It is always astonishing when something that is so patently wrong
continues to be sustained in the regulatory regime. Everybody today
knows that hemp must not be confused with the pharmaceutical
applications of specific varieties and even that these pharmaceutical
applications need to be researched, managed and properly regulated
like all medicine.
At present the weight of history has turned on the so called war on
drugs that helped preserve this nonsense. Defeat is very much in the
air.
Yet we still lack the legislative will to begin the process of
rationalization.
It is beginning to feel like the later days of the Soviet regime.
Hemp Could Free Us
From Oil, Prevent Deforestation, Cure Cancer and It’s
Environmentally Friendly – So Why Is It Illegal?
Marco Torres,
May 14, 2013
Hemp is a tall,
beautiful and gracious looking annual plant that can reach heights
over twelve feet. Although hemp (cannabis sativa) and marijuana
(cannabis sativa var. indica) come from a similar species of plant,
they are very different and confusion has been caused by deliberate
misinformation with far reaching effects on socioeconomics as well as
on environmental matters. The reason hemp is illegal is not because
of any negative impact to the environment or human health, but
exactly the opposite. It is so environmentally friendly,
nutritionally and medicinally beneficial, that it provides too many
abundant resources which would make it impossible for powerful
corporations to compete.
Historical Use
Hemp is the most
universally useful plant we have at our disposal. The history of
mankind’s use of hemp can be traced way back in time to between
about 5000 – 7000 BC. Remains of seed husks have been found at
Neolithic burial sites in central Europe, which indicate that they
were used in funeral rites and shamanic ceremonies. It is probable
that at that time the distinctions between various strains were not
as pronounced as they are today.
Up until and even
during WWII, hemp was a widely grown crop, which provided the world
with an excellent and most durable source of fibre. Since it is an
annual with a growing cycle of only 120 days it can be harvested
several times a year, depending on local weather conditions. Its
biomass is considerable, which means that it absorbs large quantities
of the greenhouse gas CO2. It is resistant to bugs and requires
little agrochemical treatment. It is extremely undemanding and can be
grown in very poor conditions and depleted soils and will actually
improve the soil structure over a period of years. For many centuries
hemp was one of the most important industrial crops which provided
the fibres for rope and tough, durable canvass without which the age
of exploration could never have set sail.
In the US too, there have long been numerous rules and regulation
in place regarding the cultivation of hemp. But unlike today’s
regulations that strongly prohibit any cultivation of hemp, less than
a century ago hemp cultivation was not just encouraged, but
mandatory, with hefty fines being levied against farmers who refused.
‘Hemp for Victory’ was the government coined slogan that fuelled
the last big bout of legal hemp cultivation during WWII, promoting
hemp cultivation as a patriotic cause.
Delierate
Misinformation About THC
Hemp is a variety
of cannabis sativa that has a long history of use in the
United States. However, since the 1950s it has been lumped into the
same category of marijuana, and thus the extremely versatile crop was
doomed in the United States. Hemp is technically from the same
species of plant that psychoactive marijuana comes from. However, it
is from a different variety, or subspecies that contains many
important differences.
Industrial hemp has
very low Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels, which is the
principal psychoactive constituent. Compared to marijuana which is
specifically cultivated for personal psychoactive use, it is nearly
impossible to “get high” on hemp. Marijuana that can be smoked
usually contains between 5-10%t THC, industrial hemp contains about
one-tenth of that. In order to get a psychoactive effect, one would
need to smoke more than a dozen hemp cigarettes over a very short
period of time to achieve any kind of psychoactive effect. The reason
for the low THC content in hemp is that most THC is formed in resin
glands on the buds and flowers of the female cannabis plant.
Industrial hemp is not cultivated to produce buds, and therefore
lacks the primary component that forms the marijuana high.
Furthermore, industrial hemp has higher concentrations of a chemical
called Cannabidiol (CBD) that has a negative effect on THC and
lessens its psychoactive effects when smoked in conjunction.
