March Against Monsanto

SB 566 Would Allow California Farmers to Grow Industrial Hemp Upon Federal Approval

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/28/5777538/governor-brown-signs-california.html

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept 28, 2013 -- /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Vote Hemp and the Hemp Industries Association (HIA), the nation's leading hemp grassroots advocacy organization and industry trade group, respectively, each working to revitalize industrial hemp production and processing in the U.S., are excited to report that Governor Jerry Brown has signed SB 566, the California Industrial Hemp Farming Act. After moving smoothly through the California legislature with strong bi-partisan support, this landmark legislation has now become California law.
Introduced by Senator Mark Leno earlier this year, SB 566 ensures that California is prepared to begin registering hemp farmers once the federal government has given states the green light. The California Industrial Hemp Farming Act will establish a framework for farming the oilseed and fiber varieties of the plant, which are used in a myriad of everyday consumer products, including food, body care, clothing, paper, auto parts, composites, building materials, and bio-fuels. Enforcement and oversight of hemp production would be conducted in concert with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and county agricultural commissioners, as is done with other crops.
"SB 566 demonstrates the real momentum behind the national movement to legalize industrial hemp," said Eric Steenstra, Executive Director of the Hemp Industries Association. "With Congressional bills to legalize hemp currently in both the House and Senate, California is on the cutting edge, pushing forward with an industrial hemp law that would not only stimulate much needed growth in local business and farming sectors, but ultimately lead the nation toward a federal policy change that would open hemp cultivation to hemp farmers around the country. This will lower our dependence on Canada and China for hemp imports, and empower our agrarian and manufacturing economies to finally tap into one of the fastest growing natural products in the market."
"With the signing of this bill, California is poised to grow industrial hemp when the federal government gives states the green light," said Senator Leno, D-San Francisco. "In the past year, the conversation to legalize the cultivation of hemp has gained momentum at the federal level, and it is only a matter of time before a farmer's right to grow hemp is restored. Hemp, which is already found in hundreds of consumer products manufactured in our state, is a perfect crop for California. It has great potential to revitalize family farms, create new jobs and stimulate the economy."
Strong support for the bill has come from The California Sheriffs Association, individual county sheriffs, family and organic farmers, environmental organizations, labor unions, and businesses statewide. 2 Vote Hemp and HIA believe that hemp farming registrations could be accepted as soon as 2014 based on the recent memo from Deputy Attorney General James Cole of the Department of Justice. "Before farmers can begin planting hemp under SB 566, the state will need to seek clarification from federal officials that state regulations for hemp farming meet the requirements outlined in the recent memo issued by Deputy Attorney General James Cole," notes Vote Hemp Director Patrick Goggin.
Today, more than 30 industrialized nations grow industrial hemp and export it to the United States. Hemp is the only crop that is illegal to grow at the federal level, yet is legal for Americans to import. Among the numerous California-based companies who have supported the bill are Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, makers of North America's top-selling natural soap, and Nutiva, a rising star among innovative health food companies. Both of these businesses currently must import hemp from other countries. The passage of SB 566 sends a strong message to Washington that the time has come to change federal policy regarding industrial hemp.
"Hemp grown right here in California would stimulate massive growth in the food, body care, textiles, building and other crucial sectors that suffer from having to import less efficient materials in lieu of this lucrative industrial crop," says David Bronner, President of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps. "The nationwide movement to legalize industrial hemp and farm it right here in the US to benefit American business is growing, and SB 566 opens a door to incredible opportunity for farmers who seek sustainable agriculture, ecologically responsible businesses and products. Ultimately, this bill will help end the prohibition on what is one of the most versatile and environmentally revolutionary industrial crops on the planet."
"Nutiva looks forward to buying hemp from American farmers," says John Roulac, President of Nutiva. "This will add American jobs and reduce our fuel consumption."
California businesses currently spend millions of dollars each year importing hemp primarily from Canada, China, and Europe. Demand for hemp products has been growing rapidly in recent years, and it is estimated that the U.S. hemp market now exceeds $500 million in annual retail sales. From natural soaps to healthy foods, there are a large variety of "Made in California" hemp products whose manufacturers and buyers will greatly benefit from an in-state source of hemp seed, fiber, and oil.
The environmental and agricultural benefits are not limited to the versatility of uses. Industrial hemp is an excellent rotation crop because its dense growth smothers weeds without herbicides and helps to break the disease cycle. Hemp requires less water and agricultural inputs than other crops, has deep tap roots that leave the soil in excellent condition for the next crop, and is proven to increase yields. These benefits save farmers money and reduce the amount of pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers that run into our waterways.
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 or www.TheHIA.org. Video footage of hemp farming in other countries is available upon request by contacting Ryan Fletcher at 202-641-0277 or ryan@votehemp.com.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/28/5777538/governor-brown-signs-california.html#storylink=cpy

