cannabisnews.com: Funding Difficulties Close Trial Hemp Farm





Funding Difficulties Close Trial Hemp Farm
Posted by CN Staff on October 01, 2003 at 07:06:22 PT
By Richard Borreca
Source: Star-Bulletin 
A 4-year-old experimental hemp farm on a quarter acre of land in Wahiawa has been shut down because investors declined to continue funding the project.State Rep. Cynthia Thielen (R, Kaneohe-Kailua), who has promoted hemp as an industrial product, said the small farm was closed because the federal Drug Enforcement Administration would only give the farm a temporary permit and investors were not sure of the project's viability.
"The DEA's action on the temporary permits put the project into a nebulous status and it raised questions," Thielen said.The state Legislature in 1999 authorized the project to investigate the use of hemp for industrial and commercial purposes. Former Gov. Ben Cayetano had welcomed the proposal and even joined in planting the first hemp plants.The farm started with a $200,000 grant from Alterna Professional Hair Care Products, which markets a hemp-based shampoo, and then a series of smaller private donations, Thielen said.The DEA and the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy initially opposed the research project, saying hemp farming would send the wrong signal to young people and would allow marijuana farmers to hide their crops with industrial hemp plants.Because hemp is a relative of marijuana -- containing only traces of tetrahydrocannabinol, the hallucinogenic found in marijuana -- it is illegal to cultivate.But Thielen said: "You could roll a joint as big as a telephone pole and you wouldn't get high." Her son, Peter, who manufactures hemp clothes on Kauai, had convinced Thielen that it would be a good alternative crop for Hawaii, but Thielen says the project has closed."We gave it a valiant try, but ultimately, because of inaction by the federal government, we were unable to continue. Canada and France and other countries will be making the money," Thielen said.The decision to cancel the project was made by David West, the hemp project director and principal investigator, who voluntarily surrendered his hemp growing license.Briane Grey, DEA assistant special agent in charge, said yesterday that the DEA supervised the destruction of the remaining six pounds of hemp seeds and hemp plants at the Wahiawa facility.Note: Investors hesitated because the DEA would only issue the project interim permits.The Associated Press contributed to this report. Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI)Author: Richard BorrecaPublished: Wednesday, October 1, 2003Copyright: 2003 Honolulu Star-BulletinContact: letters starbulletin.comWebsite: http://www.starbulletin.com/Related Article & Web Site:Cannabis News Hemp Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/hls.htmDEA Permits Hawaii To Plant Industrial Hemp http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3985.shtmlCannabisNews Hemp Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/hemp.shtml
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Comment #7 posted by Rev Jonathan Adler on October 03, 2003 at 19:49:25 PT:
Complete Sham and a farce from the beginning!
Whoa There; what was the rest of the story? The whole thing was a carefully orchestrated sham! I was there at the legislature for several sessions where we "real" hemp   activists fought for freedom to use hemp legally. We finally won a test facility, only to find out it was fixed for the insiders only. Senator Cynthia Thielen and her son Peter promoted his hemp business at the expense of everyone else. No benefit to our state at all! I constantly repeat, we need a clinical cannabis research study in Hawaii that makes progress in research and turns a profit too. When will they listen? Our proposal still stands. Rev. Jonathan Adler
"Growing forward towards a better tomorrow!"
Hawaii Medical Marijuana Institute
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Comment #6 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on October 01, 2003 at 13:04:11 PT
La Cucaracha again
What's the current status of the Cheech and Chong reunion, what with Chong's *ahem* living arrangements?
http://www.ucomics.com/lacucaracha/2003/10/01/
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on October 01, 2003 at 10:16:43 PT
Nuevo Mexican 
I thought it was interesting even though I'm not sure about how people could just move to another state. It is cold up there in New Hampshire. Burrrr!
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Comment #4 posted by Nuevo Mexican on October 01, 2003 at 10:09:37 PT
FOM: New Hampshire is perfect!
New 'Mexico' will follow quickly, we've already left the union, as we were never embraced in the first place, (but seen as a great place for toxic waste storage, nuclear bombs, Los Alamos, etc.) But since New Hampshire shares a horoscope with the U.S., but better, (the planet Uranus hadn't been discovered by western civilization, and was in a fairly negative, violence-worshiping aspect in the U.S, birth chart in 1776). The chart for New Hampshire is the improved chart for the U.S. and is also similiar to my own, thus my rebel/patriot/astrologer personality is reflected in the chart of the state known for 'live free or die'. It would be easy for me to relocate, as I have relatives in N.H., and it borders Canada as well. Fortunately, I live in a state that borders Mexico! Thanks for publishing this article, cannabis issues are libertarian by nature, and New Hampshire has a 'libertarian' chart. Thought i'd share some insights! 
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Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on October 01, 2003 at 09:00:46 PT
The DEA are a pack of man-rapists
These are men who accept being sexually assaulted by other men to get their job.How can anyone take anything they do or say seriously?They force their genitals in each others faces.What kind of man accepts that kind of treatment from another man?
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on October 01, 2003 at 08:46:17 PT
News Brief from The Associated Press
Libertarians Pick N.H. for 'Free State'By Kate McCann, Associated Press WriterOctober 01, 2003 
 
A group of libertarians Wednesday announced New Hampshire as the place where it hopes to send 20,000 Americans to create a "free state."New Hampshire, whose motto is "Live Free or Die," beat out nine other finalists for the Free State Project. Wyoming was runner-up but 10 percentage points behind New Hampshire in balloting conducted by about 5,000 members of the project around the country, Project Vice President Elizabeth McKinstry said.The 5,000 members have already pledged to relocate to the selected state, Free State Project organizers say. They hope to increase their numbers to 20,000 within two years, move to the chosen state, and start transforming the state into a national model for small government, few laws and individual liberty."We won. That's fantastic," said New Hampshire Libertarian Party Chairman John Babiarz. "It's like New Hampshire has won a nationwide popularity contest based on its fundamentals."McKinstry of Ann Arbor, Mich., said New Hampshire won because it "boasts the lowest state and local tax burden in the continental U.S., the leanest state government in the country ... a citizen legislature, a healthy job market, and perhaps most important, local support for our movement," she said.Project members also like the state's constitution, which protects the rights to revolution and secession.The prospective new neighbors worry some New Hampshire residents.Kathy Sullivan, state Democratic Party chairwoman, said project members "can best be described as anarchists."Babiarz said critics have it wrong."We're not here to invade or take over. We're here to restore the American dream," said Babiarz, a database consultant.Some free-staters want to roll back restrictions on gambling, legalize medicinal marijuana and strengthen gun rights. But McKinstry said members also will work for charities and scholarship programs and help citizens take back their government.Doug Hillman, 39, said he is looking forward to leaving Graham, Ala., and moving his wife and four young children somewhere near Littleton or Lancaster.Hillman was most impressed with Republican Gov. Craig Benson's attitude toward the project - "Come on up, we'd love to have you," he said last summer."That led me to believe that libertarian thought and libertarianism is more accepted in New Hampshire," Hillman said.Following second-place Wyoming in the voting, in order, were Montana, Idaho, Alaska, Maine, Vermont, Delaware, South Dakota and North Dakota.Copyright: 2003 Associated Press
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Comment #1 posted by BigDawg on October 01, 2003 at 07:17:06 PT
The wrong signal alright
Growing hemp sends the wrong signal to young people...they might just realize that there is a better way.
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