$100,000 Hemp Lawsuit to Face Court Again
Two North Dakota farmers fighting for hemp legalization will continue their fight in the federal appeals court on Wednesday.
The farmers, who renewed their annual hemp licences almost a year ago, are still not legally allowed to grow hemp because of the federal law.
The lawsuit, which has been funded by Vote Hemp, has cost approximately $100,000 since it began in June last year.
State Law Says “Yes”, Federal Law Says “No”
Although the state of North Dakota, recognizing the difference between hemp and marijuana, has allowed the farmers to grow industrial hemp, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has a different view.
“The level of THC in the plant doesn’t matter. If there’s any THC in the plant, it’s illegal,” DEA spokesman Garrison Courtney says, referring to the farmers’ argument that industrial hemp contains extremely low levels of THC, and therefore shouldn’t be classified as a drug.
“To get those pieces of stalk that are legal, you have to grow a marijuana plant.”
Case Initially Dismissed
The case was initially dismissed by U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland in Bismarck, N.D in November last year.
The farmers’ lawyer, Tim Purdon says that they appealed that ruling, hoping for a new ruling that hemp “is not subject to regulation by the DEA and that our farmers aren’t going to be charged with a crime.”
He also says that the district judge should not have dismissed the case without hearing evidence about the differences between hemp and marijuana, adds Washington lawyer Joe Sandler, who will argue the farmers’ case before the appeals court.
To learn more about this case, and to view all court documents, view the North Dakota Case section of the Vote Hemp website.
Tags: hemp, hemp cultivation, hemp legalization, industrial hemp, marijuana, us hemp laws
