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Newland announces race for U.S. Senate
Rapid City Jounal | April 29, 2004

HERMOSA — Frequent political candidate, hemp/marijuana legalization activist and publisher Bob Newland of Hermosa plans to enter South Dakota's U.S. Senate race.

Newland issued a news release Tuesday saying he would make an announcement at the Wounded Knee District Community Action Program office at noon today.

Newland, 56, will run as an independent affiliated with the Libertarian Party in a race, likely the nation's top Senate contest, between incumbent Democrat Senate minority leader Tom Daschle and former Republican Congressman John Thune.

He has run for public office five times in the past dozen years. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House in 1992, for the state Legislature in 1994 and 1996, for governor in 1998 and for attorney general in 2002.

To appear on the 2004 ballot, he must file a petition containing the signatures of 3,346 registered voters with the Secretary of State's Office by Tuesday, June 1.

Newland said he believes his push to legalize industrial hemp production will have appeal on South Dakota's Indian reservations, in part because the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council legalized hemp in 1998.

"Newland maintains that a single issue — industrial hemp production — provides examples of virtually everything that's wrong with U.S. policy towards Indians and towards the rest of us as well," the news release said.

Newland said the United States should legalize industrial hemp production as dozens of other countries have.

"Canadian hemp is being trucked past barely surviving South Dakota farms to supply the $400 million annual U. S. market," he said.

Newland proposes the following policies related to American Indians but not directly to hemp:

* Individuals should be free to select their own citizenship, and tribes should be free to select any level of autonomy.

* Indians should have their property rights restored, including "rights of easement, access, hunting and fishing."

*The Bureau of Indian Affairs should be abolished, leaving tribal members to determine their own system of governance.

* Negotiations should be undertaken to resolve all outstanding differences between the tribes and the federal government.

Newland cites the 38 percent of South Dakota voters who voted for the 2002 ballot measure to legalize hemp as his base of support.

"That's 120,000 votes," he said.

Newland promoted the ballot measure as part of the South Dakota Industrial Hemp Council and the South Dakota Cannabis Coalition.

Thune lost his 2002 challenge to Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., by 524 votes. Because some are predicting just as narrow a margin in the 2004 race and because Libertarian candidate Kurt Evans received 3,070 votes two years ago, Newland believes he can influence the debate in this campaign.

"Thune and Daschle will more readily explore issues outside their normal realm of interest. Industrial hemp production is such an issue," he said.

[zombienote: Vote Newland!]

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sodak moment

it is true, south dakota farmers are very poor. we have the most expendsinve realestate in the nation(dakota dunes) and the poorest in the nation(reservations). i live in south dakota. i am personally in favor of daschle. of course, i havent done any research on newland. thune, though, really sucks. he is a chauvinistsic pig (he likes his women barefooted and pregnant(and those are his good qualities )), and i have a bad past with him. he spoke at my D.A.R.E. graduation (the bastard!). Of course, because of the two party system, Daschle will probly vote the same as thune, so more power to ya, Bob! (by the way, I cant vote because i am not 18 yet. stupid... laws)