Hauge is joined by Monson, a Republican state legislator who helped pass a law in 1999 that would permit hemp cultivation and establish limits to ease the federal government’s worries. They have the backing of Vote Hemp, an advocacy organization, and state Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, who personally delivered paperwork to the DEA in February on the farmers’ behalf.

I am a proponent of making Marijuana legal to at least the prescription level if not to the same level as tobacco. Guess where I sit for hemp. Yep. WTF is the DEA thinking. I’ll tell you. The plants look similar. How in the hell are they supposed to differentiate between the two and make a good bust? You don’t get publicity for sawing down and burning a perfectly legal crop of hemp. Well, not the kind you want anyways.

Hemp is being used for more and more products. From the ever popular hemp rope to new uses as food products and as an oil in soaps and lotions. Why would we want to have all of our producers continue to send their money elsewhere to get it? Why wouldn’t we want some of that money to come our way up here in the north-lands?

Robin Prosser, a Missoula woman who struggled for a quarter century to live with the pain of an immunosuppressive disorder, tried years ago to kill herself. Last week, she tried again. This time, she succeeded.

After her earlier attempt failed, Prosser wound up in even more trouble after investigating police found marijuana in her home. She used the marijuana to help cope with pain.

That marijuana charge was eventually dropped in an agreement with the city of Missoula, and Prosser had reason to rejoice in 2004 when Montanans passed a law allowing medical use of the drug.

Unfortunately, thanks to the efforts of our Government, and in particular the DEA, Prosser was unable to gain access to the marijuana that she needed medically. Due to an allergic reaction to most pharmaceuticals, marijuana was the only way for her to relieve the pain.

I won’t say that I advocate suicide, because I don’t, but what else is a person supposed to do? The woman couldn’t go outside due to a reaction to sunlight. She couldn’t take pharmaceuticals due to allergic reactions. She could, however, use marijuana to dampen the pain enough to make it livable.

I think it’s entirely too bad that the Government is unwilling to give up the tax money for the “war on drugs” and make marijuana a medically available drug. It certainly isn’t any worse than alcohol or many of the other FDA approved prescription medicines.

How many people have to die (or kill themselves) before we try something different?