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Dear Reader,
Welcome to the first issue of The Vote Hemp
Weekly News Update! We are happy to welcome the
readers of The Hemp Report's Hemp News list. Every
week members of the Vote Hemp Board of Directors and
our Media Team will choose the best hemp news
stories for you to peruse.
Please make a contribution
to Vote Hemp. Thanks again for your support.
The most interesting news of the week was the press
release New DNA 'fingerprinting' technique
separates hemp from marijuana from the
University of Minnesota News Service. In the study,
researchers document a new method to scientifically
distinguish industrial varieties of cannabis from drug
varieties. The study
"Genetic variation in hemp and marijuana
(Cannabis sativa L.) according to amplified
fragment length polymorphisms" by George Weiblen and
Shannon Datwyler was published in the March issue of
the Journal of Forensic Sciences. This research
provides additional evidence that hemp and marijuana
are distinct and should be recognized separately
under US federal law. Please click
here to download a full copy of the study (PDF
file 128K).
There was also another study issued during
National Agriculture Week. The Maine Agricultural
Center released its long awaited study on hemp in Maine.
Please click
here to download a copy of An Assessment of
Industrial Hemp Production in Maine (PDF file
257K). The study, authorized by LD 53 in 2003,
paints a realistic picture of what needs to be done
in Maine to realize the dream of growing hemp in
that state.
| New Funding for Science Research at Composites Innovation Centre |
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Government of Canada News
March 21, 2006
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA Ð The Composites Innovation
Centre (CIC) will receive a further $6.6 million
under the Canada-Manitoba Economic Partnership
Agreement (EPA) to support the growth of an
internationally competitive composites industry in
Manitoba.
The Honourable Carol Skelton, Minister of
National Revenue and Minister of Western Economic
Diversification, and the Honourable Greg Selinger,
Manitoba Minister of Finance, made the announcement
today at the CIC laboratory, located in the
University of Manitoba's Smartpark.
"The Government of Canada supports the importance
of basic and applied research, especially in science
and technology, as an essential component of
Canada's future economic well-being," said Minister
Skelton. "This funding will ensure long-term
economic and industrial growth, and mirrors the
priorities of our Government in creating jobs,
opportunities and stronger communities."
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| Hemp Harvested to Check Pollution |
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Manawatu Standard
March 14, 2006
NEW ZEALAND - A crop of hemp is being
harvested in Feilding to
check the absorption rates of known river pollutants
- phosphorus and nitrogen.
There are three plots of hemp near Feilding's
sewage treatment plant, which treats waste before it
reaches the Oroua River.
The crop is looking promising, and one plot,
planted in November, has reached 2.5m in height.
The plants are sub-irrigated with tertiary
treated waste from the sewage plant. This means the
waste is treated several times before being put on
paddocks.
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| State Ag Commissioners on a Quest to Make Hemp Farming Legal |
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Agriculture Online
February 23, 2006
Agriculture commissioners from four states met
with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials
last week to explore acceptable rules on industrial
hemp farming.
North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger
Johnson, along with ag commissioners from
Massachusetts, West Virginia and Wisconsin, met with
DEA Deputy Assistant Administrator Joseph
Rannazzisi, Deputy Chief Counsel Robert Gleason, and
Chief of Congressional Affairs Eric Akres.
"The DEA people were very cordial, but they told
us that the process of legalizing the production of
industrial hemp will be extremely complicated under
existing federal law," Johnson said. "The DEA has
never responded to our earlier inquiries, but today
we were able to present our case and learn from them
what may be required in terms of regulations and
safeguards."
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Drug-free hemp is focus of U study |
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UMN Researcher George Weiblen
By Lily Langerud
The Minnesota Daily
March
27, 2006
A new University study on hemp and marijuana
could pave the way for a drug-free industrial hemp
plant.
The study identifies the genetic markers that
differentiate hemp from marijuana and could have
broader implications for the growing of industrial
hemp and criminal cases involving marijuana
distribution.
The technique, developed by University
researchers George Weiblen and Shannon Datwyler, has
immediate applications in Europe and Canada, where
it is illegal to grow marijuana but legal to grow
hemp, Weiblen said.
In the United States, both marijuana and hemp are
illegal to grow, but the research is useful in
forensic science, and DNA fingerprints from the
plants could be used to link marijuana growers to
distributors, he said.
[READ MORE]
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