Hemp News Legalize. Regulate. Educate.

Oregon becomes the sixth state in 2009 to take control; pressure to grow hemp continues to mount as business booms.

By Vote Hemp

(SALEM, Ore.) - Today, by a vote of 46 to 11, the Oregon House passed SB 676, a bill that permits production and possession of industrial hemp and trade in industrial hemp commodities and products.

"I am glad that Oregon has joined the list of states that have agreed that American farmers should have the right to re-introduce industrial hemp as an agricultural crop," says SB 676 sponsor, Sen. Floyd Prozanski.

"By passing SB 676 with strong bi-partisan support, the Oregon Legislature has taken a proactive position to allow its farmers the right to grow industrial hemp, to provide American manufacturers with domestically-grown hemp, and to profit from that effort."

The Oregon Senate passed the bill by an overwhelming majority vote of 27 to 2 on June 19th. Vote Hemp is optimistic that Governor Kulongoski will sign the bill. Oregon would become the ninth state to authorize regulated hemp farming under state law.

"The time has come for the federal government to act and allow farmers to once again grow hemp, so American companies will no longer need to import it and American farmers will no longer be denied a profitable new crop," comments Vote Hemp President, Eric Steenstra.

By Grants Pass Daily Courier

The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation in Portland has opened a permanent medical marijuana clinic in Grants Pass.

The clinic, at 558 N.E. F St., No. 1, in Colonial Plaza, is the first permanent medical marijuana clinic in Oregon outside Portland.

Retired heart surgeon Dr. Thomas Orvald of Portland has been traveling to Grants Pass to see patients about three times a month in rented facilities, said Henrik Rode, the foundation's regional director, who organizes satellite clinics and helps set up permanent clinics around the country.

The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation's mission is to help patients with qualifying medical conditions obtain a permit to grow and use marijuana to treat their symptoms, Rode said. Another goal is to educate people about the medicinal, social and industrial uses for cannabis to increase hemp cultivation.

Rode said medical marijuana treats a wide range of symptoms such as nausea in cancer or AIDS patients, as well as the chronic pain people suffer from medical conditions or as a result of a serious accident.

Rode said the Hemp and Cannabis Foundation already runs permanent clinics in Bellevue, Wash., Riverside, Calif., Denver and Detroit. He expects to open additional permanent clinics in Bend, Eugene and Spokane, Wash., in coming months. The foundation also holds a traveling clinic in Brookings every few months.

For more information, go to http://www.thc-foundation.org online.

By By Andrea Calcagno, KDRV

GRANTS PASS, Ore. - There is now a clinic in Southern Oregon where patients can potentially qualify for medical marijuana cards.

The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation Clinic is the first of its kind in the region. Dr. Thomas Orvald lives in the Pacific Northwest and makes trips to Grants Pass to see patients about four times a month. Clinic staff screen a patient's medical records before making an appointment. A patient must have a serious medical condition in order to be issued the paperwork for a medical marijuana card.

It costs $200 to make an appointment. There is a $60 discount for anyone on food stamps, the Oregon Health Plan, or other government assistance.

Clinic representatives say they've seen between 75 and 100 patients a month since it opened in April.

Oregon law states that once a patient acquires a marijuana license, they can then grow or obtain marijuana from a licensed grower.

Watch the Video: http://kdrv.com/news/local/132334

Source: http://kdrv.com/news/local/132334

By Patrick Corcoran

THE time is now to utilize the untapped, renewable resource of hemp. Food, clothing, shelter and fuel are products of this historically tried and true plant.

Until now, ignorance has lumped hemp and marijuana together as a Schedule 1 narcotic, in the same category as heroin and cocaine.

But legislation is moving through Congress in the form of H.R. 1866, the "Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009." It would exclude industrial hemp from the Schedule 1 list, making it legal for American farmers to once again grow the crop that was essential in the empowerment of our original 13 colonies and the early United States.

What is the difference between industrial hemp and marijuana? The major difference is the level of THC, the psychoactive molecule that induces the "high" associated with quality marijuana. From flowers that aren't allowed to pollinate, this substance swells into resinous buds that are used for the "marijuana effect."

