And here I thought the USDA’s making hemp eligible for crop insurance would change Kristi’s mind….
Governor Kristi Noem still can’t tell the difference between industrial hemp and smokable marijuana. Just take a look at her latest screed from Second Floor, which she mistitles, “Industrial Hemp Is Not the Answer.”
As has been the case throughout her obstinate rejection of crop diversification in South Dakota, Governor Noem has not one argument against industrial hemp itself. She just keeps screaming that, like her, drug dogs and cops and prosecutors won’t be able to tell the difference between hemp that makes clothes and plywood and hempcrete and motorbike mufflers and bioplastic automobiles, and moms and dads and kids will all get high and destroy family life as we know it:
That’s what it boils down to. Legalizing industrial hemp weakens drug laws. It hurts law enforcement. It’s a step backward. South Dakota already faces a drug problem. Families continue to be ripped apart by substance abuse. I realize this position might not be popular, but that’s not why I’m taking it. As a governor who has said I will make every decision with the next generation in mind, I cannot sit by.
South Dakota must lead by example. We cannot rush into legalizing industrial hemp without knowing the cost we will pay. The safety and health of the next generation is not worth the gamble [Gov. Kristi Noem, weekly column, 2019.08.29].
Hemp was a staple of Minnesota’s economy before World War 2, and Minnesota families weren’t ripped apart back then by substance abuse. Kids can huff paint thinner, parents can make meth from a number of over-the-counter products, and lots of people get addicted and die from opioids, but we find ways for those legal and useful products to coexist with far greater risks from their own use than accrue from smoking pot, which cannot be made from the industrial hemp that Governor Noem resists.
Maybe Kristi and her cops can’t tell the difference between industrial hemp and wacky weed. But surely they can still tell the difference between a safe driver and an impaired driver. Surely employers can tell the difference between a productive worker and a doper asleep at his desk. Surely DSS and judges can tell the difference parents who are taking care of their children and addicts using their diaper money for daily highs/
Banning industrial hemp because it looks like marijuana is like banning swarthy dudes from the country because some Saudi Arabians once committed terrorism. Instead of obsessing about certain industrial products, Governor Noem and our lawmakers and law enforcers should weeding out bad behavior. South Dakota farmers should be able to grow hemp. South Dakota businesses should be able to make stuff with hemp. South Dakotans should be able to buy and use hemp products. As long as we all pay our taxes and tuck our kids in at night and don’t hurt anybody, Governor Noem should back off, the way good conservatives promise to do.
Kristi and her buddy Donald would ban those swarthy dudes if they thought they could get away with banning them. In fact the last three years have all been about banning them in bits and pieces.
A viable political opposition would be able to run ads that show how stupid and corrupt she looks. This crook voted over and over for a Farm Bill giveaway that had hemp as a target goal. Now she claims she knows nothing whatsoever about hemp. Study after study was done up to and during the vote, so much so that the federal government, of all people, green lighted it and now insures it.
South Dakota voters rejected marijuana both for medical and for recreational use in the recent past so the crook knows that voters know the difference. I think that the crook is probably against hemp because by being for it, she would fall out of favor with Moscow Mitch, who is making a killing off the production of hemp in his state. The more competition to Moscow Mitch, the lower his returns…can’t have that for a crime syndicate. It’s all about corruption…as always.
Legalizing pot or hemp takes away from law enforcement people their ability to conjure up the smell o0f pot to enable them to go fishing in unsuspecting people’s cars without real probable cause.
Nick, there is a consistent thread of deceit and distraction in Noem/GOP thinking. They’ll use any passing excuse to ban things they don’t like instead of looking to invite beneficial new ideas, new products, and new people into our state.
Jerry, is there any sign that Republicans in other states are trying to stymie hemp production to leave McConnell’s Kentucky with an advantage in the marketplace? I’m of the impression that Noem’s resistance is uniquely vigorous… and in its uniquity is thus not terribly beneficial to any supposed effort to shield Kentucky from competition.
So Cory, how do you tell the difference between them?
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-28/pot-or-hemp-local-police-lack-technology-to-tell-difference
“Field tests that officers now use can detect THC but aren’t sophisticated enough to specify whether a shipment is legal hemp or low-grade illegal pot.”
Noem is unique in her pigheadedness on this issue.
Well, why doesn’t someone develop a hemp plant with absolutely zero THC?
Why is the penalty for possession of marijuana in SD so much more stringent than your neighbors? SD and ID are the only two states left to neither legalize some way or another or decriminalize *see map in link
It seems like petty revenge.
