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The420Guy
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Some residents say ballot measure is a prelude to easing laws on pot
PIERRE, South Dakota – Nearly 60 percent of South Dakota residents would vote to kill a ballot measure to make it legal to grow and market industrial hemp, a statewide poll shows.
The poll, sponsored by the Argus Leader and KSFY-TV, showed 59 percent of those answering oppose the initiated measure, while 21 percent favor it and 20 percent haven't made up their minds.
"I know South Dakota needs more value-added agriculture, and hemp is supposedly a big cash crop, but I wouldn't vote for this," said Art VanMorrlehem, 80, a retired farmer from Arlington who was interviewed for the poll. "I'd have more than a little concern they might be growing something more potent than hemp out in the middle of the field."
The November 5 ballot includes a citizen-initiated proposal to legalize hemp for industrial purposes. The product could be grown and marketed if it contained no more than 1 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the substance that gives marijuana its kick. Supporters of the ballot measure call hemp the most versatile crop on earth, used in paper, rope, cloth and twine.
They say the product grown legally in Canada and other foreign nations is imported for such uses, cutting South Dakota farmers out of an opportunity to diversify their crops and earn additional income. Opponents have the suspicion voiced by VanMorrlehem that the focus on industrial hemp is a smoke screen for a move to make pot legal.
"It isn't a drug, it's a crop," said Bob Newland, Libertarian Party candidate for attorney general and a supporter of the ballot measure. "And based on what I hear as I travel, I tend to doubt that these poll numbers are accurate. I think this issue is kind of a sleeper."
Mason Dixon Polling and Research Inc. of Washington, D.C., randomly surveyed 800 registered voters from Sept. 16 to Sept. 19. The results have a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. On the hemp issue, the poll showed:
The Sioux Falls area, including Minnehaha and Lincoln counties, had the highest rate of acceptance of the measure, but that was only 28 percent. The state was divided into three other areas - the northern part of South Dakota east of the Missouri River, the southern part of the state east of the river, and all of West River. In those three areas, support for the the ballot measure ranged form 18 percent to 21 percent.
Twenty-four percent of men and 19 percent of women were in favor of legalizing hemp, while 59 percent of both sexes surveyed were against it.
The political breakdown was nearly even, with a 21-to-57 count among Democrats and 29 to 61 among Republicans. Independents were the most likely to favor the idea, with 29 percent supporting the measure and 54 percent against it.
Two of the three candidates for attorney general, the state's top law-enforcement job, support legalizing industrial hemp. Besides Newland, Democrat Ron Volesky of Huron says he'd favor the plan, although he said he opposes the use of marijuana.
"This isn't marijuana. It's an industrial farm product that could do the state some good," said Volesky, who sponsored an unsuccessful bill in the 2001 session to allow farmers to grow hemp. "I'm not going to change my position just to look tough on crime. I am tough on crime, but hemp is an opportunity for economic development."
Republican Larry Long, currently the deputy attorney general, disagrees.
"I couldn't support that. I think it's a bad idea," he said. "Besides, even if we did make it legal under state law, it's still illegal under federal law. Even if we passed this, you could be prosecuted for growing hemp."
A Republican legislator and former Rapid City police chief says he thinks the poll numbers show there hasn't been enough information provided to voters to make an informed decision.
"I'm not opposed to that initiative," said Rep. Tom Hennies. "Hemp is completely different than marijuana, and we ought to look at this issue for what it is. Farmers need another cash crop. We import the stuff but don't grow it here. I think there ought to be a study to see if, in fact, there is a visible difference between hemp and marijuana to know if you can tell by looking what is in a field."
A supervisor with the South Dakota Highway Patrol argued in a written statement against the ballot measure that the differences between hemp and marijuana aren't apparent without analysis.
"A Dutch study of 97 cannabis strains, including both hemp and smokable marijuana, found only chemical analysis can differentiate between the two," Major Dan Mosteller wrote.
"It would be prohibitively expensive to test hemp plants thoroughly."
He called the measure a "stalking horse" for legalization of marijuana.
Not so, argued former Republican Rep. Bob Weber, a farmer from the Clear Lake area. He wrote a ballot argument for passage of the measure.
"We should have a textile mill and a paper mill on the Missouri River, making cloth and paper from South Dakota-grown hemp, using South Dakota water and South Dakota-produced power, providing South Dakotans with employment," Weber wrote.
Terry Woster, Argus Leader
Copyright © 2002, Argus Leader. All rights reserved.
