The three members of the state's congressional delegation offer little hope for anyone interested in growing industrial hemp. As long as the DEA considers hemp to be defined the same as its cousin, marijuana, there is virtually no chance Congress will take up the battle.

Two North Dakota farmers have sued the U.S. government to change the definition of industrial hemp. U.S District Judge Daniel Hovland dismissed the lawsuit in November, saying the issue should be resolved in Congress.

But our congressional delegation isn't confident that Congress will even discuss the issue, much less act on it. Unfortunately, they're right. We suspect a couple of years from now, this issue won't have changed any - growing industrial hemp in the United States will still be illegal, and hemp proponents will still be trying to make their case to the federal government.

We believe the government should take up this issue - but we also believe the government won't.

Copyright: 2007 Minot Daily News

Source: Minot Daily News

I was glad to see Bill McLaughlin's guest commentary on Dec.19, titled "Hemp should be grown locally." This is an issue that has been overlooked for years and needs to be addressed on a national level. This country was founded on hemp. Literally.

The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper! In the Jamestown colony it was illegal not to grow hemp because it is such a useful crop. Henry Ford built a car out of hemp, that ran on hemp seed oil. It was stronger than steel and, needless to say, vastly more efficient and cleaner than cars that run on fossil-based fuels.

Hemp also enriches the soil it is grown in, unlike cotton, which depletes it. It is time for America to end this ignorant and destructive prohibition of hemp.

Copyright: 2007 The Daily Star

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