NEW Hemp Sports Car, LOTUS!!
Current mood: focused

July 10, 2008 Lotus has taken a different approach to 'green' car building with the announcement of its Eco Elise - featuring hemp-based bodywork and other renewable materials. Taking the position that too many 'green' cars concentrate solely on CO2 emissions Green-Business-Travel at the tailpipe, Lotus has overhauled its entire manufacturing process to reduce energy and water usage, boost recycling, use locally-sourced, renewable and carbon-neutral materials, and provide dash instrumentation to encourage greener driving habits. It's an unique 'holistic' approach to environmentally friendly car building - and the stunning Eco Elise should make at least two sales when the news reaches Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong.

Lotus' new Eco Elise celebrates a new type of eco-engineering, in which the company has taken great pains to make the entire manufacturing and driving process as fuel efficient and environmentally sustainable as possible. To that end, they've built the body panels from a hemp resin, and used eco wool and sisal in the interior. Paint is water-based and all materials are sourced locally to reduce the Eco Elise's total carbon miles in production.

Drivers are asked to play their part too - while the car is light, quick and efficient, the dash features a "green shift" light instead of the usual red power shift light, showing drivers where to shift for maximal fuel efficiency and low emissions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emission . Fuel economy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_efficiency and efficiency meters are on display as well.

The British manufacturer's building processes have been overhauled with large reductions in power, fuel and water usage, and nearly 60% of all waste products from the process are now recycled.

More details and photos over at Transport 2.0.

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Today, I am sounding the alarm, calling forth American Patriots
Current mood: confident

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=28...

A long read, but worth it!

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Hemp for Vermont, Bill Becomes Law!
Current mood: enthralled

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..tr> ..table> ..tr> Hemp for Vermont Bill Becomes Law State Wants Federal Permission for Farmers to Grow Hemp MONTPELIER, Vermont (May 30, 2008) — Vote Hemp, a grassroots advocacy organization working to give farmers the right to grow non-drug industrial hemp, is extremely pleased that Vermont Governor Jim Douglas allowed H.267, the Hemp for Vermont Bill, to become law without his signature yesterday afternoon. The bill overwhelmingly passed both the House (126 to 9) and the Senate (25 to 1). The new law sets up a state-regulated program for farmers to grow non-drug industrial hemp, which is used in a wide variety of products, including nutritious foods, cosmetics, body care, clothing, tree-free paper, auto parts, building materials and much more. Learn more about industrial hemp at the Vote Hemp Web site. Smart and effective grassroots organizing by Vote Hemp and the Vermont-based advocacy group Rural Vermont mobilized farmers and local businesses, many of which pledged to buy their hemp raw materials in-state if they have the opportunity. Rural Vermont Director Amy Shollenberger says that "the Hemp for Vermont bill is another step toward legalizing this important crop for farmers. The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world that doesn't allow this crop to be grown. Looking at the Canadian experience, hemp provides a good return for the farmer. It's a high-yield crop and a great crop to mix in with corn." Vermont grows an average of 90,000 acres of corn per year, a small amount compared to Midwest states; however, the need for a good rotation crop exists nationwide. From candle makers to dairymen to retailers, Vermont voters strongly support hemp farming. Admittedly a niche market now, hemp is becoming more common in stores and products across the country every day. Over the past ten years, farmers in Canada have grown an average of 16,500 acres of hemp per year, primarily for use in food products. In Vermont, the interest in hemp includes for use in food products, as well as in quality and affordable animal bedding for the state's estimated 140,000 cows. "Vermont's federal delegation can now take this law to the U.S. Congress and call for a fix to this problem of farmers missing out on a very useful and profitable crop," comments Eric Steenstra, President of Vote Hemp. "North Dakota farmers who want to grow hemp per state law are currently appealing their lawsuit in the federal courts. The real question is whether these hemp-friendly state congressional delegations feel compelled to act," adds Steenstra. Rural Vermont's Shollenberger states that "the Vermont law is significant for two reasons. First, no other state until now has followed North Dakota's lead by creating real-world regulations for farmers to grow industrial