Industrial hemp is allowed to pollinate, blessing humanity with one of the healthiest, handiest and tastiest oils known, hempseed oil. Therefore, hemp strains are selected for high seed production, not to get people "high."

By Mark Reimers, Tribune reporter

LYNDEN – On May 9, officers from the Lynden Police Department visited a house in town and discovered a number of marijuana plants growing under lights in the basement.

The residents of the house did not attempt to hide the plants and the police issued no citations.

No one was arrested — it was all legal.

In 1998, 59 percent of Washington voters approved Initiative 692, which allowed marijuana to be grown and used for certain medical conditions.

For law enforcement agencies, encountering medical marijuana now requires them to step lightly.

“We work very closely with the prosecutor’s office,” said Lynden Deputy Chief John Billester. “We don’t want to cross a line and step on someone’s rights.”

Even though originally the law outlined only a legal defense for medical growers and users to use in court, law officers aren’t likely to make an arrest if they suspect the case will get thrown out of court.

Billester said it can make for an uncomfortable situation when people ask officers why they are taking away someone’s medication.

Working closely with the prosecutor’s office is the preferred course for most law enforcement agencies in Whatcom County, in order to make sure any case brought forward is clear-cut.

Sumas Police Chief Chris Haugen said his department recently assisted federal customs agents who encountered someone with medical marijuana.

Scientific studies report facts. Forget the all the urban myths and rumors, and make up your own mind using facts. Cannabis is medicine! Educate yourself!

By 'Granny' Storm Crow, Salem-News.com

(NORTHERN CALIFORNIA) - I am a well-respected teacher's aide in my 60s. I start my day with 8th grade math. I quilt, paint, sculpt and am an avid genealogist. I enjoy posting on several websites. My husband is disabled and on SSI. We live in a tiny rural town in California with our two adult sons. Our lives are filled with computers and books. We are all compulsive educators- a family of quiet, intellectual geeks.

I lead a double life.

I am a secret, international, medical cannabis activist.

Even though I am "California legal", I hide in the shadowy world of the internet. As the mysterious "Granny Storm Crow", I influence cannabis-using people worldwide. Mostly what I do is I tell people about medical studies, but even so, I must hide my "secret identity".

Why all the smoke and mirrors? Simple- It would cost me my job if it were known that "Ms. Crow" even uses cannabis. As "Granny", I'd be lucky to just get ridden out of town on a rail! The educational field has little tolerance for "illegal" drug use, even when it's "legal". So why am I risking my job to use cannabis? And not only use it, but become an advocate for its medical use?

By Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director

Washington, DC: Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank, along with co-sponsors Ron Paul (R-TX); Maurice Hinchey (D-NY); Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA); and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), will reintroduce legislation today to limit the federal government’s authority to arrest and prosecute minor marijuana offenders.

The measure, entitled an “Act to Remove Federal Penalties for Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults,” would eliminate federal penalties for the personal possession of up to 100 grams (over three and one-half ounces) of cannabis and for the not-for-profit transfer of up to one ounce of pot – making the prosecutions of these offenses strictly a state matter.

Under federal law, defendants found guilty of possessing small amounts of cannabis for their own personal use face up to one year imprisonment and a $1,000 fine.

Passage of this act would provide state lawmakers the choice to maintain their current penalties for minor marijuana offenses or eliminate them completely. Lawmakers would also have the option to explore legal alternatives to tax and regulate the adult use and distribution of cannabis free from federal interference.

To date, thirteen states have enacted laws ‘decriminalizing’ the possession of marijuana by adults. Minor marijuana offenders face a citation and small fine in lieu of a criminal arrest or time in jail.

By Peter Wong, Statesman Journal

The Oregon Senate has voted to join 15 other states with legislation that outlines state practices for the growth and sale of industrial hemp.
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Senate Bill 676 moved to the House on a 27-2 vote Friday.

"Industrial hemp is an innovative crop that is regaining its popularity across the globe," said Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, the bill's floor manager. "This legislation sets the course for growing and selling this high-demand crop in Oregon."