Remember my state motto: South Dakota ~ Where they seek enjoyment by denying others enjoyment. GALT
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decriminalization_of_non-medical_cannabis_in_the_United_States
I guess that is off topic Porter, because we all know that marijuana and hemp have nothing in common. Promoting the industrial uses of hemp can in no way facilitate the use of, or transport of, or future legalization of recreational marijuana.
Wait a minute….
McTag … My point is that if marijuana was decriminalized to a hundred dollar fine, the hemp issue would be a moot point.
What are you folks trying to prove with such outrageous penalties?
If there were such a thing as a hemp plant without any THC, or a suitable hemp replacement that had no THC, this would also be a moot point.
McTag … I don’t like to take this trail but that would be a lot of work for a state that doesn’t matter to America.
Doc,
https://eji.org/news/propublica-reports-roadside-drug-tests-unreliable
Hundreds of people have been jailed, lose money, jobs and children because of false positives and officials who refuse to follow the instructions.
If you could find a way to legalize industrial hemp without legalizing recreational marijuana, or without even facilitating the growth or distribution of marijuana, would you do so?
I think that will take a zero (or much closer to zero) THC hemp plant, and/or a better means of distinguishing hemp from marijuana (remote sensing in the fields, and a better suite of chemical testing methods).
The better means of chemical testing would reduce false positives. I would hope you would be in favor of that at least.
If the legalization of industrial hemp is about industrial hemp, then it stands a better chance of success.
Cannabis Kristi doesn’t want farmers to have another option. Deny hemp production and bully or bribe counties into accepting CAFOs for economic development.
https://wnax.com/news/180081-south-dakota-governor-talks-ag-issues-at-the-state-fair/
Here is the list of states and their position on hemp. Looks like there are more red states than blue who do not allow the growth of hemp.
Also,some of those that do, require a sizable tax just to get started.
Kentucky is gonna do all right by the hemp.
Mr. Lansing, just admit your gung-ho-ism about hemp is really about toking up the demon weed, like my close personal friend Bob did, and then we can have an honest conversation going forward. You don’t want to weave baskets of hemp stalks, you want to suck the sticky juices from the buds of the demon weed itself.
grudznick … You simple daisy. Every person in Colorado that smokes pot is because they want to. I don’t care about your hemp or your laws. I only care about my friends that have to live near you. If your state legalized pot and gave it away free, I’d still not visit … because people like you ruin it for tourists.
That is the goal of people like me. We do want tourists to stay the hell out. “It sucks here, don’t come here,” we say. It’s kind of a secret, but we want to keep this wonderful place just for us, so don’t spread the word. You can live here, vicariously, through grudznick’s words and your bloggings.
Opps, spaced out the link.
https://www.hemptopia.com/hemp-laws-by-state/
Well all drug issues ignored I don’t believe that Hemp rope would be any better than the Sisal rope we have had for decades. Myself and the US Navy seem to think that when I want a long lasting fairly weather proof rope that Nylon is the best answer. We don’t need rigging for tall sailing ship’s anymore and I can’t see Hemp as being any kind of a panacea for the failing ag economy. It’s a red herring that doesn’t need to get the press that it does.
Grudz and Noem apparently listened to too much Jim Stafford in their youth.
GNOem now seeks to prevent red herrings from being grown and produced by South Dakota farmers.
Ha. A farmer in Wisconsin who is growing Cannabis for hemp and CBD oil has a “hemp maze” as part of his education and marketing strategy. These maze things have become really popular here in corn and sunflower fields. Now it’s happening with hemp. Maybe Governor Noem would want to drop by get educated about hemp from someone who is actually growing it.
‘Families continue to be ripped apart by substance abuse’, did Governor Noem really say this? Is this the beginning of the move to prohibit alcohol, nicotine, tobacco?
I am not sure which of these United States land grand colleges has an industrial hemp breeding program to remove THC from industrial hemp. I doubt any of them as industrial hemp until recently has been illegal to grow. I wonder about harvesting wild hemp? I know of places locally which have huge wild hemp populations, maybe that can be harvested and sold out of state.
I would like to know our Governor’s thoughts on the predictor or cause of addictive behavior? I believe that is the starting point.
This is what my research has found;
‘Brain development in the uterus and during childhood is the single most important biological factor in determining whether or not a person will be predisposed to substance dependence and to addictive behaviors of any sort, whether drug related or not’.