hemp. Second, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont is Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, as well as a member of the Committee on Agriculture — relevant committees that could consider legislation. We also have a friend at the USDA in new Secretary Ed Schaffer who signed North Dakota's hemp bill as Governor. I plan to visit Washington, DC and try to figure out what Congress and the Administration intend to do." Support Vote Hemp Vote Hemp depends on your support to do the work we do. You know we are effective and get things done. Your donation will go a long way. Help us bring Vermont and North Dakota farmers to Washington, DC to lobby their delegations. It's time to ratchet up the pressure! Please make a donation today. About Vote Hemp Vote Hemp is a national, single-issue, non-profit organization dedicated to the acceptance of and a free market for low-THC industrial hemp and to changes in current law to allow U.S. farmers to once again grow this agricultural crop. More information about hemp legislation and the crop's many uses may be found at www.VoteHemp.com and www.HempIndustries.org. BETA SP or DVD Video News Releases featuring footage of hemp farming in other countries are available upon request by contacting Adam Eidinger at 202-744-2671. ..tr> ..table> ..table> ..tr>..table>..table>..table> 5:08 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment Vote Hemp, Inc. Adam Eidinger Communications Director email: adam@votehemp.com phone: 202-744-2671 Tom Murphy National Outreach Coordinator email: tom@votehemp.com phone: 207-542-4998 Friday, May 02, 2008 VoteHemp Alert for Vermont ! Current mood: confident ..tr> ..tr> "Hemp for Vermont" Bill Passes Senate with a 25-1 Vote Please Call Governor Douglas & Write Letters to the Editor Montpelier, VT — May 2, 2008 A big thank you to all of you who made calls yesterday and over the past few weeks on the Vermont hemp bill. Your calls worked! Late Thursday, the Senate passed H.267 with a 25-1 vote (Senator Mazza was the only "no" vote.) Thanks to all of your action, Senator Sears agreed late in the day to allow the bill to move out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with a small change. Senator Sears told the Bennington Banner that he had received about 150 calls and had seen several letters to the editor in the paper, and that's why he allowed the bill to go through. He listened to you! His concern was that Vermont farmers would be subject to federal law, even if hemp were legal in Vermont. So, he added some language to the bill that says that the rules can't be written until federal policy changes. However, even with this new language, the Vermont statutes will still have a section added that says that industrial hemp is legal. There just won't be any way for farmers to get a license until we make some progress with the feds. We expect the House to agree with this change today, and then the bill will be on its way to the Governor. We're not done yet, though. We need you to take two more actions to get this bill passed into law this year! We know it works when you take action, so please take a few more minutes for this bill today! 1) Call Governor Douglas — he has said that this bill is not a priority and he has concerns about it. We need to let him know that it is a priority for Vermonters this year and we want him to sign it. Please call him today, over the weekend, or on Monday at the latest. Call 800-649-6825 and leave a message asking Governor Douglas to "please sign the Hemp bill H.267." Please remember to leave your name, town and phone number. 2) Write a letter to the editor — please take a moment to thank the heroes in the statehouse who really worked hard on this bill. Look at the list below and write a quick letter to the editor thanking one or more of them, and send it to the papers in their counties. Say that you appreciate the efforts of the legislators to pass the hemp bill, and explain why the bill is important to you. Your letter should be no more than three paragraphs. Please be sure to mention the legislators by name (you can pick one or more). For a full list of daily newspapers and their contact info, please visit the Rural Vermont Media Archive, or you can use our Vote Hemp Media Tool and compose and send your message from there. Please thank one or more of the following legislators in your letter for their efforts to pass the hemp bill: Representative David Zuckerman (Burlington Free Press) — Rep. Zuckerman worked very hard "behind the scenes" to help negotiate the process for moving the hemp bill. Without his help, the bill would likely not have passed. Also, earlier in the year, he shepherded the bill through the House, helping to garner the strong 127-9 vote in that body. Senator Hull Maynard (Rutland Herald) — Sen. Maynard has been the champion for hemp in the Senate this year. He helped to educate Senators about the benefits of hemp and helped to garner the strong vote (25-1) on the Senate floor. Senator Dick Sears (Bennington Banner) — Even though he had concerns about the bill, Sen. Sears listened to Vermonters and worked