Originally published June 1 2014
Kentucky Ag Department sues DEA for refusing to release industrial hemp seeds
by Jonathan Benson, staff writer
(NaturalNews) The federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), which every year destroys the lives of thousands of Americans who exercise their God-given right to use and/or grow a natural plant (cannabis), is the subject of a new lawsuit. Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer is suing the DEA for refusing to release a stock of industrial hemp seeds that his agency purchased for legal planting in accordance with the provisions of the latest Farm Bill, which allows for the limited growing of hemp for research purposes.
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) had purchased a 250-pound shipment of hemp seeds earlier in the year from a seed stock in Italy. The seeds were intended to be planted on a half-acre plot of land in Rockcastle County on May 16, just in time for this year's growing season. But KDA ran into some snags when DEA officials seized the shipment in Louisville, claiming that the agency needs a special import permit for the "Schedule I drug," as the DEA refers to it.
According to reports, the DEA had initially agreed to release the seeds after Comer indicated plans to sue the corrupt and highly destructive federal agency for violating the law. But under the sordid leadership of Michele Leonhart, whose policies directly contradict those of Congress and the American people, the DEA reneged on releasing the seeds, forcing Comer to sue the federal agency on behalf of Kentuckians.
"The first phone call -- it was just an utter disregard for federal legislation, the Farm Bill," stated Comer about his interaction with the DEA over the phone. He contends that the DEA is attempting to attach illegitimate conditions to the seeds' release, presumably in an attempt -- albeit a lame one -- to justify its own existence. "There's only a small window of opportunity to plant these seeds. They really should be in the ground today but we probably have until May 30 to plant the seeds."
Time to completely abolish the criminal DEA and restore freedom for all Americans
The DEA, which spends more than $2 billion annually fighting an endless war on "drugs" that has only generated more real crime while incarcerating tens of thousands of innocent people for committing victimless "crimes," is required by law to release the confiscated seeds. All 50 states, in fact, under the Farm Bill's provisions, can now legally plant hemp as part of a nationwide pilot project that many see as a precursor to the eventual lifting of all prohibition on both cannabis and hemp.
But the DEA is not cooperating with this law, demonstrating once again why this vindictive agency needs to be completely abolished for the betterment of society. By attempting to attach ridiculous and illegal conditions to the release of the hemp seeds -- which do not possess any psychoactive components, by the way -- the DEA is proving that its intentions and agenda are completely out of step with the will of the people.
"They're holding back family farms over what?" asked Michael Lewis, a farmer heading up the project, referring to the DEA under Leonhart's leadership. "We're frustrated, but we're ready to work it out. We want to be above the board. We want to grow this crop. So let's get together and resolve it."
Like cannabis, hemp is still unjustly classified as a "Schedule I drug" by the DEA, which means it is a controlled substance. In other words, the federal government is still under the delusion that this plant is somehow a drug that is unfit for domestic cultivation or use, even though hemp products made from imported hemp seeds and oil are freely available at grocery stores nationwide.
"Hemp is not even a drug, so why is the DEA involved in this?" asks one Huffington Post commenter, outraged over this abuse of authority. "What other plants do they want to regulate? Sequoia trees? Rose bushes? Poison oak?"
Sources for this article include:
http://abcnews.go.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
http://www.whas11.com
http://www.campaignforliberty.org
http://science.naturalnews.com
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