FEDERAL JUDGE TURNS BACK NORTH DAKOTA FARMERS' EFFORT TO GROW HEMP

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by two North Dakota farmers
seeking to end the federal government's ban on commercial hemp
farming, saying that the issue needs to be addressed by Congress.

The ruling came down Wednesday in a 22-page decision from Judge Daniel
Hovland, who sits on the U.S. District Court in Bismarck, N.D.

In 1999, North Dakota became the first state to endorse industrial
hemp farming. In June, farmers David Monson and Wayne Hauge sued to
force the Drug Enforcement Administration to issue permits to grow
hemp; the farmers had applied for permits in February,

"Obviously, we are disappointed with the decision," said Eric
Steenstra, president of Vote Hemp, a grass-roots orginization that
supports industrial hemp farming in the United States. "We are not
giving up and will take this decision toWashington, D.C., to prompt
action by Congress [on legislation] that would clarify a state's right
to grow the crop."

Legislation introduced in Congress would exclude industrial hemp from
the definition of marijuana, but no hearings have been held on the
bill. Hemp can be used for a variety of products, from rope to lotion,
and farmers view it as a possibly lucrative new crop.

Industrial hemp is a cousin of marijuana and is used to make
everything from paper to lotion. But without permission from the DEA,
the farmers could be arrested for growing it.

Because hemp contains trace amounts of the banned substance THC
(tetrahydrocannabinol), it falls under federal anti-drug rules.

Monson farms 25 miles from Canada, where hemp acreage has grown
sixfold since 2004 as Canadian farmers have tapped into new and
growing markets for the scraggly, fibrous plant, which is used to make
clothing, textiles, diapers, footwear, foods and other products.

Ten years ago, Monson, who is a state legislator, won legislative
approval for research into hemp's potential as a cash crop in North
Dakota. In 1999, the Legislature adopted his resolution urging
Congress to unhitch marijuana and hemp, and the state set up a grower
application process.

Hauge, of Ray, said he was disappointed but not surprised by the
Hovland's ruling., and said it should spur congressional action.