Dr. Gabor Mate; ‘In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts’ p. 188
It is maternal stress, leading to high cortisol levels affecting the brain development of the fetus and child.
I find it interesting addiction is discussed but attempting to resolve it from early childhood development is seldom a solution. Too expense? Please tell me the annual budget of the Department of Corrections for the State of South Dakota? Last I checked it was over $110 million and keep in mind that is annual and doesn’t include any county law enforcement costs for addictive behaviors.
Is the thought that industrial hemp will lead to cannabis and that is a gateway drug to other more deadly drugs? I find this misguided, the gateway drug is cortisol; let’s help prevent this and it will help resolve the majority of the addiction problems.
Good link, Kal Lis. Haven’t even thought of that tune in forever.
*I’ll bet grudzie has a massive hangover this morning. He was suffering mightily from the Irish Curse, last night.
Department of Justice press release Monday August 26, 2019 –
“This notice also announces that, as the result of a recent amendment to federal law, certain forms of cannabis no longer require DEA registration to grow or manufacture. The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, which was signed into law on Dec. 20, 2018, changed the definition of marijuana to exclude “hemp”—plant material that contains 0.3 percent or less delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis. Accordingly, hemp, including hemp plants and cannabidiol (CBD) preparations at or below the 0.3 percent delta-9 THC threshold, is not a controlled substance, and a DEA registration is not required to grow or research it.”
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/dea-announces-steps-necessary-improve-access-marijuana-research
0.8% +/- 0.5% really means that it is statistically consistent with 0.3%. I don’t know what the accuracy for THC measurement is in terms of a standard deviation for field testing, but I think that is the problem.
I respect Clyde’s viewpoint that “I don’t believe that Hemp rope would be any better than the Sisal rope we have had for decades. . . [and that for] a long lasting fairly weather proof rope that Nylon is the best answer.”
We should not, however, overlook the fact that hemp is used for many more products than rope. And it might also be appropriate to recognize that some consumers might actually prefer hemp rope over nylon rope. Outlawing hemp prevents its use in many other products and denies consumers another reasonable choice of rope material. I fail to see how any rational person might consider outlawing hemp to be good public policy.
Based upon the scientific and statistical analysis of collected measurements, a rational person may indeed reject hemp if it cannot be distinguished from what is currently illegal, i.e. a lower THC marijuana product.
It sounds like many want the lower THC marijuana product if not all marijuana products to be legal, but that is not current law.
Many may want legal pot but most don’t want legal pot. It’s been on the ballot enough times to show that, if nothing has changed. None of those that are petitioning show any change in the wishes of the majority.
I don’t think legal weed is right for SD. Your state, like it or not, is the red-haired step child of Minnesota and MN isn’t legal, yet.
The onerous laws, fines, and overpriced lawyer fees are your problem. Can’t you SD’ers see how you’re being manipulated by the people with enough free time to go to Pierre and tell you what to do? Lederman Brothers are top among them (with their lackey, Pat Powers). Ledermans make millions off “payday loan sharking” pot smokers trying to come up with the 10% they owe for bail and bond. That 10% quickly turns into 80% and that’s usury and that’s a con job. Why do you think Ledermans also own Pawn Shops? Pawn Shops, Bail Bonds, and PayDay Loans are the same thing.
The idea that hemp cannot be distinguished from marijuana seems irrational, especially based on scientific and statistical analysis. Perhaps a dog or a police officer cannot tell the difference by sight or smell, but it is apparently not a problem to use scientific tools to determine THC content, which seems to be a key factor in distinguishing the two.
Indeed, illegal meth often is described as looking like a “crystalline white powder that is odorless, bitter-tasting and dissolves easily in water or alcohol.” Yet we don’t make it a crime to possess or distribute many other odorless, bitter, white powders, such as Boric Acid powder, which apparently can be used for such lawful activities as cleaning. pottery glazes, lotions and creams. See, e.g.,
https://www.makeyourown.buzz/boric-acid-powder/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIldGk292t5AIVhYbACh1o4w1lEAQYAyABEgKJD_D_BwE
One website reports several alleged instances of other lawful substance being mistaken by police for illegal substances, yet we haven’t outlawed any of those substances, such as, soap, candy and mints.
https://www.forensicmag.com/article/2015/05/field-drug-tests-confuse-candy-meth-cause-serious-concern
Thus, McTaggert’s theory doesn’t seem a particularly rational reason to outlaw hemp if we don’t outlaw other harmless substances than can be mistaken for a controlled substance.
bearcreekbet,
You can probably supply a modern scientific laboratory with the tools to see the difference. But the police do not have a traveling laboratory with the requisite equipment that goes wherever they go. At best they have a kit that they must use to do the analysis on the spot. If you want further analysis done to confirm an initial test, you need the capacity to process enough samples, enough people to do the analyses, and the tools to achieve the desired sensitivity.
