The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on Monday in the case of an Oglala Lakota family who wants to grow hemp in the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Alex White Plume, the vice president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and his family planted hemp crops three times only to see them destroyed by the Drug Enforcement Agency. The family says it has a right, under treaty and tribal law, to grow the plant.

Hemp is different from marijuana, which is an illicit drug. But the DEA says the family would still have to apply for a federal permit to grow hemp.

Hemp can be used for a wide variety of industrial and commercial purposes. The White Plumes say they want to create jobs and generate revenue.

Get the Story:
Court hears hemp appeal (AP 12/13)

Court Briefs:
US v. White Plume (8th Circuit Court of Appeals)

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