The Hemp Report

     This being a presidential election year seems to accentuate the political nature of many things. Hemp remains in the position that it's in here in the United States not because of any difference of opinion based on facts, but because of politics. We started the legislative season this year with five bills carried over from last year, and because of election politics we did not expect any new legislation to be introduced. In The Hemp News Update earlier this year, I stated that we had high hopes for H.267, the hemp farming bill in Vermont. Late last week, after years of hard work by many people, politics very nearly killed the bill.

     Supporters of Vote Hemp and the agricultural policy non-profit Rural Vermont made sure that the bill moved out of committee and got the floor vote in the Vermont Senate that it deserved after passing in the House by a vote of 126 to 9. The Senate vote late last Thursday was 25 to 1!

     A lot of people seem to think that the legislative process is too arcane, that it's too hard to understand, and that they can't make a difference. They are wrong. You can and do make a difference! Vote Hemp and Rural Vermont sent out a series of Action Alerts last week asking supporters of the hemp farming bill in Vermont to call key Senators. Our featured story "Senate Passes Bill Legalizing Industrial Hemp Cultivation" and the Bennington Banner story "Hemp Bill Moves to Full Senate Vote" clearly confirm that focused action works.

     If you live in Vermont, the next step is to call Governor Douglas and write letters to the editor. (Vermonters only, please!) It is important as a "pocket-veto" is not an option for the Governor. Others can still register to vote and click here to write your Representative in Congress and ask him or her to co-sponsor HR 1009, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2007, which is currently stalled in committee.

[More...]

     There are many simple things that we all can do to help stop global warming, not only on Earth Day (Tuesday, April 22) but every day. Many of us have learned to reduce, reuse and recycle, but even more importantly we need to make our dollars count by purchasing high-quality products that do what they are supposed to, last longer and have less impact on the environment. Products made with hemp can do all of these things and more.

     We do need to be realistic, however. Our information-driven industrial society is not going to vanish tomorrow and leave us to fend for ourselves. We often refer to hemp as "industrial hemp," a reminder that it is an integrated part of our larger society. Hemp will still need to be grown, processed, packaged, transported and sold to consumers within the system that we now have. We are not going to be taken back magically in time to a place where hemp is grown on small plots, harvested with horse-powered farm implements, processed in a small-scale cottage industrial setting and used only locally.

     We can work towards a future where the best aspects of older systems and more modern ones are integrated to create a better, more sustainable one. Think globally and act locally. Hemp is a part of this future, but farming it locally will be key as fuel and transportation costs increase. Hemp-based building materials are a perfect example of products that should be grown, processed and used locally.

     On another note, reasonable hemp farming legislation continues to be introduced and passed in Australia, although they do need to amend their food regulations, along with New Zealand, to allow hemp seed to be used as a food product for people. It can't right now, and that's just plain silly — the exact reverse of the situation here in the U.S., where hemp can be used in human foods but cannot be farmed.

[More...]

     Since the last issue of The Hemp News Update came out, I flew to California and joined up with my family, who are all on a driving vacation of the United States. If you have never taken a cross-country road trip, and you ever get the opportunity to do so, please take it, especially if you live in a city. It really is amazing to realize how huge this country is and — after a drive through Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana — how much we are still an agricultural and industrial country.

     Thankfully, hemp news continues to come out, vacation or not. The New York Times Blogs covered the Reason Foundation's new policy study entitled "Illegally Green: Environmental Costs of Hemp Prohibition." I have read the summary, and author Skaidra Smith-Heisters seems to have put together a very realistic and balanced look at hemp. Anyone who works on industrial hemp legislation or wants to reinforce and expand their knowledge of hemp would do well to read this policy paper.

     If you haven't seen it yet, do also check out Robbie Anderman and Errol Francis' YouTube video "Hemp Education 101." I am reminded of it because of this in-depth background story by the same name in Barry's Bay This Week by Kate Weldon.

     Education on all levels, from producers to consumers and legislators to voters, continues to be the key to all of this, but it is surprisingly time-consuming and expensive. Ignorance and misunderstanding are more expensive still, so it really is worth the investment for all of our futures.

[More...]

     No Sheep for You: Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo & Other Delights is book that will grab your eye with its cover and is a wonderful read that does not disappoint.

     Author Amy R. Singer gets it right on hemp where so many others fail:

Hemp: Deeply misunderstood, this one. Botanists have failed the textile industry, because for some reason, both the industrial hemp plant (which is the one we knit with; it has no narcotic properties) and marijuana are officially called Cannabis sativa. How is the layperson not supposed to get confused?

     On page 81 there is a pattern and instructions for knitting Manly Maze, a hemp sweater by designer Celeste Culpepper. It goes nicely with her Maze beanie, please click here for the free pattern!

     Even though it's an election year, progress continues to be made on hemp bills in a few states. As we reported in the last issue, things are going well for the hemp farming bill in Vermont. The latest information is that the bill is likely to be taken up in the Senate in mid-March. Things could be going better for the hemp study bill in Wisconsin, however. The bill has been recommended in committee, but is having a hard time getting a floor vote. Wisconsin residents, see our recent Action Alert for more information and to take action.

     On a more positive note, the hemp farming bill in Minnesota, which was carried over from last year, was amended and passed out of the House Agriculture Committee and referred to the Public Safety Committee, where it eked out a close vote, but there is some opposition.

     Over the weekend, I took the time to re-read the North Dakota farmers' appeal that was filed late last month. It seems long at 48 pages, but it's actually a pretty easy read. I found on page 23 that the District Court relied on material outside the pleadings, the USDA's Industrial Hemp in the United States: Status and Market Potential (2000), and quoted from the report in its decision. If you have the time, please download and read the appeal yourself.

     As many of you are aware, HIA Board Member Alex White Plume and his family lost their house in Manderson, South Dakota to a devastating electrical fire late in December. I have been very impressed with the generosity of people in the hemp industry! Since the fire, thousands of dollars have been donated to the White Plume family through The Hemp Report, Vote Hemp and the HIA — and Nutiva donated a late-model Apple PowerBook laptop.

     The photograph that illustrates the Indian Country Today story at the end of this newsletter was taken by Matt Rankin and was originally in the post at The Hemp Report entitled White Plumes Rebuild, where you can make donations. Please donate, and encourage others to help as well. Many thanks to those who have already done so!

[More...]