So I don’t think you have thought that through. If you want to spend the money on more laboratories and hire more people, fine with me. But the Governor probably will want to know how to pay for that or not pay for something else. And she will probably want to know whether the whole thing is a net positive for the state.
I would think that both sides of the political crevasse would be supportive of better analytical tools in this regard. Either to distinguish illegal marijuana from potentially legal hemp, or to avoid incarcerating innocent people due to a false positive. Moreover, if marijuana became legal, you would want quality assurance done for legal marijuana to protect the consumer.
#4Science
The police just proved you wrong doc, right smack in the middle of Rapid City with the Bandido Motorcyle bunch. The police did it right there and then as reported by local news. So some poor pitiful outlaw got hisownself arrested for the illegal stuff they tested positive for. A couple of joints and they toss your arse in the hoosegow to pay as you go. There, that will make that Bandido go straight now. No more reefer madness for that dude, probably will find Jesus soon to correct his ways.
Who cares if it is legal or not, if you want it, go to Colorado and get that Rocky Mountain high going. Then come back here to Hell’s half acre and goof on them who know better.
Next thing is to say that the poor farmer men’s is going broke from all of the success they have been having with soy and corn. Then we here that they will lose several hundreds of thousands each for the lack of market and yet they still keep going. How is that? How can you be broke and still in business?
High level THC detection is apparently not an issue. There is probably good signal to noise ratio because the signal is stronger.
Just to clarify, I am not sure why legalizing hemp would require spending “money on more laboratories and hire more people” for testing. If I am not mistaken, field tests by police only can provide probable cause for a search or seizure but are not sufficient proof for conviction of the nature of a substance at trial. In my experience law enforcement currently uses “laboratories and people” to test alleged illegal substances to confirm the results of field tests and this lab evidence is needed to convict someone of possession beyond a reasonable doubt. I don’t see how that requirement would change if hemp were legalized. Thus, concerns about the cost of testing a substance do not seem to provide a rational reason for keeping hemp illegal.
Roughly speaking, if the signal is the same size as the error bar (i.e.the standard deviation)…or it is smaller….good luck in telling signal and noise apart.
So if you grow large volumes of industrial hemp, in which you could hide marijuana, the need for testing would stay the same?
Roadside drug kits come with instructions not to depend on this sample as a cause for arrest. The sample needs to be confirmed by a drug testing lab.
Also there are any number of cops who claimed to have been trained to tell which drug a person is on by examining them… these fellers https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2016/06/02/marijuana-drug-recognition-experts
Would you want your constitutional rights to rest on a decision as imprecise as a human mind?
Dr. McTaggart and bearcreekbat both keep referring to rational arguments. While both seem to be rational individuals, little evidence exists to support the premise that Governor Noem is rational on this issue.
She asserts “South Dakota must lead by example,” This article claims only “four [states are] without a pathway for growers to hop on the hemp bandwagon: Ohio, South Dakota, Mississippi and Idaho.” Further, “[b]oth Ohio and Mississippi are on the path to legalization.” It would seem rational to assert leadership only if one has followers and no one seems to be following Noem.
Ummm….unless judges have been replaced by computers, they already rest on human minds.
Would you want the candidate for President to be decided by human minds? You probably don’t, but that already happens too.
But I would want decisions to be based upon scientific data and the ability to replicate somebody else’s results with accurate analysis tools.
At the moment, the situation is that low grade marijuana and industrial hemp have Venn diagrams that overlap. If you can separate those, then industrial hemp stands a much better chance of being approved in this state.
But I don’t know if there is much interest from marijuana legalization supporters in having industrial hemp approved without approving marijuana. Our politics apparently does not include taking wins where they are possible.
So if you grow large amounts of hemp and you mix marijuana in it…why would you do that as you would never be able to find it? Why would you mix a valuable crop with hemp? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-0g6NANyhs
Doc, your sounding more and more like GNOem
Doc, I was referring to cops who claimed to be trained to detect exactly what drug an alleged offender is high on just by looking at them.
They could probably guess correctly half the time, but do we want to jail the other half on suspicion of being high?
Professor McTaggart. Are you tenured at SDSU?
