January 21, 1999, Albuquerque, NM: Delegates for the American Farm Bureau Federation withdrew language approved last year opposing research and domestic cultivation of industrial hemp, Reuters News Service reported.

Delegates initially endorsed a resolution in 1996 to "encourage research into the viability and economic potential of industrial hemp production in the United States, ... includ[ing] planting test plots ... using modern agricultural techniques." Delegates voted 198 to 168 last year to reverse that position.

A spokesman from the Farm Bureau said they dropped their opposition to hemp because farmers are in need of alternative crops, the Reuters report said.

At least 29 nations, including Canada, France, England, Germany, Japan, and Australia, allow farmers to grow non-psychoactive hemp for its fiber content. This fall, authors of a University of North Dakota study recommended allowing American farmers to grow test plots of hemp for experimental production, and estimated that the crop could yield profits as high as $141 per acre to farmers.

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751.

State Marijuana Eradication Program Poses Environmental, Human Hazards,
Residents Testify

January 21, 1999, Redway, CA: Eyewitnesses and former CAMP (California Against Marijuana Planting) employees testified at hearings Monday to the environmental and human damage caused by the government’s aerial marijuana eradication program. Witnesses largely focused on the dangers posed by the program’s low-flying helicopter sweeps and camouflaged, gun-toting agents.

"Every officer that’s been in a helicopter involved in the CAMP program, if they were going to tell you the truth, would say: ‘Yes, we have flown under 500 feet’ [in violation of legally mandated guidelines,]" testified Gary Holder, a former deputy sheriff and CAMP officer. "We got as close as we could to treetops to hover; we have looked into peoples windows."

California NORML Coordinator Dale Gieringer called the use of helicopters and paramilitary personnel "unwarranted and inappropriate" because marijuana poses minimal harms to public safety. Gieringer said the only way to control marijuana cultivation would be through legally regulated commerce.

Several other witnesses complained that the raids posed hazards to wildlife and livestock, disrupted work and school, and risked public safety.

The Civil Liberties Monitoring Project (CLMP) and The Rights Organization (TRO) organized Monday’s hearings on behalf of plaintiffs in a federal suit against the government’s 1990 Operation Greensweep, in which helicopters and armed troops invaded a remote wilderness area of Humbolt County to eradicate marijuana. As part of the settlement in that case, the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was ordered to issue guidelines for marijuana eradication operations in Northern California and hold public hearings.

The BLM’s proposed guidelines are open to public comment until February 10, 1999. Copies are available from the offices of NORML Legal Committee member Ron Sinoway at (707) 923-3905 or the CLMP at (707) 923-4646.

Advocates Anticipate Reopening San Francisco Medical Marijuana Facility

January 21, 1999, San Francisco, CA: Proponents are in final planning stages to open what would be California’s largest operating medical marijuana dispensary. Advocates are encouraged by statements made by new Attorney General Bill Lockyer who announced that he would not raid state cannabis clubs.

"I watched my mother and sister die of leukemia and I know they could have used [marijuana] to ease their pain," he said. Lockyer added that he supports the existence of well-regulated statewide medical marijuana dispensaries, and said that his office would not raid such a facility if one were to re-open in San Francisco.

Jane Weirick, executive director of the San Francisco Patients Resource Center, intends to do just that. "We plan to run a very tight ship," she said, adding that she envisions opening an outlet comparable in size to the former San Francisco Cannabis Cultivators Club. She said that the city’s existing clubs are too small to meet demand and hopes that a new facility could serve thousands of patients.

Weirick said her group is searching for a building to house the dispensary, which she intends to open by the end of February.

San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan voiced support for the facility. "I’ve always said that it is more of a health issue than a legal issue," he told The San Francisco Chronicle. "Locally, this should strictly be a matter for the city Department of Health."

California NORML Coordinator Dale Gieringer agrees. "Medical marijuana dispensaries are an asset to the community," he said. "They provide medicine to the truly ill, divert traffic from street dealers, generate gainful employment and taxes, and keep pot out of the hands of kids. That’s better than our federal policy has done."

Although approximately 30 medical marijuana facilities began operating after the passage of Proposition 215, most closed their doors because of raids by former Attorney General Dan Lungren and a civil lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department.

For more information, please contact either Dale Gieringer of California NORML @ (415) 563-5858 or Allen St. Pierre of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751.