FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Former U.S. attorney from North Dakota Timothy Purdon is taking on his previous boss.

Purdon filed a motion in federal court Thursday asking a judge to lift an 11-year-old injunction that prevents Alex White Plume from producing industrial hemp on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

Purdon contacted the U.S. attorney's office in South Dakota several months ago in an effort to solve the dispute. His proposal was rejected.

Hemp can be used to make clothing, lotion and many other products, but growing it has been illegal under federal law because it looks like marijuana. Many states have defined hemp as distinct from marijuana, and the recent federal farm bill allows its production under certain circumstances.

Federal prosecutors in South Dakota could not immediately be reached for comment.

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