Don’t worry jerry, I’m sure people would be motivated to hide it so they could find it.
Well, I don’t think that CAFOs and hemp are the only means of economic development that we should be considering for the future.
But ironically you could probably grow a lot more hemp next to a CAFO. Not sure what hemp would do for the environmental remediation/water filtration related to CAFOs.
It’s a good point Mike, but if they are at risk of driving under the influence and could harm both themselves and others, we would be on the police for letting them go.
Thanks for your question Porter. Just to be very clear, I do not speak for the State of South Dakota nor do I speak for SDSU. I speak for myself.
So if you think I am wrong about how nuclear power can address climate change or I am wrong about not providing full-throated support for hemp and marijuana (and tobacco for that matter), that is unfortunately all on me.
That doesn’t answer the question, Professor. It’s good to know where someone sits before you can get an accurate read on where they stand. I’m asking more about who can fire you, without a law suit.
I sit pretty low in the big scheme of things. I’m certain there are many people who can make that happen if they want to….as long as they follow the COHE contract.
Thanks. I looked it up. You’re a lot younger than I’d pictured. :)
Bearcreekbat, my discussion about hemp rope was meant only as an example. Of course hemp would be an industrial fiber that could be used in lots of places but the comparison is the same. Plenty of industrial fiber out there and the value of those products are, I’m sure, not going to make farmers rich. Nor is Hemp.
As to the drug issue…I’m against legalizing it. I think that folks need to dig out the old Cheech and Chong movies. I’ve worked with burnouts and have even partook back in the day. If productivity is important in this country, legal pot isn’t going to enhance it.
I was younger in the past.
Legal marijuana was on the Colorado ballot six times and failed. It finally passed when the state Republican party endorsed it. “It’s true. It’s true.” – Kurt Angle
I don’t know how legalizing marijuana augments the Democratic interests in being the party of health care for the next election though.
Supporting efforts to reduce smoking tobacco on one hand while endorsing more smoking of marijuana on the other will send a mixed message.
In CO the GOP position was that it would get the Mexican cartels outta here. And, it did. But to me it’s simply about choice and staying out of others ability to make their own. Aren’t so many things?
By the way Porter, Colorado State has a pretty good Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences department.
“Radiological health has a long tradition at CSU focused on the biological effects of radiation, including laboratory studies of the damaging effects of radiation, and clinical uses of radiation in diagnostic imaging and cancer therapy. “
When I moved here there was a half built reactor proposed to be cooled by natural gas, near CSU. Didn’t go on line.
Also, I think Colorado School of Mines has Nuclear Science and Engineering.
Do you mean a reactor cooled or moderated by natural gas?
If it is cooled, then maybe they were trying to do some kind of hybrid…heat up the gas, and then gain some efficiency when you burn the natural gas. If it was for moderation (to slow the neutrons down), natural gas does have carbon and 4 hydrogens….but the problem is that CH4 is flammable.
Probably better to burn the natural gas and use the resulting carbon dioxide to moderate the reactor.
Mines is a great school. Our Governor who ran for president graduated from Mines.
Lots of good teaching spots for a dynamic fella like you, ‘ya know? 🤠
Here’s some data.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_St._Vrain_Generating_Station
Oh OK. It had a helium cooled reactor, but the site was converted into a natural gas power plant.
This is one of those designs that was ahead of its time….eventually we could use something similar that does not require access to water for cooling, and runs at higher temperatures to be more efficient.
And yes, you could probably use the heat to process materials from hemp and other things into various products if you really wanted to.
Yeah. That’s right. It was cooled by helium. Helium is always on stage. Interesting history and future.
Paul Krugman pretty much nails it on why farmers are so willing to allow themselves to be hoodwinked, because they think they’re smarter than the con men. Hemp will never be available here in South Dakota and neither will medical or recreational pot. But it is kinda fun to think about the possibilities….while you drive to Colorado for some.
“farmers’ support for Trump should be seen as a form of affinity fraud, in which people fall for a con man whom they imagine to be someone like them.
And as is often the case in such frauds, the con man and his associates actually have contempt for their marks.
Recently Sonny Perdue, the agriculture secretary, let the mask slip during a meeting with farmers complaining about their plight. “What do you call two farmers in a basement?” he snarked. “A whine cellar.”
Interesting use of Helium….too bad that under Reagan it was privatized and all sold for party balloons. Its my understanding that only the Sun is capable of making more. But hey….privatize, privatize, privatize.
