir im sure, but others may wish to join the fold), "hemp" and "marijuana" are the same species of plant, thus they are able to interbreed successfully and produce viable offspring between supposedly distinct populations. In my somewhat controversial view to some, I analogize the different varieties of cannabis (hemp, marijuana (cringe at the word), sativa, indica) to the supposedly (in American culture) different/separate human races. The distinctions are largely subjective, superficial differences in appearance (i.e. skin color, etc.) that are only important to some humans ingrained in the ideology of class distinctions. But all "races" are nonetheless equally human (same species) and perfectly able to (borrowing a plant analogy) cross-pollinate amongst each other.So, the NH House voted to approve growing cannabis, not simply "hemp", albeit they limited the cannabis that could be theoretically grown to varieties or specimens with less than 1 percent THC. But no doubt about it, they are talking about cultivating cannabis sativa, aka, simply, cannabis. Hemp Hemp Hooray! But still much more cannabusiness to do.
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Comment #3 posted by potpal on April 06, 2007 at 09:54:09 PT
The Free State
Free to grow hemp!Hempwallace, AR Hemp Swamp Brook, CT Hempstead Brook, CT Hemp Key, FL Hemp, GA Hemp Factory Branch, IL Hemp Ridge, KYHemphill, KYHemphill, LA Hempfield Lake, MI Hemphill Lake, MN Hemple, MO Hemp Hill, NH Hempstead, NY, NassauHempstead, NY, Rockland Hempstead Gardens, NYHemp Patch Branch, NC Hemphill Bald, NC,Hemphill Creek, NC Hemphill Knob, NC Hempfield, PA,Hemp Branch, SC Hemphill Lake, SC Hemp Fork, VAHemphill, TX Hempstead, TX Hemp Mill Branch, VAHemppatch Branch, VA Hemppatch Mountain, VA Hemp Hill Creek, WAHempel Creek, WAHempel Lake, WA Hemphill, WV Hempton Lake, WI Weed, CA Weed, NM Weed, AR Weed, KY
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Comment #2 posted by Hope on April 06, 2007 at 09:32:06 PT
Some politicians
are, obviously, getting real, personal backbones and amazingly, seeminingly, attached to their real, personal brains. It's such a relief.
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on April 06, 2007 at 08:37:19 PT
good point
''You don't smoke hemp. A wheelbarrow full would only make you sick,'' insisted Hopkinton Democrat Derek Owen. True, industrial hemp can't be the same as "marijuana" - regular cannabis doesn't make you sick, it heals you.
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