Hemp and "Medical" Marijuana for Kentucky

Economic Stimulus for Kentucky

Dear Elected Official,

We the undersigned who are either current or past residents of the Commonwealth of Kentucky have a desire to see the proletariat not struggle to provide ourselves and families with the basic necessities of life, so we are urging you to consider the following as our Commonwealth faces some of the biggest shortfalls in our budget within decades:

Beginning after World War I and before World War II, our country began its devastating war and battle against hemp and its cousin marijuana for various reasons, which I will not cover here.  But due to the Harrison Narcotics Act, the Marihuana Tax Act, and the Controlled Substances Act (various versions), it is a criminal offense to grow, distribute, and consume hemp and marijuana plants and/or leaves in the United States, however, each state and commonwealth have rights--commonly called states' rights--that we should follow in the smart footsteps of Gov. Schwarzenegger and look back to the legal cultivation, processing, and distribution of hemp and (medical) marijuana--the largest cash crop overall in the United States.

Kentucky has some of the most fertile soil in the United States and with an increase in community gardens, urban gardens (backyard and frontyard), school gardens, rural gardens, and a desire and need to seek alternatives in Kentucky since tobacco and coal are on their way out the door, we need viable income alternatives that can steer us in a sustainable direction (and this does not mean "clean coal", hybrid vehicles, CFL bulbs, or others as they are not truly sustainable nor eco-friendly).

With the resurrection of hemp, we can create and sustain old and new family/community farms (urban and rural), create new industry, re-open and reclaim old manufacturing and textile facilities for the processing of hemp by-products (well over 200), including bio-diesel, ethanol, paper, paint, bird seed, green plastics, clothing, and many, many others. 

With the resurrection of "medical" marijuana, we can benefit from the taxing of marijuana, if it is and was to be taxed like alcohol and require licenses and fees for distribution, processing, and cultivation facilities.  We would not lose needed revenue that is spent elsewhere (Canada in particular) because of our current federal and state (commonwealth) legislation.

Studies and reports have been completed over the past 11+ years by entities within and outside of Kentucky that we should consider in the government offices, particularly agriculture since it is a step in the right direction on many levels. With this being said, I have included below various Web resources about industrial hemp and its cousin marihuana (marijuana).

Hemp

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3854
"Hemp Could Be Lucrative Cash Crop For State, University Of Kentucky Report Says"

http://www.kltprc.net/foresight/Chpt_20.htm
"Potential Economic Impact of Industrial Hemp in Kentucky"

http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4071
"American Farm Bureau Supports Industrial Hemp Research"

http://www.kltprc.net/foresight/Chpt_21.htm
"Industrial Hemp: What Can We Learn from the World Market?"

http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/htfarm2.htm
"KENTUCKY HEMP FARMER'S COMEBACK"

http://www.druglibrary.org/olsen/hemp/iha/iha03118.html
"Highlights from the Kentucky Hemp Conference"

"Medical" Marijuana

http://k4mm.org/
"Kentuckians for Medical Marijuana - K4MM News"

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july072008/cannabinoids_6-7-08.php
"Medical Marijuana & Health Care Economics"

Hemp and "Medical" Marijuana Legislation

http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=12671336
"Tennessee Legislature Considers Medical Marijuana Reform"

http://www.votehemp.com/vhr/vhr_v4no3.html
"Vote Hemp Report: 2009 Hemp Bills Successful!"

http://www.uvm.edu/~vlrs/doc/hemp.htm
"In 1999 14 states introduced legislation that endorse the commercialization of industrial hemp with varying success"

http://www.globalhemp.com/Archives/Government_Research/hawaiian_ind_hemp_report.shtml
"Hawaiian Industrial Hemp Report"

http://www.mpp.org/states/michigan/news/michigan-to-vote-on-legalizing.html
"Michigan to Vote on Legalizing Marijuana for Medical Use"

These actions will create and sustain a new and smarter "local economy" that will create jobs, keep a greater percentage of dollars spent in our "local economy," provide jobs (hopefully) with a living wage, and help us in Kentucky to become more sustainable, and deal with the current budget shortfalls (present and forecasted for the future).

Please do the right thing for Kentucky's present and future as should not wait another 11 years for another study to be done before we reconsider industrial hemp and "medical" marijuana as sources of viable income via agriculture on some of the most fertile land in the nation.

Thank you for your time.

[Your name]