War Never Ends

http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/melinda-haag-new-marijuana-guidelines-wont-affect-local-cases/Content?oid=2566092


http://www.theunion.com/opinion/columns/7884585-113/cannabis-ordinance-cultivation-plants

If you’ve been to any public event lately, you are probably aware that Americans for Safe Access-Nevada County is leading a petition drive that would allow the voters to accept or reject a more compassionate cannabis cultivation ordinance that is sponsored by our organization.

I apologize if we have asked some of you to sign our petition at multiple events.

Some have questioned whether our volunteers are being paid to gather signatures, and the answer is no.

All of our volunteers have given their time freely, although we do offer incentives like concert and raffle tickets to keep up morale.

This issue has united people from opposite ends of the political spectrum judging by the mountains of new voter registration cards we have gathered.

We cannot wait for a general election when the sheriff’s department is using the cultivation ordinance as a pretext to enter properties without justification … and to interpret the ordinance as they go without issuing clear guidelines.

Even people who don’t support patient rights are joining us because of violations against private property rights and the wasteful use of taxpayers’ dollars that are being spent to support prohibition — which has neither lowered supply nor demand but has incarcerated record numbers of nonviolent offenders.

Our initiative would replace the current cultivation ordinance that sets artificial square-foot restrictions on the size of the garden and would go back to state-sanctioned six plants per qualified patient.

We actually adopt the state minimum threshold as our maximum allowance. Our initiative would also restrict outdoor cultivation on R-1, R-2 and R-3 zoned parcels. You can read the whole initiative at http://asa-nc.com.

The current restrictions don’t just mark the outside dimensions of the garden. They include the height and width of a plant and the ground space separating the plants from each other.

You must cut the tops and sides of your plants if they extend past this invisible barrier.

The problem is that the best medicine is located in the tops and tips of the plant. 

Sheriff Royal has stated that square-foot restrictions are necessary because some cannabis plants grow to the size of giant Sequoia trees.

Although some Cannabis Sativa plants can reach heights of 14 feet or more, this is the exception rather than the rule, and his depiction is a gross exaggeration of the average plant being grown in Nevada County.

It really is a shame that our board of supervisors has steadfastly refused to mediate with stakeholders to find a solution that would meet the needs of patients while safeguarding the rights of neighbors to the quiet enjoyment of their properties.

Despite the fact that we voted for Prop 215 and poll after poll shows that we still support medical marijuana, our board believes that it knows what is best for us.

Special elections are necessary when our elected officials refuse to represent their constituents’ needs.

We cannot wait for a general election when the sheriff’s department is using the cultivation ordinance as a pretext to enter properties without justification, red-tag homes, conduct unlawful searches and to interpret the ordinance as they go without issuing clear guidelines.

ASA-NC again calls on the supervisors to accept our initiative and spare us all the cost of a special election.

Even worse are the missed opportunities that occur by opposing each other rather than working toward a creative win-win solution.

Case in point are the illegal grows taking place in our national forests that are polluting our watershed and destroying wildlife.

ASA supports organic growing methods to ensure the safest level of medicine is being produced for human consumption.

Surely this is an area where we could work together.

If you are still sitting on the fence about the effectiveness of marijuana as a medicine, I urge you to watch two remarkable films that I guarantee will change your mind.

First is “What if Cannabis Cured Cancer,” by Len Richmond, and the second is the CNN documentary, “Weed,” by Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

A quick Google search will turn up links to both of these videos. I defy any parent to reject the cannabis therapy that spared young Charlotte Figi from suffering from more than 300 epileptic seizures a month.

Indeed, cannabis was the only medication that brought relief and controlled her symptoms.

After you see the effectiveness of medical marijuana for yourself, I hope you will join the thousands of people who have already signed our petition.

There may come a time when you or a loved one will need this medicine, and we hope that it will still available when you do.

Patricia Smith is the chair of Americans for Safe Access, Nevada County.