to resolve his concerns so the bill could pass. Senator John Campbell (Valley News) — Sen. Campbell worked to garner support in the Senate and as Vice-Chair of the Judiciary Committee was also helpful in getting the bill out of that committee. Senator Peter Shumlin (Brattleboro Reformer) — Sen. Shumlin helped to negotiate the language in the bill to alleviate Sen. Sears' concerns. Your letters may help to convince newspapers to write editorials in favor of the hemp bill, like the Bennington Banner did today in their editorial "Pass the Hemp." Please also forward this email to at least two friends in Vermont and ask them to call and write letters as well. We're almost there! If you'd like to read the text of the bill, please click here. More information on the hemp issue in general and this bill can be found on the Rural Vermont Hemp page and on the Vote Hemp Vermont State page. Stay informed on agricultural policy and related legislation in Vermont. Join Rural Vermont's Farm Policy Network and receive regular email updates. About Vote Hemp Vote Hemp is a national, single-issue, non-profit organization dedicated to the acceptance of and a free market for low-THC industrial hemp and to changes in current law to allow U.S. farmers to once again grow the crop. Web Site: http://www.votehemp.com Support Vote Hemp Vote Hemp depends on donations from people like you to support our work. Please consider making a donation to Vote Hemp today. Contribute Now: http://www.votehemp.com/contribute.php  ..tr>..table>..table>..table> 8:08 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment Vote Hemp, Inc. Tom Murphy National Outreach Coordinator email: tom@votehemp.com phone: 207-542-4998 Tuesday, April 29, 2008 VoteHemp Alert for Vermont!!!!! Current mood: exhausted Category: News and Politics .. ..tr> ..tr style="background-color: rgb(129, 147, 109);" bgcolor="81936d"> ..tr> ..table> Action Needed Today on "Hemp for Vermont" Bill Please Call the Senate Judiciary Committee Chair & Vice-Chair Montpelier, VT — April 29, 2008 Time is running out for H.267, the "Hemp for Vermont" bill, in the Vermont Statehouse! We need your help to get this bill to the Governor's desk before the session ends, which will be within the next week. The bill has overwhelming support in both houses of the legislature, but it is being tied up in the Senate Judiciary Committee for purely political reasons. The bill has passed out of three committees with unanimous votes (House Agriculture, House Judiciary and Senate Agriculture), and it passed on the Vermont House floor with a veto-proof 127-9 vote. Here's what you can do to get this bill moving: Please make two phone calls today. Please call the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senators Dick Sears and John Campbell. Call them at 802-828-2228. Please leave a message for each of them with your name and phone number requesting that they "please pass H.267." Call today, Tuesday, if you can, or tomorrow morning, Wednesday, at the latest. Please do not email these senators. Phone calls are most effective. If you have a little extra time, please forward this email to at least two friends in Vermont and ask them to call as well. There is no reason this bill should not become law this year. The bill would direct Vermont's Secretary of Agriculture to write rules that would set up a licensing program in Vermont allowing farmers to grow industrial hemp. The bill is based on North Dakota's model law. The bill would require these rules to be written by December 2008. If you'd like to read the text of the bill, please click here. More information on the hemp issue and this bill can be found on the Rural Vermont Hemp page and on the Vote Hemp Vermont State page. Stay informed on agricultural policy and related legislation in Vermont. Join Rural Vermont's Farm Policy Network and receive regular email updates. About Vote Hemp Vote Hemp is a national, single-issue, non-profit organization dedicated to the acceptance of and a free market for low-THC industrial hemp and to changes in current law to allow U.S. farmers to once again grow the crop. Web site: http://www.votehemp.com Support Vote Hemp Vote Hemp depends on donations from people like you to support our work. Please consider making a donation to Vote Hemp today. Contribute here: http://www.votehemp.com/contribute.php ..tr> ..table> ..table> ..table> Forward email to a friend 9:47 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment Vote Hemp, Inc. Tom Murphy National Outreach Coordinator email: tom@votehemp.com phone: 207-542-4998 Wednesday, April 09, 2008 2 new hempsters on the way! Current mood: blessed   Yesterday, Alaina (my wife) had her OB appointment. The Doc told her she was indeed pregnant, she was very healthy and doing well. As they performed the ultrasound, he turned the monitor towards her and asked her what she saw. "It looks like there are two of them." she said. "You’re correct!" he said. When she called me to give me the news, she told me "I’m 10 to 12 weeks along, the Doc says I’m healthy and both heartbeats are strong"......I said "Both?"