Industrial hemp is an agricultural commodity that is cultivated for use in the production of a wide range of products, including foods and beverages, cosmetics and personal care products, and nutritional supplements, as well as fabrics and textiles, paper, construction and insulation materials, and other manufactured goods. Hemp can be grown as a fiber, seed, or other dual-purpose crops. Congress added Sec. 7606 to the 2014 Farm Bill which defines industrial hemp as distinct from marijuana and authorizes hemp research and pilot programs by universities and state departments of agriculture. In 2015, states including Colorado, Kentucky, Oregon and Tennessee authorized hemp pilot programs conducted by farmers and more than 3,900 acres of hemp were harvested. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been certifying hemp crops organic under the National Organic Program (NOP) for more than 15 years and hundreds of millions of dollars of consumable USDA organic hemp products have been sold worldwide. Currently hemp foods and supplements are sold by thousands of U.S. retailers and hemp seed products are widely recognized as safe and nutritious. Hemp crops in Canada, Europe and China are certified organic under the NOP each year. Hemp seed and fiber is 100% legal to import and sell in the U.S. and legal USDA organic certified hemp products, made with hemp grown in other countries, are sold in thousands of retail outlets across the U.S. Sterilized or processed hemp seed is excluded from the definition of marijuana under 21 U.S.C. 802(16): (16) The term ‘‘marihuana’’ means all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L., whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds or resin. Such term does not include the mature stalks of such plant, fiber produced from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of such plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of such plant which is incapable of germination. - Petition prepared by the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) -

Per the ACLU of South Carolina: -S. 997 is blatantly unconstitutional and pre-empted by federal law. -This bill is an invitation for state officials to cast needless suspicion on lawfully admitted immigrants based on national origin or religious beliefs. - If it were constitutional, this bill will make refugees vulnerable to attacks from violent vigilantes.

Per the ACLU of South Carolina: -S. 997 is blatantly unconstitutional and pre-empted by federal law. -This bill is an invitation for state officials to cast needless suspicion on lawfully admitted immigrants based on national origin or religious beliefs. - If it were constitutional, this bill will make refugees vulnerable to attacks from violent vigilantes. UPDATE: As of 4/6/16, the clause of the bill permitting the refugees' information to be made public has been removed. The rest remains.

Media outlets continue to report projected superdelegates votes, as if they have been officially cast. This is irresponsible reporting, and it must stop.

Guns have no business on college campuses except in the hands of trained police officers.

Exxon deceived the public and its investors by lying about the vast and threatening impacts of climate change for decades. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson joined 17 other state AGs to "jointly explore potential investigations" into whether fossil fuel companies like Exxon have contributed to the devastating cover up. Four AGs have confirmed an investigation is ongoing in their state--but Ferguson has not. Just as Ferguson has stood up for consumers against companies that lied to the public about donating to the campaign against GMO labeling, it is time to once again hold a major corporation like Exxon accountable.

This petition is about the thousands of people who live in the state of Illinois who do not have a voice. This is about more than passing a budget, this is about what can be done to help others and saving the state from financial ruin. Social service agency are closing daily because they cannot keep their doors open, people are living on the streets because the state cannot put aside their pride and pass a budget. This has to end, or more and more people with suffer at the hand of the Illinois government, and this state will be in financial ruin. Please sign this petition so governor Rauner can see that it is affecting the lives of the people he has sworn to protect.

Most players are annoyed with Wizards decisions regarding Ukraine. Especially with the decision to put all WMCQs in the same city for two years in a row. That's unacceptable. I'm going to boycott these games just because it's not fair for our community.

I live across the street at 1843 Cherokee and can see the eminent decline of our neighborhood if this project is approved. We will have zero street parking unless this hotel is required to provide parking to its guests in the 24 units it plans to build. We will have noise at all hours of the night with guests coming and going and we will be inundated with transient visitors, opening the door to drug dealing and partying. Urge Mitch O'Farrell to protect our community instead of trying to make a profit from greedy developers, setting a precedent for more affordable apartment buildings to be converted to hotels. Mitch O'Farrell can initiate a 245 that would allow other council members to know what's going on here behind closed doors, and vote to stop it!

I live across the street at 1843 Cherokee and can see the eminent decline of our neighborhood if this project is approved. We will have zero street parking unless this hotel is required to provide parking to it's guests in the 40 units it plans to build. We will have noise at all hours of the night with guests coming and going and we will be inundated with transient visitors, opening the door to drug dealing and partying. Urge Mitch O'Farrell to protect our community instead of trying to make a profit from greedy developers, setting a precedent for more affordable apartment buildings to be converted to hotels. Mitch O'Farrell can initiate a 245 that would allow other council members to know what's going on here behind closed doors, and vote to stop it!

When the DNC excluded Tim Canova from VAN access, they thought it would shut his campaign down. Instead, this pro-campaign-finance-reform, anti-SuperPAC candidate is fighting back against a corrupt establishment to give us all access to democracy.

as a performer i am sick to death of talented convicted felons getting the breaks and i who have no criminal record suffer. plus i am of seeing guys like chris brown get cut breaks and jay z a two time drug felon get payed yet he DEALT CRACK. honest law abiding musician deserve more then that enouph is enouph.