Industrial hemp also
grows differently than THC-containing cannabis. Hemp is typically
grown up, not out, because the focus is not on producing buds but on
producing length of stalk. In this way, hemp is a very similar crop
to bamboo. The stalk contains the fiber and hard, woody core material
that can be used for a variety of purposes, even carpentry.
The two also differ in
the areas that they can be effectively grown. THC-producing Marijuana
must be grown in generally warm and humid environments in order to
produce the desired quantity and quality of THC-containing buds.
However, since industrial hemp does not contain these buds, and the
hardy parts of the plant are the more desired, it can be grown in a
wider range of areas. Generally, industrial hemp grows best on fields
that provide high yields for corn crops, which includes most of the
Southwest, Southeast, and Northeast United States. Furthermore, since
industrial hemp can use male plants as well as female plants (since
the object is not THC production), higher crop yields can result.
While there is
virtually no THC in the varieties grown for industrial uses such as
oil and fibre, governments have cooperated with powerful corporate
lobbyists the ensure that hemp is lumped into the same category as
marijuana. The primary reason is that hemp has too many abundant
resources for fuel, housing, food, medicine that corporations cannot
exploit. Think about how many polluting conglomerates would go down
if hemp was permitted as a resource. The oil, pharmaceutical,
supplement and constructions industry would need to radically shift
their business model to survive.
Abundant Resources
Abundant Resources
Hemp provides the
fibre to make a durable paper – a far more sensible solution than
the wasteful method of clear cutting old growth forests, or even the
cultivation pine plantations that are ecologically speaking dead
zones that take 20 years to mature before they can be harvested.
Cannabis produces 4 times more fibre per acre and can be harvested
several times per year. The first dollar bills were printed on hemp
paper, your old family bible is probably printed on hemp paper and
even the constitution itself was drafted on hemp paper.
Hemp has the strongest
natural fibres, which can be used not just to produce rough cloth,
such as sails or canvass, but also durable work clothes, like the
original jeans. When the plants are grown closer together the fibre
becomes shorter and finer, which allows for finer textiles. Today,
there are some fashion designers that are experimenting with a wide
range of textiles made from hemp for their stylish, trendy hemp
lines, shirts, suits, bags, jeans and more. And, no- you can’t
smoke them to get high!
Hemp fibres are also
finding application as a modern building material, an application
that has been spearheaded and exploited successfully in France. Hemp
fibres can be blended with water and limestone to create an extremely
tough, light-weight, natural cement that has not only excellent
insulating properties, but also shows more flexibility than
conventional concrete, which makes it particularly useful as a
building material in earthquake prone areas.
Back in 1941, Henry
Ford built a car that was not only entirely built from ‘hemp
plastic’, but also ran on hemp fuel. Hemp oil, pressed from the
seeds is also extremely versatile. It can be polymerized to create a
solid plastic-like material, which is extremely durable, yet
nevertheless is completely natural and biodegradable, which could
replace plastics in numerous industrial processes.
Car manufacturers are
again turning to hemp as a resource to provide light-weight, yet
shock absorbent and environmentally friendly material for their cars.
Due to the high biomass hemp would also make an ideal source of
ethanol, the best bio-fuel alternative to gasoline, which is capable
of fuelling engines without producing all those evil gases that are
destroying our atmosphere and poisoning the air. At long last, some
of the top car manufacturers are beginning to follow in Ford’s
steps.
Some Facts on Hemp
- Farming 6% of the continental U.S. acreage with biomass crops would provide all of America’s energy needs.
- Hemp is Earth’s number-one biomass resource; it is capable of producing 10 tons per acre in four months.
- Biomass can be converted to methane, methanol, or gasoline at a cost comparable to petroleum, and hemp is much better for the environment. Pyrolysis (charcoalizing), or biochemical composting are two methods of turning hemp into fuel.
- Hemp can produce 10 times more methanol than corn.
-
Hemp oil is of a very
high quality and industry is using it in paints, inks and varnishes.
In recent years the food industry is also discovering its virtues.