....."Yup, we’re gonna have twins!" she exclaimed. I laughed and I cried tears of JOY! We’re gonna have 2 new Hempsters by Christmas! 3:37 PM - 4 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment Sunday, March 16, 2008 Announcing a hemp building project in SD, at Kiza Park starting May 11th Current mood: excited Announcing a hemp building project at Kiza Park starting May 11th Kiza Park is located 3 miles north of Manderson SD, on BIA 33, near Wounded Knee, on the Pine Ridge Reservation. A hempcrete building project/workshop will be conducted at this site from May 11th through June 15th, supervised by American Limetec. We’re calling this project Maka Akan Wicoti (Community Upon The Earth), or Eco-Wicoti. For a variety of reasons, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota is one of the poorest locales in North America. The population grows while employment opportunities are nearly non-existent. Federal assistance under the Bureau of Indian Affairs is substandard. The supply of adequate housing diminishes each year. A crisis, (and now an opportunity) presented itself on December 20, 2007. The family homestead of Alex and Debra White Plume burned to the ground as the result of an electrical fire. The house was home to Alex and Debra, daughter Rosebud and her children, and grandchildren Tyson and Denise. The home served as the hub around which the White Plume clan turned. Many irreplaceable artifacts, ceremonial items, and records from their lifetime of work in human and indigenous rights are now gone. Alex has been Oglala Sioux Tribal President and Vice President. The White Plumes oversee a political action group called Owe Aku (Bring Back the Way) that is stopping uranium mining on the reservation and the Black Hills. Owe Aku is also active in protecting water, sacred sites, and economic development through renewable energy as well. In 2002, the White Plumes became the only farmers within the boundaries of the USA to have raised and delivered a crop of hemp since 1968. The United States quickly made it impossible to do so again. The Lakota Hemp Project is still fighting what they see as legal and political stupidity.  Now, the perfect moment in time for the global hemp movement to take action has arrived. Building a home and community that demonstrates the potential of hemp to the world is now underway. Hempcrete is a building material that is formed by combining air-lime based binders with the chopped core of the hemp plant stem. It can be pored into a form almost identical to pouring concrete, or spray applied. Hempcrete homes are lightweight, fire, water, earthquake, and rodent resistant, have excellent thermal mass and insulation characteristics that allows the homes to breath, which saves money on heating and cooling costs, has high sound insulation, and good flexibility. This building technique also sequesters a lot of carbon, reversing the damaging effects of greenhouse gases, providing one the best value materials for low impact, sustainable and commercially viable construction. The Roman aqueducts were most likely built this way, as were still active bridges in France dating to the sixth century. Homes such as these are being built in Europe today, and a new Chicago company called American Lime Technology is ready to use this technique here in the U.S. The White Plume’s community center will be the first building of its kind in America. With help from friends, relatives, and the global hemp community, rebuilding efforts are now in progress. A surviving portion of the foundation of the burned home has been re-used to build a simple building to get the family under a roof. The community center, located above Kiza Park, will be the site for this hempcrete building project. The community center is intended for neighbors to use for wakes and meetings, while serving as the hub around which a sustainable community will be built. The community center needs to be rebuilt, because much of the building materials in it have been used to rebuild Alex and Debra’s new house. The community center already has a floor, a foundation, and a timber frame, which are the requirements for a hempcrete building. Underneath the siding is a plywood wall that will be used to facilitate the spraying of the Hempcrete. The roof on the center needs to be replaced. A green tin will be used, which lasts much longer than asphalt. Then a solar powered water heater will be installed over the tin. The center already has electric power, and an original homestead well is nearby where a solar well pump will be installed. The inside of the building needs funding and labor to finish the interior rooms, bathrooms, kitchen, and utility. Every possible conservation and sustainability technique will be incorporated into all aspects of the design, including water consumption, composting toilets, heating and cooling, and renewable energy. A green pool where plants instead of chemicals clean gray water for gardening is in the planning, as well as a greenhouse system. The entire lot will be fenced off to keep horses out of the gardens, which will have row covers to keep the