Read about the latest articles on the effort to legalize hemp in the United States and around the world, including industrial hemp, food products and more.
Governor Jerry Brown Vetoes Hemp Legalization in California
In a veto message, Jerry California Governor Brown said federal law considers industrial hemp to be a regulated, controlled substance, and that failure to obtain a federal permit would subject California farmers to federal prosecution.
“Although I am not signing this measure, I do support a change in federal law,” Brown said in a veto message. “Products made from hemp – clothes, food, and bath products – are legally sold in California every day. It is absurd that hemp is being imported into the state, but our farmers cannot grow it.”
Nutiva CEO John W Roulac commented ” This is a sad day and this veto will only hurt California farmers, workers, and business’s such as Nutiva who want to grow this renewable non-drug crop.”
Nutiva imports millions of dollars worth of Canadian hempseeds every year due to antiquated laws that prevent US farmers from growing industrial.
I am writing to ask you to sign SB 676 (Leno), which would permit California farmers to grow industrial hemp to produce hemp seed, oil and fiber for sale to manufacturers. All hemp products are legally for sale in the United States and are currently imported from Canada and other nations. Current law prohibiting California farmers from producing these legal products hurts our economy and simply does not make sense
Nutiva is the world’s leading organic food brand, with a 44% annual growth rate since 2005. Inc. Magazine has named Nutiva as one of America’s fastest growing brands for the last three consecutive years (2009 – 2011).
Because of our growth rate, Nutiva has hired 25 workers in the past year at our new 18,500 SQ FT facility in Oxnard, California.
We will process three million pounds of organic hempseeds in factories in Canada in 2011. We would prefer to do this in California and the U.S. This would save us in shipping costs, and further enable us to offer more local jobs. Hemp fiber is among the strongest, natural fibers in the world and it can be used to replace wood pulp, as well as synthetic fibers in numerous applications. Hempseed is nutritionally rich in protein and healthy Omega-3 fats.
The demand for hemp products has been growing rapidly in recent years and California farmers would benefit from this growth. The benefits for farmers are not only financial, the bill is also practical. Industrial hemp is an excellent rotational crop because it naturally reduces nematode populations, while its dense growth smothers out weeds. Therefore, hemp requires less water and agricultural chemicals than all other crops and has deep roots that leave the soil in excellent condition for the next crop.
The environmental benefits of hemp as a replacement for wood pulp and a reduction of pesticide use will help create a cleaner and healthier California. California law should be changed to permit the cultivation of industrial hemp as an agricultural crop. SB 676 would enable California farmers and processors to take advantage of industrial hemp and we strongly urge you to sign the bill into law.
Sincerely,
John W. Roulac
CEO and Founder
Nutiva
You too can make a difference in the fight for Hemp Legalization at the Vote Hemp website. Take action NOW and let our voices heard!
Check out the recent news about Hemp legalization in Vermont. The battle is far from over, but awareness is up and progress is underway.
With your help we can raise awareness and get Hemp legalized. Please call and write to your Representative in Congress. Take action HERE, at the Vote Hemp website.
Vermont is the Latest Battleground in the Fight For Hemp
By Tim Johnson, Free Press Staff
August 21, 2011
Like most other products, hemp has its own trade associations. It has lobbyists. It has publicists. Together they churn out literature touting hemp’s extraordinary versatility and its ecological and agronomic virtues – a kind of wonder crop.
Hemp does not have a political action committee, however, which could explain partly why the campaign to legalize industrial hemp in the United States hasn’t gained much traction. [click to continue…]
Hemp products have been misunderstood for quite some time. Hemp’s potential as a cash crop and its nutritional value have been overshadowed by the stigma of Marijuana. However, with the passing of SB 676 in the California State Senate hemp’s day just got a little brighter. This article from IVN does a great job of outlining this historic event and the potential it brings to California.
We’ve all heard about how the Declaration of Independence was penned on hemp paper and how our founding fathers grew the stuff like it was, well, a weed. Their reasons for growing it were sensible enough: hemp offered unparalleled capital potential as a cash crop with its seemingly limitless industrial applications, not to mention its nutritional properties. A couple of centuries and a failed Drug War later, a California state senator is making an effort to revive some of the common sense found in this earlier, agrarian era. [click to continue…]
On March 29th, 2011 UCLA hosted “Hemp for Performance, Profit and the Planet,” a panel discussion featuring hemp advocates and activists Brendan Brazier, John W Roulac, and Steve Levine, as part of Hemp History Week 2011.
There are 6 videos below. The first is a “trailer” video for the event and Hemp History Week. The other 5 videos are the complete discussion from the event, broken up into 15-minute segments.
This is pretty interesting: The Organization Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is currently looking at whether or not to legalize hemp as a food product in Australia and New Zealand. They have progressed as far as recognizing that eating hemp foods does not constitute a public health risk. We’re watching as this important movement unfolds, and we’ll keep you updated too! Viva la Hemp!
Enjoy.
Article From: The Sydney Morning Herald
ONCE you could smoke it, then you could wear it, now maybe you can eat it. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is seeking public comment on requested changes to the food code to allow hemp to be eaten. But it will not make you high. While industrial hemp belongs to the cannabis family, it is a distant cousin of the kind that produces marijuana.
Deemed to have no pyschoactive properties due to low levels of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), hemp is produced in Australia for fibre, food for pets and livestock, and oil for cosmetics, but to date the oil may not be used for human food.
FSANZ yesterday announced a period of public comment on two requests for changes to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code including the hemp request, raised by Dr Andrew Katelaris.
Chief Executive Officer, Steve McCutcheon, said in a statement that FSANZ’s responsibility was to ensure that the use of hemp in food should be safe for consumers. [click to continue…]