Freedom to farm, my arse. There is no freedom to do much of anything, so knowing that, just whistle and do some sightseeing and stuff…in Colorado.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DXyRsOQ9Is
McTaggart asks:
This question really makes no sense and may just be trolling or snark. It seems relatively obvious that it would matter not where an illegal substance happened to be grown, the lab testing needed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt what the substance is in order to obtain a criminal conviction is pretty much the same. Moreover, it appears that growing marijuana next to hemp will reduce the pyschoactive attractiveness of marijuana, hence the question becomes even more nonsensical.
https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/industrynews/law/9359172-181/cross-pollination-and-cannabis
Thus, McTaggart’s comment to Jerry that “I’m sure people would be motivated to hide it so they could find it” seems inconsistent with reality in the context of hiding marijuana grows in hemp fields.
Helium is produced inside the earth due to radioactive decay. Sometimes it is accessible via natural gas drilling. I think it takes a while to collect to usable quantities.
Clearly someone has ever grown marijuana before so they would not know that about pollination and that there are really sexes in the plants. Good points. Something else, regarding helium in nukes. Nukes cause cancer of the thyroid so with helium, your voice changes so you can laugh about your nuke caused cancer in a high pitch…lucky you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3FifZMjy7Y
Yes, you can plant marijuana in hemp fields. But recall that the analysis issue we are talking about concerns marijuana that is low grade to begin with. The result of cross pollination with a low grade THC marijuana plant could be lower than threshold, and then who cares. There isn’t this problem with high THC plants of not being able to distinguish the difference.
But if they plant marijuana with a THC level that is high enough, then the final THC level may be high enough even with hemp pollination. Then you will want to be able to detect it in any future delivery.
You should therefore develop a zero THC hemp plant, not a 0.3% THC plant. But better accuracy would also matter. 0.3% +/- 0.01% is a lot different than 0.5% +/- 0.4%.
Perhaps hemp should work towards a zero THC policy. Zero in the field, and zero during transport. That would decouple hemp from marijuana and remove a barrier to the approval of industrial hemp….which is what in theory you want. You’re welcome.
Only the release of radioactive iodine gets absorbed by the thyroid. So even if there were such a release, which there is not during normal operations, don’t drink the local food products for a couple of weeks, and you’ll be fine. You need like a Chernobyl for that to occur. (You are welcome)^2
McTaggart, no one smokes low grade marijuana anymore. There’s so much high grade stuff in US markets nowadays, and prices have come down significantly in legal states. I understand the point you are making — that street cops can’t distinguish between hemp and ditchweed — but it’s mostly academic.
Sure, you can imagine situations where cops are confronted with difficult questions about whether or not to make an arrest, but this would be extremely few and far between.
Whatever minimal harm might come from this ambiguity is far outweighed by the benefits available from having a legal hemp market in an ag state such as South Dakota.
Moving the goal posts alrighty then. Clearly you’re just trolling now so you can get your nukey talk in. Nukes cause cancer, helium makes your voice sound weird and maybe even your flatulence.
In all honesty, hemp would be a good fit for some in South Dakota’s ag industry, just not welfare farmers.
Jerry, I agree that McTaggart seems to be trying to move the goal posts, at least in relation to my initial point: the idea that hemp cannot be distinguished from marijuana seems irrational.
McTaggart incorrectly suggested that we would need to spend tax dollars for additional laboratories and personnel to test marijuana for criminal prosecutions if police cannot tell the difference between marijuana and hemp. I pointed out we already use those labs for marijuana prosecutions, hence McTaggart’s claim appeared to be incorrect.
Then he came up with the incorrect argument that SD might incur increased testing costs because marijuana farmers would grow their crop in hemp fields to hide it. Now that this argument has been quickly debunked he tries to change the subject arguing that farmers should try to grow hemp with zero THC content, which has nothing I can see to do with the irrationality of outlawing hemp because it is similar in appearance to marijuana.
I do not believe McTaggart has identified a rational reason for SD’s anti-hemp laws and he appears to have given up his contrary propositon.
Female marijuana plants produce flowers which farmers grow for their THC content, but if male hemp plants, which are largely grown for their fibers, are planted too close to female plants, the hemp can pollinate the female marijuana plant.
I would expect the wingnut god squad to step in at this point to make sure the males and females remain segregated and no hemp hanky panky occurs.
I further expect wingnuts to promptly adopt any wacky tobaccy fetuses that are created.