grasshoppers out. Housing/rental bungalows built out of straw bale and cob will then be strung along the ridge beside the road all the way down to the Kiza Park. A natural amphitheater in front of Wounded Knee creek, and a bridge into the campground will then be built, linking the community center with Kiza Park. The idea is to create a thriving eco-community that provides workshops and information for others on Pine Ridge and around the region, teaching them how to live sustainable by providing a sustainable model. Then an eco-hemp store will be opened in Kiza Park to bring economic development and further knowledge to the area, which will be passed on to others, providing a location where tourists, hemp enthusiasts, and visitors can come and stay in a green cottage, ride horses and mountain bikes, take classes, and eat buffalo and other organically grown local foods, all in a comfortable and educational environment. The 8th Annual Hemp Hoe Down (May 8-10, 2008) at the Elkview Campground near Sturgis, South Dakota, will be held as a benefit for the White Plume building project. This year’s event proceeds will be applied to help build the green home. The Hemp Hoe Down regularly features workshops regarding sustainability, and will be expanded this year to allow attendees the option to travel to Pine Ridge after the event and help participate in the construction of the home. Donations will be contributed to the construction of the house, and volunteers and workers are needed. Engineers, contractors, and others involved in construction are encouraged to attend to learn this amazing building technique. Hemp will have to be imported from Europe for the Hempcrete portion of the house, which will be expensive. However, American Limetec has graciously offered to do the construction and workshop without a fee. Join us! Learn sustainable building techniques. Email Jeremy Briggs at jb@hemphoedown.com.   Please send donations to Alex White Plume, PO Box 71, Manderson, SD, 57756. For more information visit: www.bringbacktheway.com; www.hempheodown.com; www.kizapark.com; and www.americanlimetec.com. 9:51 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment Thursday, March 13, 2008 N.D. producers plan acres, appeal industrial hemp lawsuit Current mood: confident Category: News and Politics N.D. producers plan acres, appeal industrial hemp lawsuit By SUE ROESLER, Farm & Ranch Guide Thursday, March 13, 2008 12:54 PM CDT As Wayne Hauge takes a coffee break in the middle of 16-hour days preparing taxes at his accounting firm in Ray, N.D., he talks about this year’s planting decisions. Hauge has dual businesses - as a durum producer and an accountant. As a farmer, he is naturally excited about prices this year. "I’m oscillating back and forth about acres and whether to plant more durum or more barley because of the fantastic prices," he said. One thing he is reasonably sure about - he won’t be planting any industrial hemp this spring. Hauge is one of two producers involved in the federal industrial hemp lawsuit against the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The other is state Rep. Dave Monson, a producer in Osnabrock, who, by his own admission, plants only a couple hundred acres and is involved in the lawsuit only because he wants to open the door for grain producers to be able to grow hemp. ..tr> ..table>..tr> ..table> Saskatchewan producer Morris Johnson harvests Finola industrial hemp, a variety preferred by many farmers in Canada because of short stalk, short growing season (80 days), and good oilseed profile. Photo by Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance.    ..tr> ..table>..tr> ..table> Last week, attorneys for the producers filed an appeal in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. They are appealing a federal judge’s decision last November dismissing their lawsuit against the DEA’s ban on state-licensed and regulated commercial hemp farming in the U.S. Local attorney for the two, Tim Purdon, said he filed a notice of appeal on Dec. 12, and filed the actual appeal Feb. 20. ..tr> ..table>..tr> ..table> The Department of Justice and the DEA will have 30 days to respond to the appeal, then Purdon will have 10 days to respond. Oral arguments would begin in late spring or early summer in either St. Paul, Minn., or St. Louis, Mo., if the appeals court decides to move forward with it. If that doesn’t work, the producers would have the U.S. Supreme Court left to appeal to, but Purdon says he isn’t thinking that far ahead. "I’m sure we will receive a fair hearing in the 8th Circuit," he said. Hauge thinks they have a strong case. "I’m looking forward to the opportunity for our side to present evidence," he said. "This is not a little tiny crop. This is a major crop that is grown all over the world. The U.S. is the only country that doesn’t allow it." Monson, recovering at home with the flu, said he had just received his paperwork and was unable to comment until he was well enough to go through it. The appeal is 48 pages long. Hauge said he wishes the USDA would step in and take over regulating the growing