Kentucky Takes DEA to Court Over 'Illegal' Hemp Seed Seizure
State officials accuse DEA of violating federal law.
By Steven Nelson May 16

Kentucky officials say the Drug Enforcement Administration is breaking the law in an attempt to illegally ruin the state’s industrial hemp pilot program.

The Bluegrass State legalized industrial hemp in 2013 and the federal farm bill signed by President Barack Obama in February allows states to grow it for research.

Industrial hemp superficially resembles marijuana, but has much lower concentrations of psychoactive THC. It’s been used for centuries for making rope, clothes and other items, but growing it was illegal for decades in the U.S.

Earlier this month, the DEA seized 250 pounds of hemp seeds en route to the University of Kentucky from Italy. The package was first flagged by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

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A federal law enforcement official says the Department of Justice – DEA’s parent agency – recognizes the law now allows hemp cultivation. But, the law enforcement official said, existing procedures for importing items covered by the Controlled Substances Act must still be followed.

The federal official says Kentucky is to blame for the impasse – which goes to federal court Friday afternoon – for not seeking a controlled substance import permit.

State officials disagree.

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“They have changed their position several times, it’s almost been like buying a house,” says Holly Harris VonLuehrte, chief of staff for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. "For some odd reason, the DEA is trying to place unnecessary and, quite frankly, illegal restrictions on Kentucky."

The DEA first demanded that all six Kentucky colleges with intended pilot programs acquire controlled substance permits, according to VonLuehrte, and then insisted that hemp could not be grown on private land, contrary to the farm bill’s language allowing state-approved sites.

“It’s very clear the DEA was not negotiating in good faith, and we don’t feel that we should have to negotiate: the law is the law, and that’s why we asked a federal judge to intervene. And we sure hope they’ll honor a federal judge’s order,” says VonLuehrte.

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More:
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014...mp-seed-seizure