Plainsman1963

Court rules against Pine Ridge hemp growing
05-18-06 | BismarckTribune.Com | CARSON WALKER

An American Indian treaty and United States law do not allow for the cultivation of industrial hemp on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

Alex White Plume, vice president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and members of his family planted hemp on their property but it was cut down and confiscated by federal agents.

Industrial hemp is related to marijuana and is used to make rope and other products. It has only a trace of the drug in marijuana, but it is illegal to grow hemp in the United States.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it empathized with the White Plumes but concluded their enterprise was illegal.

"We are not unmindful of the challenges faced by members of the Tribe to engage in sustainable farming on federal trust lands ... And we do not doubt that there are a countless number of beneficial products which utilize hemp in some fashion. Nor do we ignore the burdens imposed by a DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) registration necessary to grow hemp legally," justices wrote.

"But these are policy arguments better suited for the congressional hearing room than the courtroom."