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Pro-Hemp Group Seeks Sen. Mark Udall's Support

Pro-Hemp Group Seeks Udall's Support
The Greeley Tribune
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WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 04: U.S. Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) speaks during the lighting ceremony of the 2012 Capitol Christmas Tree December 4, 2012 at the West Front Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. The year's tree is a 65-foot Engelmann spruce from the Blanco Ranger District of the White River National Forest in Colorado. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Proponents of hemp farming continued their push in northern Colorado on Monday, with Greeley their latest campaign stop.

Members of Hemp for America convened outside the office of Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., in downtown Greeley, explaining to Udall staffers why they believe hemp should be grown legally in the U.S. They asked that the senator put his support behind such federal legislation.

The pro-hemp group has been traveling Colorado since May, organizers said, collecting signatures and letters and urging Colorado Sens. Udall and Michael Bennet, also a Democrat, to become cosponsors of the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013.

The seven Hemp for America representatives in attendance delivered about 700 constituent letters to Udall's office and also offered presentations for Udall staffers.

Udall's representatives didn't make any statements, but, at the conclusion of the demonstration, exchanged contact information with the Hemp for America members -- after politely saying "no thanks" to their offering of milk and cookies produced from hemp.

The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013 would amend the controlled substances act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana.

The Colorado Legislature approved SB 13-241, which legalized industrial hemp farming in the state, doing so with only one "no" vote.

However, because it is still illegal at the federal level, Colorado farmers who grow the crop -- like Ryan Loflin from Springfield in southeast Colorado, who was at the demonstration in Greeley on Monday -- are putting themselves at risk of legal action.

In March, about 120 people attended the Industrial Hemp Workshop in Loveland -- expressing an eagerness to bring back to U.S. farms a crop that has thousands of uses, supporters say, requires limited irrigation and other resources, has rapidly growing markets, but for decades has "mistakenly" been lumped into marijuana talks and outlawed by the federal government since the 1950s.

During the March workshop and during Monday's demonstration in Greeley, hemp enthusiasts highlighted hemp oil's and hemp protein's unique health benefits.

Hemp is used in food, nutrition supplements and animal feeds, and also in fiber glass, fabrics, paper, soaps, cosmetics, paints, coatings and its byproduct could be used eventually in biofuels, among other uses, as hemp proponents explained.

And growing hemp would be good for job creation, be a more profitable crop for farmers than others, and beneficial for the environment because of its limited input needs and other characteristics of the plant, according to Erik Hunter from Golden, who founded Hemp Cleans, a non-profit striving for regulation and cultivation of industrial hemp.

"There's just no reason the crop should be illegal in the U.S.," added Morris Beegle, owner of Colorado Hemp Co. in Loveland. "Hemp being attached to marijuana ... it got the raw end of the deal." ___

(c)2013 the Greeley Tribune (Greeley, Colo.)

Visit the Greeley Tribune (Greeley, Colo.) at www.greeleytribune.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

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Before You Go

16 Facts About Marijuana And The U.S. Economy
$13.7 Billion Saved On Prohibition Enforcement Costs(01 of16)
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The government would save an estimated $13.7 billion on prohibition enforcement costs and tax revenue by legalizing marijuana, according to a paper endorsed by 300 economists. (credit:AP)
Marijuana Inmates Cost Prisons $1 Billion A Year(02 of16)
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Inmates incarcerated on marijuana-related charges cost U.S. prisons $1 billion annually, according to a 2007 study, AlterNet reports. (credit:AP)
Marijuana Prohibition Costs Taxpayers $41.8 Billion A Year(03 of16)
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Including lost tax revenues, a 2007 study found that enforcing the marijuana prohibition costs tax payers $41.8 billion annually, Forbes reports. (credit:AP)
California Marijuana Crop Worth $14 Billion A Year(04 of16)
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Marijuana growers account for $14 billion a year in sales in California, making it the state's most valuable cash crop, TIME reports. (credit:AP)
Illegal Marijuana A $36 Billion A Year Industry(05 of16)
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It's estimated that illegal marijuana is a $36 billion industry in the U.S., MadameNoire reports. (credit:AP)
One-Third Of Americans Think Legalization Would Boost The Economy(06 of16)
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About one-third of Americans say they think legalizing marijuana would boost the economy, according to a 2010 poll by Associated Press-CNBC. (credit:AP)
Dispensary Ads Boost Newspapers' Revenue(07 of16)
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The Sacramento News and Review saw a big boost in ad revenue when it offered advertising space for more than 60 medical marijuana dispensaries, enabling the publication to hire three additional employees, according to News 10. (credit:AP)
Mendocino Zip Tie Program Raised $600,000(08 of16)
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Mendocino County, California's zip tie program aimed at regulating medical marijuana growing by charging permits for each plant raised $600,000 in revenue in for the Sheriff's department in 2011. (credit:AP)
Oakland Raised More Than $1 Million In Marijuana Tax Revenue(09 of16)
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The city of Oakland, California raised $1.3 million in tax revenue from medical marijuana dispensaries in 2011, 3 percent of the city's total business tax revenue, according to The New York Times. (credit:AP)
Colorado Pulls In $5 Million From Pot Sales Tax(10 of16)
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In 2011, Colorado pulled in $5 milllion in sales taxes from medical marijuana businesses, The New York Times reports. (credit:AP)
Legal Marijuana Could Be $100 Billion Industry(11 of16)
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Economist Stephen Easton estimated in 2010 that legal marijuana could be a $45 to $100 billion industry, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. (credit:AP)
Each weGrow Center Creates 75 Jobs(12 of16)
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When hydroponic marijuana growing supply chain weGrow opens a new store it creates an estimated 75 jobs indirectly, according to AZBusiness Magazine. (credit:AP)
Majority Of States Support Taxing Marijuana(13 of16)
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More than 60 percent of states agree with taxing marijuana, according to a poll by Associated Press-CNBC. (credit:AP)
Marijuana Affects Workplace Motivation(14 of16)
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A Norwegian study 25 years in the making came to the shocking conclusion that frequent marijuana use lowers employees' motivation at work.
More Than 1,000 Dispensaries In California(15 of16)
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There could be more than 1,000 medical marijuana dispensaries operating in California, Pasadena Weekly reported in 2009. (credit:AP)
Denver Counts More Dispensaries Than Starbucks(16 of16)
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As of July 2011, the city of Denver counted more medical marijuana dispensaries than Starbucks franchises. (credit:AP)
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