SB 676 identifies that industrial hemp is an agricultural product that is subject to regulation by the Department of Agriculture and requires that all growers and handlers have an industrial-hemp license.

The department will establish a field inspection program, a certification process for hemp seed, and a civil-penalty procedure for violations.

The terms "hemp" and "industrial hemp" refer specifically to varieties of Cannabis sativa characterized by low levels of THC, marijuana's primary psychoactive chemical. These strains are cultivated for industrial use only.

Industrial hemp was grown in the United States since colonial times but was banned in 1970 when it was redefined as marijuana.


Related: Oregon: Senate Votes To Put Oregon In The Hemp Business
http://hemp.org/news/senate-votes-oregon-in-hemp-business


Source: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20090622/LEGISLATURE/906220314/1...

By Michelle Cole, The Oregonian

SALEM -- When the history of the 2009 Legislature is written, it may record that this was the year lawmakers put Oregon in the industrial hemp business.

The Senate voted 27-2 Friday to approve a bill that clears the way for hemp to be grown and processed in Oregon if and when the federal government gives growers a green light.

Senate Bill 676 still must pass in the House before the session ends later this month. But its sponsor, Sen. Floyd Prozanski, says he's convinced it will pass.

The bill would authorize the production, possession and commerce of industrial hemp and products. It would put the state Department of Agriculture in charge of regulating growers.

Industrial hemp is a cousin to marijuana. But it contains just trace amounts of THC, the psycho-active chemical in marijuana.

Hemp seeds are cultivated for food and other products in China, Canada and other countries. Hemp was grown in the United States until 1970, when it was redefined by the federal government as marijuana.

Prozanski, a Eugene Democrat, said he first learned about industrial hemp while campaigning in 1994. He's convinced it would be an economic boost for Oregon and has been pushing legislation to promote the industry since 1997.

By Jennifer Chambers, The Detroit News

Madison Heights -- Declaring Michigan's medical marijuana act the "worst piece of legislation he has ever seen in his life," an Oakland County judge dismissed felony drug charges against a Madison Heights couple who asserted a medical defense.

Torey Clark and Bob Redden jubilantly walked out of a Madison Heights district court just after noon today after 43rd District Court Judge Robert Turner said the defendants were entitled to have their case dismissed after their attorneys presented an affirmative defense that included testimony from their physician who qualified the pair to legally obtain the marijuana under the state's new law to treat their illness.

Clark and Redden were charged with growing marijuana after Madison Heights police raided their home March 30 and found 21 marijuana plants. They had faced up to 14 years in prison because they had prior drug offenses.

After the case was dismissed, the couple hugged their lawyers and embraced a small group of medical marijuana supporters who had come to court Wednesday to watch the outcome of the case.

Clark, who has ovarian cancer, said the judge's decision brought her immense relief after weeks of worry and stress over going to prison.

BY MEGHA SATYANARAYANA, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

A district court judge dismissed felony drug charges Wednesday against a Madison Heights couple embroiled in one of the first major tests of the state's medical marijuana law.

Calling it "one of the worst pieces of legislation I've ever seen in my life," 43rd District Judge Robert J. Turner criticized multiple ambiguities in the voter-initiated law, including how much marijuana a supposed medical user could possess and still be free from prosecution. Under the law, there are several scenarios in which a person can be in valid possession of a various amount of marijuana.

"Every judge in the state of Michigan will have to determine what a reasonable amount is," he said.

It's one of many fears state health officials have voiced in administering the law, which was enacted Dec. 4, 2008. It wasn't until four months later that a registration program was started.

The Madison Heights case explored one problem -- was the required doctor's letter enough proof of legal marijuana use when a registration program had not yet begun?

On March 30, three weeks after getting recommendation letters from Dr. Eric Eisenbud of the Hemp and Cannabis Foundation Medical Clinic in Southfield, but five days before they could apply for state ID cards, Madison Heights police stormed the home of Robert Redden, 59, and Torey Clark, 47. Police seized 21 small marijuana plants and money.