Disinformation is all part of the autocratic plan of control to make deliberation impossible
“Trump’s autocratic disinformation is designed to render fact-based deliberation impossible” https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/8/31/1882773/–Trump-s-autocratic-disinformation-is-designed-to-render-fact-based-deliberation-impossible?utm_campaign=trending
We are seeing the same thing happen again and again here in South Dakota as well. Think of it, we, the people, pass initiatives only to see them canceled out by authoritarian officials with deliberations that are either lies or non existent. This 320 questions is classic autocratic disinformation. Even if an imitative regarding hemp were to pass the muster of the voters, Pierre would strike it down. We say we are for people initiative, but state corruption says otherwise.
It seems that because I disagree with you, I must be nonsensical. I get it.
The conclusion has been pre-selected, and all other arguments must inevitably lead to that conclusion.
It’s not like such a proposal would actually have to be passed by a legislative body that may also have opposing views. I’m sure your approach will work with them.
The whole point of the “academic discussion” is that zero THC hemp would enhance the ability to separate what is marijuana and what is not based upon THC.
That tells me that you are not really interested about the merits of industrial hemp, because you could be getting hemp approved without marijuana being approved.
If you cannot drive THC in hemp down all the way to zero, then detection methods could be enhanced to pick up the slack.
I have thus provided a pathway for a bipartisan approval of industrial hemp, but that is not practical, that is nonsensical, and that is irrational.
And no, I do not buy that because alcohol and tobacco are legal, that marijuana should be legal. Three wrongs do not make a right.
If McTaggart at 9:40 is referring to my earlier comments (since his 9:40 comment was posted after my reference at 00:27 to his argument), he is again mistaken. I reviewed my comments and I could find no claim that McTaggart is “nonsensical” simply because he disagrees with me. Rather, I suggested his factual claim that marijuana farmers will hide marijuana in hemp fields and thereby require the state to spend more money on testing was factually nonsense.
As for his theory about how to convince legislators to vote to make hemp growingt legal, that theory might well be correct. It does not change fact that no rational factual reason supports the Noem claims that difficulty in distinguishing marijuana from hemp requires continued criminalization of hemp.
The argument for making alcohol and tobacco illegal seems to actually have a rational basis, in contrast to the argument that hemp farming ought to be a felony.
And I add for Clyde’s benefit, simply because a hemp farmer might not get rich growing hemp also seems to be an irrational basis for making hemp farmers criminals. Most endeavors are not likely to make us rich yet no one argues all such endeavors should be made illegal for that reason.
Oh please doc, climb off the pity pot. Stick with the nukey’s, that kind of hubris is more your style. Besides, these crocodile tears just do not become you.
Industrial hemp is for farmers in states that have a work ethic and the common sense to demand the “freedom to farm”. South Dakota has neither…unless immigrants are used as in CAFO’s, then we’re all good. I say let North Dakota and the rest of the progressive states work the hemp business. https://hempindustrydaily.com/north-dakota-hemp-law/
It is much to profitable for South Dakota farmers to just kick back, watch Fox news and collect their welfare checks…while bitching about the Natives. Meanwhile, saddle up and head to Colorado for a weekend of relaxation.
🛫 ~ VISIT COLORADO … YOU KNOW, FOR THE SCENERY ~ 🏕 ⛰ (And, while you’re here, just stay. You’re welcome and always will be.)
I would agree with Clyde in that I don’t think that hemp will be a winner at the end of the day. I would agree with bearcreekbat that people should be able to pursue that crop if they want to, even at a loss…as long as public health and safety come first.
That means taking marijuana issues off the table (which I have attempted to do above) and allowing those legalization efforts for marijuana to continue separately on their own merits.
There is probably more merit on the medical marijuana side of things for pain relief when nothing else works and it is prescribed as the drug that it is, and it is studied as such (it does not have to be smoked for that purpose to impact your lungs or someone else’s lungs).
My interest in botany started with ditch weed. I never smoked it, but my friend did. He never got high, but he smoked so much trying to get high that he ended up with some sort of smoke inhalation issue that required a trip to the emergency room.
That, of course, made us all swear off pot. Still, before that I learned a lot about the plant, so that I could predict where I could find it growing in the semi-wild of South Dakota river bottoms. It commonly grown as a fiber crop in South Dakota and other states for a time, and escaped. The plant produces lots of oils, and such, but only THC causes intoxication. For years selective breeding has increased THC levels in some Cannabis varieties. In other varieties, selective breeding has increased CBD oil. I’ve read that CBD varieties tend to have lower THC levels, not necessarily because of breeding out of THC, but because there appears to be competing pathways. If CBD oil pathways are bred to be more efficient or predominate, it tends to reduce the THC pathway. There may always be some THC in hemp plants, but it can be reduced to below active levels. Maybe there is a way to shut off THC production altogether, but I haven’t kept up on the research.
