Source: http://Vitamin Retailer Magazine
December 26, 2008

Two North Dakota farmers, who filed a lawsuit in June of 2007 to end the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) ban on commercial hemp farming in the US, were heard recently in the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

The oral arguments before the three-judge panel centered on the farmers’ assertion that because there is no possibility the hemp crop could be diverted into the market for drugs, the Commerce Clause does not allow DEA to regulate industrial hemp farming in North Dakota. If successful, the landmark lawsuit will lead to the first state-regulated commercial cultivation of industrial hemp in over 50 years. The court’s decision is not expected until 2009.

The farmers, North Dakota State Rep. David Monson and seed breeder Wayne Hauge are appealing a decision by the US District Court of North Dakota on a number of grounds; in particular, the District Court ruled that hemp and marijuana are the same. According to the Hemp Industries Association, scientific evidence clearly shows that not only are oilseed and fiber varieties of Cannabis genetically distinct from drug varieties, but there are absolutely no psychoactive effects gained from eating it. All court documents related to the case can be found online at http://www.VoteHemp.com/legal_cases_ND.html

The government’s arguments centered on the idea that the plaintiffs should apply to the DEA for permission to grow hemp and that the court didn’t have jurisdiction over the issues raised by the farmers.
 
In 2007 the North Dakota Legislature removed the requirement that state-licensed industrial hemp farmers first obtain DEA permits before growing hemp. The question before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals will be whether federal authorities can prosecute state-licensed farmers who grow non-drug oilseed and fiber hemp pursuant to North Dakota state law. Vote Hemp, an industrial hemp advocacy group, and its supporters are providing financial support for the lawsuit. If it is successful, states across the nation will be free to implement their own hemp farming laws without fear of federal interference. 

Learn more about hemp farming and the wide variety of non-drug industrial hemp products manufactured in the US at www.VoteHemp.com and www.TheHIA.org.

#

Link to original story here.

Crusador Comment: Industrial hemp production was at the core of America's foundation. Just check your history facts. Most of our nation's forefathers were involved with hemp in one way or another. It was the bogus war on drugs and corporate greed that led to this highly nutritious herb being removed from most people's lives and criminalized until recently. Hemp is truly a wonder herb that has so many beneficial properties that wide scale production would have near miraculous benefits on our economy, on farming, on the environment and on the lives of those who use hemp and hemp related products in their diet. It's about time that the truth about hemp becomes widely known.