The construction and manufacturing sectors in Parkland get a boost

By Web News Wire, Business Desk

The Honourable Rosann Wowchuk, Manitoba Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, and Inky Mark, Member of Parliament for Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette, on behalf of the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification, announced government support today to strengthen economic opportunities in the Parkland Region.

"The Government of Canada, through the Community Adjustment Fund, is taking action to ensure communities succeed at this time of economic slowdown," said Mr. Mark. "Today's announcement will help create jobs and stimulate the local economy, enabling our region to emerge from this challenging time, prosperous and stronger than ever."

"The province is committed to encouraging, supporting and advancing the economic development of rural communities by helping them prepare the way for local industrial expansion," said Minister Wowchuk. "The development of the Dauphin Industrial Park will help attract industries and commercial businesses to the Parkland region, which will provide jobs and help create more rural economic benefits."

The Rural Municipality of Dauphin, partnering with the City of Dauphin, will construct a waterline to service the new 205-acre industrial park, which lies northwest of the community.

By Winnipeg Free Press Staff

The city of Dauphin and the surrounding rural municipality are constructing a waterline to service a new 205-acres industrial park northwest of town.

The initiative is expected to be a key factor in developing a long-discussed hemp processing plant in the area.

Ottawa and the province will fund about three-quarters of the waterline’s $804,850 cost, the two levels of government announced this morning.

The federal government is contributing a little over $400,000, while the province and two municipalities are sharing the remainder of the cost.

Mayor Alex Paul said the project is important to the entire parkland region.


Source: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Waterline-construction--47...

By Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute Staff

Ray Benson and Willie Nelson were at station KLRU recording the first episode of Austin City Limits’ 35th season. They were playing songs off of the album Willie and the Wheel. Docubloggers was lucky enough to ask Willie and Ray a few questions for an upcoming docublog about medical marijuana, and they were kind enough to do a shout out for the show. Look for their interview in the new season of Docubloggers that premiered this April! You can catch up on Docubloggers stories at their site and on their YouTube channel.

By Jeremy Jojola, Eyewitness News 4; Charlie Pabst, KOB.com

The federal government has said it intends to honor state laws legalizing medical marijuana, but organizations in the state’s marijuana program are still worried about federal raids.

Attorney General Eric Holder, the head of the country’s Justice Department, answered questions Friday about whether local growers have to worry about the feds.

New Mexico is one of 13 states where medical marijuana is legal. One state-approved grower is on the verge of dispensing the drug to Albuquerque patients, despite the fact that it’s illegal under federal law.

For two years, New Mexicans with a prescription to smoke have been doing so with fears that the federal government may knock on their door.

In California, even under the Obama administration, DEA agents raided some medical marijuana shops.

One New Mexico man, one of the first legally allowed to use medical marijuana, was arrested by a federal task force but never charged.

Attorney General Eric Holder told Eyewitness News 4 on Friday that local growers should be safe under the current administration.

He said, "As we have indicated the focus of our efforts are on large traffickers— people who are engaged in drug trafficking in the way that we normally think of that word, that term."

By David Finlayson, Edmonton Journal

A car made of hemp may sound like someone's wacky fantasy, but it's as real as General Motors' bankruptcy.

Motive Industries in Calgary is building a vehicle using panels and other parts made of a hemp fibre material that's lighter and cheaper than glass fibre.

It's being put together to try to win the$10 millionXPrizecompetition for the car that gets 100 miles to the gallon and beats other green cars in a race.

And Motive will benefit from the $15 million Alberta Biomaterials Development Centre announced Thursday, says John Wolodko, polymers group leader at Alberta Research Council.

The structural components of the car, which will start trials in mid June, will still be made of more traditional materials, said Wolodko, whose team is helping with the Motive project.

Eventually more environmentally friendly fibres made of hemp and flax will replace glass fibre in cars and other manufacturing processes, he said.

"Some European car manufacturers are already using bio-materials."

The new centre, to be set up at ARC's agricultural research facility in Vegreville and at the University of Alberta, will also help Pildysh Technologies, which is developing portland cement blocks impregnated with bio-fibres that make them lighter and stronger.

Calgary-based Pildysh is a couple of years away from marketing a product, and vice-president Richard Bueble said the new centre should help speed the process.

