cannabisnews.com: South Dakota Voters To Decide On Industrial Hemp South Dakota Voters To Decide On Industrial Hemp Posted by CN Staff on June 19, 2002 at 09:48:34 PT By Bernard McGhee, Associated Press Writer Source: Press & Dakotan South Dakota voters will be able to decide whether to legalize hemp in November's election. More than 13,000 signatures calling for the South Dakota Industrial Hemp Act to go on the ballot were turned in to the Secretary of State's office, state Election Supervisor Chris Nelson said Tuesday.If passed, the proposal would draw a legal distinction between hemp and marijuana, paving the way for the legal development of hemp in the state. Under the proposal, hemp would be a legal crop if it contains no more than 1 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the substance in marijuana that makes people high. It will remove any South Dakota barrier from the production of industrial hemp,'' said Bob Newland of the South Dakota Industrial Hemp Council, which sponsored the proposal.Industrial hemp is a form of the Cannabis sativa plant, which is also known as marijuana. But unlike marijuana, hemp cannot be smoked to get high. Instead, it can be used to make products such as rope, paper, cloth, soap and animal feed.Under current law, the federal government is able to unjustly tell states what they can and cannot plant, Newland said.Newland is also running for state attorney general as a member of the Libertarian Party. He said his first act, if elected, would be to file suit against the federal government on the issue, claiming state sovereignty.Newland estimates that 85 percent of South Dakota voters support the legalization of industrial hemp. Some voters could interpret the initiative as a vote to legalize marijuana, Newland said.There's always the 15 percent ignorance factor,'' he said.The Industrial Hemp Act has also been endorsed by the South Dakota Farmers Union.Members of the Farmers Union see hemp as a useful alternative for farmers who have suffering financially because of drought and low prices, said Chuck Groth, communications director for the Farmers Union.And support of the hemp act does not mean the Farmers Union supports the legalization of marijuana, Groth said.Anyone who would assume that our support means we're one step away from (supporting marijuana legalization) would be badly mistaken,'' Groth said.Farmers who would grow hemp would have no problem telling the authorities and allowing them to inspect their crop, Groth said.Source: Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan (SD)Author: Bernard McGhee, Associated Press Writer Published: Wednesday, June 19, 2002Copyright: 2002 Yankton Daily Press & DakotanContact: http://www.yankton.net/letters/Website: http://www.pressanddakotan.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:SoDakNORMLhttp://www.sodaknorml.org/Hemp Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/hls.htmPetition Drive Under Way To Put Hemp On Ballot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11519.shtmlMan Aims To Put Hemp, Medical Marijuana On Ballothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8980.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by mayan on June 19, 2002 at 17:12:05 PT Right On! This should pass easier than Barry McCaffrey's urine sample(although I highly doubt he's ever had to submit one)!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on June 19, 2002 at 11:14:07 PT Dankhank Did you send this to me? I didn't get a submission. If you sent it to Map I don't get what is submitted to them. I just checked my mail and nothing was there. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Dankhank on June 19, 2002 at 11:03:19 PT: HuH? I think I newshawked this story ... no credit?Oh well ,,,,, Hemp N Stuff ... [ Post Comment ] Post Comment