Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Sources close to the campaign of presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-Tex) said that the congressman would probably renew his call for the legalization of industrial marijuana - “hemp” in both Iowa and Arizona.
A call to legalize hemp would be attractive to farmers. This stance, combined with anti-war position, might make Ron Paul attractive to a large slice of GOP voters not enamored with many traditional “conservative” positions.
Iowa and Arizona’s farming communities could well be in favor of the legalization of an additional cash crop such as hemp. There is a large difference between industrial hemp - which contains little of the active ingredient that gets users “high - and marijuana that is actively cultivated for illegal drug use.
“The differences between Ron Paul and other candidates are gradually emerging,” said one observer of the campaign. “On one side you have modern day conservative-leaders like John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, and on the other a constitutional conservative Ron Paul. Contrasting their positions gives you a good idea of how far the American leadership has strayed from the Constitution.”
According to this observer, “If Ron Paul runs on legalizing hemp production, that gives him a leg up over other GOP candidates who would never advocate such a thing.” There is anti-war sentiment in both Iowa and Arizona that Ron Paul can capitalize on as well, this observer notes.
Ron Paul believes that the Constitution enumerates Federal powers, and that all others are relegated to the states. This is a correct understanding of the Constitution, according to many scholars, though not ones who believe it is a “living document.” For this reason, Ron Paul believes Federal drug laws are unconstitutional, besides being a boondoggle of massive proportions.
There is, in fact, no hard evidence that the Federal “war on drugs” has been effective at stemming the flow of drugs and drug use in America or in the West in general. It has, however, swelled the ranks of police officers, militarized them through the creation of “SWAT” teams and stuffed America’s prisons to overflowing. Ron Paul would leave drug legislation and enforcement to the states.
Ron Paul has already co-sponsored an industrial hemp bill. It was described by StopTheDrugWar.org, as follows:
Hemp: Ron Paul Introduces Industrial Hemp Bill in US Congress | Stop the Drug War (DRCNet)
“Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul has filed a bill that would legalize hemp farming in the United States. This marks the second time Rep. Paul has filed this bill, but it went nowhere in the last Congress. The bill, HR 1009, would allow domestic hemp manufacturers to buy their hemp from American producers. Currently, US law bars the production of industrial hemp, and American manufacturers have to import their hemp from other countries.
“This time around, Rep. Paul has nine cosponsors, all Democrats. They are Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Barney Frank (D-MA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Jim McDermott (D-WA), George Miller (D-CA), Pete Stark (D-CA) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).
"’It is indefensible that the United States government prevents American farmers from growing this crop. The prohibition subsidizes farmers in countries from Canada to Romania by eliminating American competition and encourages jobs in industries such as food, auto parts and clothing that utilize industrial hemp to be located overseas instead of in the United States,’ said Rep. Paul. ‘By passing the Industrial Hemp Farming Act, the House of Representatives can help American farmers and reduce the trade deficit - all without spending a single taxpayer dollar.’"
Wikipedia describes hemp and its cultivation, as follows:
Hemp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Hemp (from Old English hænep, see cannabis (etymology)) is the common name for plants belonging to the genus Cannabis, although the term is often used to refer only to Cannabis strains cultivated for industrial (non-drug) use. Licenses for hemp cultivation are issued in the European Union and Canada. In the United Kingdom, these licenses are issued by the Home Office under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. When grown for non-drug purposes hemp is often called industrial hemp, and a common product is fiber for use in a wide variety of products. Feral hemp or ditch weed is usually naturalized fiber or oilseed strains of Cannabis that have escaped from cultivation and are self-seeding Arizona?
News Hawk- User 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Free-Market News Network
Contact: Free Market News Network
Copyright: 2007 Free-Market News Network, Corp
Website: Ron Paul - Legalize Hemp in Arizona, Iowa (2) - Free Market News Network
A call to legalize hemp would be attractive to farmers. This stance, combined with anti-war position, might make Ron Paul attractive to a large slice of GOP voters not enamored with many traditional “conservative” positions.
Iowa and Arizona’s farming communities could well be in favor of the legalization of an additional cash crop such as hemp. There is a large difference between industrial hemp - which contains little of the active ingredient that gets users “high - and marijuana that is actively cultivated for illegal drug use.
“The differences between Ron Paul and other candidates are gradually emerging,” said one observer of the campaign. “On one side you have modern day conservative-leaders like John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, and on the other a constitutional conservative Ron Paul. Contrasting their positions gives you a good idea of how far the American leadership has strayed from the Constitution.”
According to this observer, “If Ron Paul runs on legalizing hemp production, that gives him a leg up over other GOP candidates who would never advocate such a thing.” There is anti-war sentiment in both Iowa and Arizona that Ron Paul can capitalize on as well, this observer notes.
Ron Paul believes that the Constitution enumerates Federal powers, and that all others are relegated to the states. This is a correct understanding of the Constitution, according to many scholars, though not ones who believe it is a “living document.” For this reason, Ron Paul believes Federal drug laws are unconstitutional, besides being a boondoggle of massive proportions.
There is, in fact, no hard evidence that the Federal “war on drugs” has been effective at stemming the flow of drugs and drug use in America or in the West in general. It has, however, swelled the ranks of police officers, militarized them through the creation of “SWAT” teams and stuffed America’s prisons to overflowing. Ron Paul would leave drug legislation and enforcement to the states.
Ron Paul has already co-sponsored an industrial hemp bill. It was described by StopTheDrugWar.org, as follows:
Hemp: Ron Paul Introduces Industrial Hemp Bill in US Congress | Stop the Drug War (DRCNet)
“Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul has filed a bill that would legalize hemp farming in the United States. This marks the second time Rep. Paul has filed this bill, but it went nowhere in the last Congress. The bill, HR 1009, would allow domestic hemp manufacturers to buy their hemp from American producers. Currently, US law bars the production of industrial hemp, and American manufacturers have to import their hemp from other countries.
“This time around, Rep. Paul has nine cosponsors, all Democrats. They are Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Barney Frank (D-MA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Jim McDermott (D-WA), George Miller (D-CA), Pete Stark (D-CA) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).
"’It is indefensible that the United States government prevents American farmers from growing this crop. The prohibition subsidizes farmers in countries from Canada to Romania by eliminating American competition and encourages jobs in industries such as food, auto parts and clothing that utilize industrial hemp to be located overseas instead of in the United States,’ said Rep. Paul. ‘By passing the Industrial Hemp Farming Act, the House of Representatives can help American farmers and reduce the trade deficit - all without spending a single taxpayer dollar.’"
Wikipedia describes hemp and its cultivation, as follows:
Hemp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Hemp (from Old English hænep, see cannabis (etymology)) is the common name for plants belonging to the genus Cannabis, although the term is often used to refer only to Cannabis strains cultivated for industrial (non-drug) use. Licenses for hemp cultivation are issued in the European Union and Canada. In the United Kingdom, these licenses are issued by the Home Office under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. When grown for non-drug purposes hemp is often called industrial hemp, and a common product is fiber for use in a wide variety of products. Feral hemp or ditch weed is usually naturalized fiber or oilseed strains of Cannabis that have escaped from cultivation and are self-seeding Arizona?
News Hawk- User 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Free-Market News Network
Contact: Free Market News Network
Copyright: 2007 Free-Market News Network, Corp
Website: Ron Paul - Legalize Hemp in Arizona, Iowa (2) - Free Market News Network