Hempseed oil is one of the richest sources of essential amino acids
and essential fatty acids, providing an excellent balance between
omega-3, -6 and -9 fatty acids. All of these substances are currently
being discussed, not only in the alternative health scene, but also
by the food industry, which is searching for suitable ingredients to
create so called ‘functional foods’. Essential fatty acids are
extremely important to the proper functioning of cells. They play a
role in reducing bad cholesterol and plaque, which is responsible for
arteriosclerosis. Healthfood companies are beginning to experiment
with hemp as a basis for a large range of products- from hemp seed
bars, to gummi bears, to beer, to hemp cheese and many more.
Studies have been
released that show people suffering from cancer have low levels of
melatonin in their bodies. Also studies have shown that just smoking
hemp can raise the melatonin levels in our bodies. So one can only
imagine what hemp oil that is in a concentrated state can do to
increase melatonin levels. Hemp oil promotes full body healing and
raises melatonin levels thousands of times higher than normal. When
the pineal gland produces vast amounts of melatonin, it causes no
harm to the body but it is very hard on the condition you are
suffering from and indeed can eliminate it. For almost a decade, Rick
Simpson has been showing people how to cure cancer with hemp
oil.
Both the commercial
legal type of hemp oil and the illegal THC laden hemp oil are one of
the most power-packed protein sources available in the plant kingdom.
Its oil can be used in many nutritional and transdermal applications.
In other chapters in my Winning the War on Cancer book we will
discuss in-depth about GLA and cancer and also the interesting work
of Dr. Johanna Budwig. She uses flax seed oil instead of hemp oil to
cure cancer — through effecting changes in cell walls — using
these omega3 and omega6 laden medicinal oils.
Hemp Oil Uses
Every application that
uses petroleum for it’s skin and hair products can use hemp oil as
it is more beneficial and herbal. It can be used in many health
issues as either a pain reducer or even as the cure for it.
- Hemp oil can also be used in the production of paints as it doesn’t cause any armful releases when washed down from the drain and has very low emissions than the petroleum paints which are currently being used.Hemp oil prevents skin disorders like psoriasis, eczema, acne and dry skin. It is highly nutritious for the skin and makes a wonderful addition to homemade moisturizing blends and rejuvenating creams. (Read Andrew Weil’s article on hemp oil
The list of beneficial
uses of hemp goes on and on.
So why is
non-psychoactive Hemp illegal?
There is an old
saying: if you want to get to the root of a problem, follow the
money. This holds true for hemp. In this case we have to ask the
question ‘who benefits from hemp being illegal?’ The logical
answer is: the oil companies- and their share holders, of course.
Hemp became illegalized at the time when oil was beginning to make an
impact on the economy as a base material for many things that hemp
could also be used for, including textiles and fibres (plastics),
cosmetics and fuel. Obviously, a resource is more profitable if
access to it is restricted and not every farmer can grow it himself.
In an exceedingly clever PR move psychoactive marijuana and hemp have
been ‘thrown in the same pot’ as it were, and a massive campaign
has been launched to convince people of the dangers of marijuana
alias hemp – a highly questionable assertion.
Although technically
hemp is not illegal to grow in some states, it requires obtaining a
special permit from the drug enforcement agency (DEA) to restrict
mass production. These permits are rarely given out and require that
the crop be surrounded by security measures such as fences, razor
wire, security guards, or dogs. For a crop that has little-to-no
potential to get people high, the current attitude is both
irresponsible and draconian.
Hemp is the most
useful plant ally we have – a sustainable resource par excellence,
as some might like to call it. Instead of cursing it we should be
grateful to its deva and use all its ample gifts to turn the
ecological demise of our planet around.
It is not hard to see
how immensely valuable hemp is and how it has the potential of
solving many of our environmental problems, not to mention our health
problems. Yet, we are continuously deprived of its benefits because
farmers are prohibited from cultivating this crop. Obviously
importing it or products made from it is very expensive and the high
expense is a prohibitive factor to choosing hemp as an
environmentally friendly alternative even where it is available. It
makes no sense to import a crop like hemp, when it can be, should be
and used to be grown in all temperate and hot regions of the world.
Industrial hemp could
transform the economy of the world States in a positive and
beneficial way, and therefore should be exploited to its full
potential.
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