To: Wharf Rat who wrote (24507 ) 6/27/2005 5:59:00 PM From: SiouxPal Read Replies (3) | Respond to NORML is pleased to announce the introduction of H.R. 3037, the Industrial
Hemp Farming Act of 2005, sponsored by Reps. Sam Farr (D-CA), Raul
Grijalva (D-AZ), Jim McDermott (D-WA), George Miller (D-CA) and Ron Paul
(R-TX). This legislation is the first bill ever to be introduced in
Congress to repeal the federal ban on the cultivation of industrial hemp
as a commercial crop.
If passed, H.R. 3037 would allow states the legal authority to license and
regulate hemp cultivation without conflicting with federal law. To date,
several states have passed legislation authorizing the cultivation of
industrial hemp for research and commercial purposes. However, farmers in
these states can not legally grow hemp without federal permission to do
so. House Bill 3037 would remove this federal hurdle by granting states
"exclusive authority" to regulate the growing and processing of industrial
hemp.
Currently, the United States is the only developed nation that fails to
cultivate industrial hemp as an economic crop, according to a 2005
Congressional Resource Service (CRS) report. Hemp is a distinct variety
of the plant species cannabis sativa that contains only minute (less than
1%) amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive
ingredient in marijuana. Farmers worldwide grow hemp commercially for
fiber, seed, and oil for use in a variety of industrial and consumer
products, including food.
Please take time today to write your Representative and ask them to
co-sponsor and support H.R. 3037, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2005.
NORML has created pre-written letters that you can send to your member of
Congress by visiting:
capwiz.com
