> I still do not understand the problem. As long as you have CITES
> permits for those plants or you can prove that they are artificially
> propagated everything should be fine......it's at least like that in
> Europe.
CITES does not apply--it's for INTERNATIONAL trade in endangered species,
such as would happen in Europe. In the US, the Endangered Species Act
prohibits interstate sales of federally-listed (not necessarily
CITES-listed) endangered species without a permit. The law does not
exempt cultivated (or captive-bred) specimens, but it does provide for
interstate sales permits for such material. Such permits are difficult to
obtain, but nonetheless many have been issued. Most states also have such
laws, but usually these pertain only to their own native species. Again,
CITES has nothing to do with domestic enforcement of endangered species
legislation. This is a common misconception, and there would be no reason
for Barry to obtain CITES permits unless he were trying to ship
CITES-listed species internationally. In that case, the Endangered
Species Act would still take precedence over CITES until the plants made
it to an international border.
Sean Barry