I suspect, like everything in nature, there is no guarantee. Environmental conditions may play a part in which biochemical pathways are favored in a particular patch of Cannabis. That is why testing would be required. There will always be the problem with dumb teenaged boys, like we were, thinking they can sneak out into the hemp field, grab a few plants, try to get high and end up with smoke inhalation I understand Noem’s concern about this, because teenaged brains are not equipped to deal with any anomalous THC varieties that might be out there.
Still, I think there is much more of a problem with vaping, which seems to be actually killing kids right now. Maybe the energy she’s spending on low-THC hemp might be better directed to vaping.
Cory, please excuse the ignorance, I’ve been out of the loop lately. Please tell me where and how my spouse and I can sign the medical cannabis and the initiative petitions in or around Aberdeen.Thanx.
Donald Pay may find this funny.
In the 60’s a neighbor kid had heard that Marijuana had a pretty good value and that that weed growing in the pasture was the same stuff. So while baling up hay he baled up a few square bales of hemp weed and tried to sell the bales on the seedy side of Omaha out of the trunk of his car! Believe he did time over that!
Approving hemp is dangerous, but this is okay??????? Only in a deep red state like SD.
https://www.gocomics.com/m2bulls/2019/09/01
“An investigation into the link between vaping and severe lung illnesses has yielded the discovery of extremely high levels of the chemical vitamin E acetate in nearly all cannabis-containing vaping products that were analyzed, New York health officials said Thursday.”
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/05/health/vaping-chemical-new-york-investigation-bn/index.html
“In general, vaping of unknown substances is dangerous, and we continue to explore all options to combat this public health issue…”
“Even if we removed all of the vitamin E acetate from all of these products, we’re still not out of the woods.”
GNOem voted for hemp over and over until now she realized, like doc, that marijuana law could then be abolished then like Texas…Huh???. GNOem is like an intestine, a lot of twists and turns, but still carries a load of bullcrap. Oh, and then throw in vaping of cannabis, not tobacco…gots to protect the tobacco.
Mr. Newland along with many others, have contended that cannabis laws are in place only to enrich law enforcement. The fraudulent governor proves him correct in her editorial piece published in the news. Not only did this fraud vote for it over and over in the Farm Bill, she had to know all the implications of hemp else she shouldn’t have voted for it in the first place.
Now, legislators could override the fraud and show some spine, but…they are all in cahoots with the con. All those prisons built and all those jobs that are dependent on cannabis prosecution cannot be ignored. A lot of “campaign contributions” go into the legislators pockets from interested parties to change laws to benefit the farmers. Farmers have already shown they do not have the backbone either to confront, so the lie continues.
It seems that the CDC is investigating the vaping products. Inhaling items into your lungs is bad enough to start with, but there may be something with the oils that are in the vaping mixture.
If the oils, etc. are generating a barrier to the lungs getting oxygen, no wonder there are cases of respiratory failure.
So this may not be a marijuana vs. tobacco thing exactly, but what else is in the vaping mixture.
“GNOem is like an intestine, a lot of twists and turns, but still carries a load of bullcrap.”
That’s hilarious Jerry. I’m stealing it, unless you strongly object. A weak objection won’t stop me. 😄😄😄
but what else is in the vaping mixture.
Bigly profits for some enterprising entrepreneurs who would haVE been wise to get their liabilities
protected by legislation in advance.
Feel free to use Ms. Debbo. Have any of you ever wondered (either to yourselves or to other’s) why GNOem was so crystal clear on the passage of the Farm Bill, so involved with it that she co-sponsored bills to that Farm Bill, and yet she failed to understand it? I mean, check this out
“U.S. Reps. Kristi Noem (R-SD), Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA), John Moolenaar (R-MI) and members of the U.S House Agriculture Committee on April 12 introduced a bipartisan draft of the 2018 Farm Bill proposing economic policy solutions for America’s farmers and ranchers and making some 35 improvements to the nation’s food stamps program.” https://riponadvance.com/featured/2018-farm-bill-draft-released-noem-thompson-moolenaar-house-ag-committee/
How could anyone not know about one of the main drivers of getting the Farm Bill through, hemp legislation, and then claim to be a dumb ass about it? Is she really that stupid or does she think everyone else is? Me, I go for the latter.