of industrial hemp. "That would solve everything," he said. He knows USDA Secretary Ed Schaefer, former governor of North Dakota, has a lot on his plate for his short term in office, but hopes he will at least discuss the effort with them. VoteHemp spokesperson Tom Murphy said industrial hemp legislation is moving ahead in two other states, but if their legislatures regulate hemp farming, they would still be 11 years behind North Dakota. Both Vermont and Wisconsin are currently in the process of passing legislation. Murphy said one of the main premises in the appeal is the fact that when Congress passed a cannabis tax law, it was their intent to regulate industrial hemp as a commercial product. He believes there was no actual language in the law about hemp because no one was pursuing growing it as a crop at that time. That’s why there was no distinction between cannabis varieties in the Controlled Substances Act definition when Congress passed that law in the 70s, according to Murphy. Murphy said because the hemp will be processed on the farms in North Dakota, and nothing will cross state lines except the oilseed, the DEA does not need to regulate anything or interfere in the state’s commercial enterprises. "North Dakota has the laws on the books to completely control and regulate industrial hemp," he said. While hemp products such as soap and granola bars are legal to use in the U.S., seed production is not. Canada, right across the northern border from North Dakota, exports the majority of its hemp seed into the U.S., according to Agriculture and Agri-food Canada. VoteHemp, the non-profit organization funding the lawsuit, said in a release last week that the lower court recognized "in the decision under appeal that the stalk, fiber, sterilized seed, and oil of the industrial hemp plant, and their derivatives, are legal under federal law, and those parts of the plant are expressly excluded from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act." Hauge and Monson are also still awaiting word on their application to the DEA to grow industrial hemp. It was sent to the DEA in January 2007, Hauge said. The DEA sent them a questionnaire to fill out that was basically for a drug company about manufacturing drugs, Monson said. Hauge added it was filled out and sent back in last month, and they are waiting for a response on it. Meanwhile, Hauge continues to ponder what he will grow this year. All his seed has been cleaned so he will have whatever he decides to plant ready to go. He said he contracts much of his barley acres, but wishes there were more Act of God clauses around with attractive rates. Hauge will be planting a new two-row barley that hasn’t been approved for malting yet. However, it has all the right characteristics to be approved in two years by the association. There may be more barley acres going in at his farm this year if he can work it out with his local elevator for storage. Of course, there will be more durum. He is also considering a new pinto bean that is just being released this year. That would take the place of chickpeas which he isn’t growing this year due to the lower prices. "Chickpea doesn’t have the profit potential," Hauge said. "I’m thinking stacking a cereal crop would be better." The entire appeal is available at: www.VoteHemp.com/legal_cases_ND.html. ..tr> ..table> 6:48 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment News Release Current mood: confident Found at: http://reason.org/news/hemp_ban_hurts_environment_economy_031308.shtml News Release .. --> startprint --> Study: U.S. Hemp Ban Hurts Environment, Economy Hemp is cheaper, more environmentally-friendly than crops now used to make car parts, jeans Los Angeles (March 13, 2008) - With oil hitting $110 a barrel and gas prices creeping towards $4 a gallon, the federal government continues to prohibit U.S. farmers from growing hemp, which could be used to efficiently produce biofuels, including cellulosic ethanol. Hemp is also a cost-effective, environmentally-friendly substitute for polyester, cotton, fiberglass and concrete, according to a new Reason Foundation study that examines hemp’s potential uses and the ways other countries are benefitting from it. Industrial hemp production is banned in the U.S. as an archaic consequence of the war on drugs. "There are numerous environmental advantages to hemp," said Skaidra Smith-Heisters, a policy analyst at Reason Foundation and author of the report. "Hemp often requires less energy to manufacture into products. It is less toxic to process. And it is easier to recycle and more biodegradable than most competing crops and products. Unfortunately, we won’t realize the full economic and environmental benefits of hemp until the crop is legal in the United States." The Reason Foundation study reveals that polyester fiber manufacturing requires six times the energy needed to grow hemp. And cotton is one of the most "water- and pesticide-intensive crops in the world." Hemp’s naturally higher resistance to weeds and pests means it requires dramatically fewer pesticides than cotton. Not only has the government