North Dakota Farmer Loses Appeal For Federal Permission To Grow Industrial Hemp

Which begs the question, why does this farmer need the permission of the federal government?

Two North Dakota farmers have opened a lawsuit against the DEA stating that they should be able to grow industrial hemp without the fear of prosecution. Hemp, which is used to make paper, lotion and other products, is related to the illegal drug marijuana.
“I guess the next step is we’ll have to take it to Congress,” said Hauge, who grows garbanzo beans and other crops near the northwestern North Dakota town of Ray. “The fastest and easiest way to handle this would be for the president to order the Department of Justice to stand down on all actions against industrial hemp.”

Under state law growing industrial hemp is legal. Was, in fact, made explicitly legal not that long ago by action of the state legislature. But the federal Drug Enforcement Agency does not allow growing industrial hemp, and to date the agency has refused permission to grow hemp to North Dakota farmers.
Why? Apparently out of sheer bureaucratic arrogance. Setting aside the question of whether or not marijuana should be legal (it should be, but I digress), the species of hemp used for industrial purposes is not the same species of hemp used to make marijuana. The marijuana type of plant produces weak fibers that are all but unusable for industrial purposes.
Regardless, the representatives of the people of North Dakota have decided that they’d like to allow industrial hemp to be grown in the state. Why can’t the federal government just butt out?