PIERRE, South Dakota – Nearly 60 percent of South Dakota residents would vote to kill a ballot measure to make it legal to grow and market industrial hemp, a statewide poll shows.
The poll, sponsored by the Argus Leader and KSFY-TV, showed 59 percent of those answering oppose the initiated measure, while 21 percent favor it and 20 percent haven't made up their minds.
"I know South Dakota needs more value-added agriculture, and hemp is supposedly a big cash crop, but I wouldn't vote for this," said Art VanMorrlehem, 80, a retired farmer from Arlington who was interviewed for the poll. "I'd have more than a little concern they might be growing something more potent than hemp out in the middle of the field."
The November 5 ballot includes a citizen-initiated proposal to legalize hemp for industrial purposes. The product could be grown and marketed if it contained no more than 1 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the substance that gives marijuana its kick. Supporters of the ballot measure call hemp the most versatile crop on earth, used in paper, rope, cloth and twine.
They say the product grown legally in Canada and other foreign nations is imported for such uses, cutting South Dakota farmers out of an opportunity to diversify their crops and earn additional income. Opponents have the suspicion voiced by VanMorrlehem that the focus on industrial hemp is a smoke screen for a move to make pot legal.
"It isn't a drug, it's a crop," said Bob Newland, Libertarian Party candidate for attorney general and a supporter of the ballot measure. "And based on what I hear as I travel, I tend to doubt that these poll numbers are accurate. I think this issue is kind of a sleeper."
Mason Dixon Polling and Research Inc. of Washington, D.C., randomly surveyed 800 registered voters from Sept. 16 to Sept. 19. The results have a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. On the hemp issue, the poll showed:
The Sioux Falls area, including Minnehaha and Lincoln counties, had the highest rate of acceptance of the measure, but that was only 28 percent. The state was divided into three other areas - the northern part of South Dakota east of the Missouri River, the southern part of the state east of the river, and all of West River. In those three areas, support for the the ballot measure ranged form 18 percent to 21 percent.
Twenty-four percent of men and 19 percent of women were in favor of legalizing hemp, while 59 percent of both sexes surveyed were against it.
The political breakdown was nearly even, with a 21-to-57 count among Democrats and 29 to 61 among Republicans. Independents were the most likely to favor the idea, with 29 percent supporting the measure and 54 percent against it.
Two of the three candidates for attorney general, the state's top law-enforcement job, support legalizing industrial hemp. Besides Newland, Democrat Ron Volesky of Huron says he'd favor the plan, although he said he opposes the use of marijuana.
"This isn't marijuana. It's an industrial farm product that could do the state some good," said Volesky, who sponsored an unsuccessful bill in the 2001 session to allow farmers to grow hemp. "I'm not going to change my position just to look tough on crime. I am tough on crime, but hemp is an opportunity for economic development."
Republican Larry Long, currently the deputy attorney general, disagrees.
"I couldn't support that. I think it's a bad idea," he said. "Besides, even if we did make it legal under state law, it's still illegal under federal law. Even if we passed this, you could be prosecuted for growing hemp."
A Republican legislator and former Rapid City police chief says he thinks the poll numbers show there hasn't been enough information provided to voters to make an informed decision.
"I'm not opposed to that initiative," said Rep. Tom Hennies. "Hemp is completely different than marijuana, and we ought to look at this issue for what it is. Farmers need another cash crop. We import the stuff but don't grow it here. I think there ought to be a study to see if, in fact, there is a visible difference between hemp and marijuana to know if you can tell by looking what is in a field."
A supervisor with the South Dakota Highway Patrol argued in a written statement against the ballot measure that the differences between hemp and marijuana aren't apparent without analysis.
"A Dutch study of 97 cannabis strains, including both hemp and smokable marijuana, found only chemical analysis can differentiate between the two," Major Dan Mosteller wrote.
"It would be prohibitively expensive to test hemp plants thoroughly."
He called the measure a "stalking horse" for legalization of marijuana.
Not so, argued former Republican Rep. Bob Weber, a farmer from the Clear Lake area. He wrote a ballot argument for passage of the measure.
"We should have a textile mill and a paper mill on the Missouri River, making cloth and paper from South Dakota-grown hemp, using South Dakota water and South Dakota-produced power, providing South Dakotans with employment," Weber wrote.
Terry Woster, Argus Leader
Copyright © 2002, Argus Leader. All rights reserved.