banned hemp production in the U.S., it is also directly subsidizing other crops that the study shows to be "environmentally inferior." Corn farmers received $51 billion in subsidies between 1995 and 2005; wheat farmers were given $21 billion; cotton farmers fleeced taxpayers for $15 billion; and tobacco farmers were handed $530 million in taxpayer-funded subsidies. The Reason study says the Drug Enforcement Administration’s inability to distinguish between industrial hemp and marijuana is irrational and ignores scientific fact. The report states, "Marijuana cultivated for drug value contains between 3 and 10 percent of the active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Industrial hemp typically contains 0.3 percent or less of this active ingredient-as a result, it has no value as a drug." Full Report Online The full study, Illegally Green: Environmental Costs of Hemp Prohibition, is available online at: www.reason.org/ps367.pdf. A summary of the report is here: www.reason.org/ps367polsum.pdf. About Reason Foundation Reason Foundation is a nonprofit think tank dedicated to advancing free minds and free markets. Reason Foundation produces respected public policy research on a variety of issues and publishes the critically acclaimed monthly magazine, Reason. For more information, please visit www.reason.org. Contact Skaidra Smith-Heisters, Policy Analyst, Reason Foundation, (707) 569-9279 Chris Mitchell, Director of Communications, Reason Foundation, (310) 367-6109 .. --> stopprint -->    Print-friendly version   |     Email page 3:34 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment Wednesday, March 12, 2008 ND HEMP POLL RESULTS! Current mood: accomplished .. ..tr> ..tr style="background-color: rgb(129, 147, 109);" bgcolor="81936d"> ..tr> ..table> New Poll Shows Strong Voter Support for Industrial Hemp Farming in North Dakota 74% of North Dakotans Support Regulated Hemp Farming; Vote Hemp Calls on North Dakota Delegation in Congress to Take Action BISMARCK, ND (March 12, 2008) - Vote Hemp, the nation’s leading grassroots organization working to give farmers the right to grow industrial hemp (the oilseed and fiber varieties of the Cannabis plant), which can be made into food, clothing, paper, body care products, bio-fuel and even auto parts, has released a new poll of 807 likely North Dakota voters about industrial hemp. North Dakota is the only state to implement rules for farmers to grow industrial hemp; however, those farmers are still threatened with federal prosecution and loss of their farms through asset forfeiture if they do so. The telephone poll has a 3.5% margin of error and sampled likely North Dakota voters on February 11, 2008. The survey was conducted by the respected research firm Zogby International on behalf of Vote Hemp and was sponsored by Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps. According to the poll, a total of 74% of North Dakota voters support changing federal law to allow farmers to grow hemp, including 40% who "strongly support" and another 34% who "somewhat support" changes so that farmers in the U.S. can supply manufacturers with hemp seed, oil and fiber. Presently, American companies must import hemp from other countries. Despite the stifling effect that relying on imports has had on the use of hemp in everyday products, the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) estimates that annual retail sales of hemp products in North America exceeded $330 million in 2007. "The poll results released today confirm that there is overwhelming support in North Dakota for federal relief on the issue of industrial hemp," said Vote Hemp President Eric Steenstra. "The state legislature passed bi-partisan hemp farming legislation, Agriculture Commissioner Johnson issued carefully-crafted licensing regulations, and Governor John Hoeven has expressed his support for the effort. Now we need the North Dakota delegation in Congress to help their farmers grow industrial hemp, as the obstacle continues to be the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). We hope that Members of Congress recognize the fact that this issue has broad bi-partisan support in North Dakota and across the U.S. We feel that it is time for North Dakota’s congressional delegation to take on this challenging issue," added Steenstra, who met with North Dakota Representative Earl Pomeroy’s Chief of Staff last week to discuss the issue. "We hope that evidence of the broad-based support for hemp farming in North Dakota will convince them that they need to learn more about this issue and begin working on a solution." More than 30 industrialized nations grow industrial hemp and export it to the U.S. Hemp is the only crop that is illegal to grow in America yet legal for Americans to import. Sales of hemp food and body care products have grown rapidly in recent years, fueling an expansion of hemp farming in Canada, where farmers are expected to grow 10,000 to 15,000 acres this year. Poll questions and results regarding industrial hemp farming policy and consumer attitudes on hemp products and nutrition can be viewed