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Dear Reader,
In our last issue of The Hemp News
Update we were left hanging as to when
the Vermont
hemp farming bill would be sent to Governor
Douglas for his signature or veto. Since then
we have had enough political intrigue to
satisfy even the most jaded observer. If you
subscribe to our Vote Hemp Report
email newsletter you may have received part
of the news as well as our press
release yesterday.
Governor Douglas received the bill and
forwarded it on to the Secretary of State
intending it to become law without his
signature. But, this fomented a
constitutional controversy as the Secretary
of State's office refused to accept the bill
and asked for opinion from Attorney General
if the bill should become law or not. The
Attorney General's office sent a Formal
Opinion to the Secretary of State in support of
Governor's action. So, the Secretary of State
accepted Attorney General's opinion and made
the bill Act No. 212 late last Friday.
Hemp is being grown in more and more
countries around the world. It is even being
grown in Iceland!
In Australia Hemp Industry Bill 2008 has now
passed through both Houses of the New South
Wales Parliament. The bill introduces a new
licensing scheme to allow the production of
industrial hemp there.
Here in the U.S. we are subjected to
misinformation on a grand scale. We can and
must correct stories like the ditchweed is
marijuana story below. It is time consuming,
but is well worth the effort. DEA
marked their 35th anniversary this month,
so we don't expect the lies
from them and the ONDCP to stop anytime
soon barring a miracle.
We are now looking forward to the next
legislative season when we will have the
opportunity to introduce or re-introduce hemp
farming bills, study bills and resolutions on
the state and federal level. All of this will
take planning, coordination and funding.
Please make a contribution
to Vote Hemp today to help us continue our
work and bring hemp farming back to America.
We need and truly appreciate your support!
Best Regards,
Tom Murphy
Hemp News Update Editor
| Hemp Shorts: |
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Hemp sails of the Sarah. Photo credit:
Cape Cod Maritime Museum.
Historic
Boat Sails To Benefit Museum,
Society
The Cape Cod Chronicle
reports on the South Shore Tour of the Cape
Cod Maritime Museum's Catboat Sarah,
a hand-built replica of an 1886 Crosby
Catboat, on July 1 - August 31, 2008. She has
a canvas sail gaff-rigged with hemp, manilla
halyards and cleats and blocks made of wood.
AG
Rules Hemp Bill Is Legal
By Peter
Hirschfeld, of the Vermont Press Bureau, has
a local angle on the controversy surrounding
the Hemp for Vermont bill in The Barre
Montpelier Times Argus.
Attorney
General Says Hemp Bill Is
Constitutional
Vermont Public
Radio covers the same story, but with a
more state oriented angle.
Vt.
Attorney General OKs Hemp
Bill
Legal News Line of
Washington, DC has a short, but well written
piece as well.
7
Healthy Hemp Foods to Try
Liza Barnes
at SparkPeople writes that "Hemp is
the New Flax."
Airbus,
CSIR to Develop Natural Fibres
Airbus
announced a partnership with South Africa's
Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSIR) to develop a natural-fibre
material for aircraft interiors.
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| Growing Naturally |
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Ken Barker, CEO of Naturally Advanced
Technologies. Photo credit: Cathy Cheney,
Portland Business Journal.
By Robin J. Moody
Portland Business
Journal
June 27, 2008
Hemp's time has finally come, Ken Barker,
chief executive of Naturally Advanced
Technologies Inc., likes to say.
For years, fast-growing and water-wise hemp
has been touted as a sustainable alternative
to cotton, arguably the most toxic crop on
the planet and one of the most
water-intensive. The catch: Hemp-based
fabrics have lacked the softness and
versatility of combed cotton.
Until now.
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| Industrial Hemp Crops To Be Sown In NSW By Spring |
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The Land
June 30, 2008
Industrial hemp is a step closer to becoming
a new production crop in NSW, following the
passing of the Hemp Industry Bill 2008
through the NSW Upper House last week.
The bill, which introduces a new licensing
scheme to allow the production of industrial
hemp in NSW, has now passed through both
Houses of NSW Parliament.
Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald
says the licensing scheme means industrial
hemp crops can be planted this coming spring.
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| HIA Featured Member - EnviroTextiles, LLC |
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HIA Board Member Summer Haeske currently
serves as the National Sales Manager of EnviroTextiles,
LLC, a family-owned company based in
Glenwood Springs, Colorado, which imports and
distributes hemp and hemp blend yarns,
fabrics and finished textile goods. Haeske
began working with Barbara Filippone when
Filippone started EnviroTextiles back in 2001.
Filippone is recognized as a pioneer in the
business of hemp textiles. Filippone
re-opened the Western textile market to
Romanian hemp back in the early 1990s,
followed by Chinese hemp after 1996. At this
time, Haeske helped create Earth Goods, one
of the first hemp apparel lines. Now in her
eighth year at EnviroTextiles, Haeske
possesses a full understanding of how to
design and inspect fabrics, as well as how to
pattern, grade and finish products. Together,
Haeske and Filippone grew the company to $1
million in sales in 2006.
Not only does Haeske manage sales, but she
also organizes fashion shows for events that
EnviroTextiles has sponsored, including the
first sustainable business conference at the
Fashion Institute in New York City in 2007.
One of Haeske's favorite projects was for
MTV's "Pimp My Ride" show, which featured the
Earth Day car upholstered in sustainable hemp
fabrics provided by EnviroTextiles.
This past January, Haeske worked with top
designers Versace, Calvin Klein and Donna
Karan, each of whom incorporated
EnviroTextiles' fabrics into their designs
featured at the 2008 Earth Pledge event
during New York's Fashion Week "Future of
Fashion." The designs were also showcased at
Barney's 5th Avenue for the month of February.
[If you are a member of the HIA and would
like to have your company featured here,
please submit a small selection of graphics
and a profile of no more than a few
paragraphs to tom@thehia.org,
or call 207-542-4998 for more information.
Space is limited and is first-come,
first-serve. Your member profile will be seen
in the The HIA Member Newsletter as
well as here in The
Hemp News Update, which is read by
thousands of subscribers.]
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| Growing Wild |
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Juvenile "marijuana" plants in Medina
Township, Illinois. Photo credit: Matt
Dayhoff/Journal Star.
By Anita Szoke
Peoria Journal
Star
May 29, 2008
ROME, IL — They may only be about a
foot tall right now, but in a few months, the
wild marijuana plants in the area can grow
into one big problem.
That's why Medina Township and the Peoria
County Sheriff's Department teamed together
Thursday to destroy the illicit wild weed
found growing in rural Medina Township before
it matures and before others can get to it.
"We're working to eradicate it and get it
this year before it gets to maturity," said
Medina Township Supervisor John Dawson.
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Growers Breeding New Hemp |
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By Martin Cash
Winnipeg Free
Press
June 25, 2008
Hemp growers in the Dauphin region are going
back to some of the original hemp breeds in
the area from the 18th century to come up
with new varieties.
Unlike more commercially acceptable grains
like wheat and barley, commercial hemp
growers must register and certify the seed
they use every crop year. That is largely a
result of regulatory pressures, mostly from
the United States, about concerns over the
control of marijuana which is another type of
hemp.
Joe Federowich, chairman of Parkland Prairie
Hemp Growers Co-Op, said it takes several
years to certify and register new varieties
of hemp seeds. If the region is ever to be
successful in developing an industrial hemp
processing plant, it is going to need a much
larger supply of seeds to feed the plant with
fibre, he said.
[More...]
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