(reprinted from the NORML Foundation, http://www.norml.org)
Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura has signed legislation into law mandating that state officials seek federal permission to cultivate hemp. The hemp provision, included in the House Omnibus State Government Finance Bill, also establishes a state registry for farmers seeking to grow the crop.
"It was an uphill battle,
but in the end I was able to persuade my colleagues to include this provision
in the bill," said Rep. Phyllis Kahn (D-Minneapolis), who authored the
amendment. "Our farmers... need to be able to diversify, and adding
hemp into their crop rotation is just
one option. The hemp
bill we passed this session... is the first step toward [the] legalization
of growing hemp."
The new law maintains that state officials must "submit an application... [by] September 30, 1999... for federal permits to authorize the growing of experimental and demonstration plots of industrial hemp." It also directs the state to "establish standards... for persons wishing to register for growing... industrial hemp."
In April, Hawaii passed similar legislation allowing state researchers registered with the federal government to grow test plots of industrial hemp. Earlier that month, North Dakota became the first state in more than 50 years to remove criminal penalties for hemp cultivation.
The text and progress of bills in the Minnesota legislature can be read at http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legis.htm.
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| Issue #97, 7/2/99 Highway Profiling: Washington State Court Finds Pretextual Traffic Stops Illegal, Connecticut Governor Signs Anti-Profiling Bill Into Law | Coverdell to Introduce Amendment to Ban Needle Exchange in District of Columbia | New Mexico Update | The New Cold War: A Guide for Citizen Action on US International Drug Control Policy | News in Brief | Minnesota to Apply for Federal Permits to Grow Hemp | Job Opening at DPF | Editorial: We Hold These Truths |
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