By Jeremy Jojola, Eyewitness News 4; Matthew Kappus, KOB.com

For the first time, the only state-approved grower of medical marijuana is about to dispense the drug in New Mexico.

For the past two years, New Mexico patients allowed to smoke marijuana have had to rely on their own supply or get it illegally from dealers. But a state-approved grower based somewhere in Sandoval County is about to start distributing the drug.

Health Department spokeswoman Deborah Busemeyer is not allowed under the law to reveal who or where that grower is, but she said the producer is working on a supply right now.

"Hopefully patients will be able to get medical marijuana from that producer by the end of summer," she said.

An article in the online edition of the Santa Fe Reporter revealed the county of the grower and that there are nearly a dozen possible locations for marijuana "growhouses," from Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Silver City, to as far south as Eddy County—where potential pot farmers have applied to grow legally.

The article mentions the information was found through public records requests and information from other state agencies.

The state won't confirm the information in the article, but tells Eyewitness News there are 11 other non-profits waiting to get approval to grow.

by Susan K. Livio/Statehouse Bureau

TRENTON -- The effort to allow severely ill New Jerseyans to use medical marijuana gained momentum today as an Assembly committee cleared a revamped bill that would also set strict limits on who can grow, distribute or get the drug.

The bill, which would make New Jersey the 14th state to allow marijuana use for medical purposes, includes restrictions lawmakers added in response to criticism that a measure the Senate passed in Feburary was too lax because it would have allowed patients to grow their own.

"When all other medical conventional treatments do not work, this will at least give an opportunity for patients and their doctors to explore other methods of treatment, but in a responsible way," said Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer), one of the sponsors.

The bill cleared the Assembly Health Committee after supporters said the drug eases pain for severely ill patients, and opponents countered that legalizing marijuana for any use sends the wrong message to young people. The vote prompted a wave of applause and a chorus of "thank-yous" in the packed committee room.

The amended "New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act," would not permit people to grow their own marijuana, instead creating licensed "alternative treatment centers" to produce the drug.

By Van Voice Editorial Board

Drug policy is at a crossroads in America. The “War on Drugs,” it seems, is headed toward a final resting place in the history books. The Obama Administration has said it will stop using the term in its dealings of drug control policy, perhaps putting an end to an era of domestic and foreign drug policy that more and more are coming to realize was an utter failure in many ways.

At the crux of the issue is marijuana. New Attorney General Eric Holden has claimed the Drug Enforcement Agency will stop federal raids on state-approved medical marijuana dispensaries. On May 18, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down two appeals challenging California’s medical marijuana law. These are two signs that control of domestic marijuana policy will continue to be put in the hands of state legislatures.

Washington is one of 13 states that allow citizens to use marijuana for medical purposes. Furthermore, both houses of the state legislatures are currently considering a bill that would reclassify adult possession of no more than 40 grams of marijuana to a $100 penalty.

These issues and more were discussed at last months Forum at the Library presentation, “Marijuana: Current Policy & Practice – What’s Happening?”

Experimental homes made out of hemp are to be built under new government plans.

By Ben Leach, Telegraph.co.uk

A prototype three-bedroom house, funded by the taxpayer, will go on show today. The home is part of a government drive to build more housing with a smaller carbon footprint.

The "renewable house" features walls made from Hemcrete - a mix of hamp and lime - and was built thanks to a £200,000 grant from the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

The National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC), which built the home, said building it used half the energy that building a traditional brick home would use.

It claims energy bills for the home owners would be as low as £150 a year, and predicts building on thousands of houses could begin soon.

Dr John Williams, head of materials at the NNFCC, told The Guardian: "The forecasts are that we could roll this out very quickly if someone places an order for 25,000 homes.

"Increasing numbers of farmers are growing hemp because it fits in with their current growing cycles between April and September and it is a good break crop for wheat.

"If just 1 per cent of the UK's agricultural land was used to grow hemp, it would be enough to build 180,000 homes per year."

The hemp house provides a cheaper alternative to traditional brick and mortar housing, with a build cost of £75,000 excluding groundworks.