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Why not hemp?

Roadtoad

Bufo Caminus Inedibilis
Roadtoad
Joined
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Messages
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Citrus Heights, CA
As we were discussing in another thread, there's apparently a long history for hemp and hemp products. Currently, there's restrictions on the cultivation of industrial hemp, (which, by the way, can't be smoked. You could, but you wouldn't get much of a buzz because of the lack of THC in it.) However, there's high quality paper that's made from hemp, as well as a whole host of other products.

This provokes some serious questions, not the least of which is that if it's a beneficial product, and it can be grown economically, with little environmental damage, why not legalize its cultivation and reap what benefits are available? This makes little sense to me why we don't do this.
 
Roadtoad said:
This provokes some serious questions, not the least of which is that if it's a beneficial product, and it can be grown economically, with little environmental damage, why not legalize its cultivation and reap what benefits are available? This makes little sense to me why we don't do this.
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Hemp is indeed a very beneficial product. It has been used to make clothing, ship sails, footwear and even paper. I saw a documentary on the History Channel (part of the Illegal Drugs series) that stated marijuana was made illegal for political reasons. Politicians wanting to change the voter base in the southwest U.S. took advantage of the fact that the indigenous Mexican population used marijuana regularly. Once the plant was made illegal (which STILL amazes me, the fact that we humans can rule a friggin PLANT illegal - I mean, it's a weed!), they were deported to Mexico.

Another version I'd read about concern a likely "under-the-counter" deal between Randolf Heast and the Du Pont Corporation. A company that apparently didn't bend to Hearst's will (because they were a major supplier of hemp-based newsprint to all the major newspapers) was targeted politically by Hearst who had made a "deal" with Du Pont who would provide a new non-hemp paper (that in the end turned out to be more polluting as well).

They put pressure on Washington to make marijuana, and thus growing hemp for any reason, illegal. Hearst bankrupted the offending company, and he and Du Pont enjoyed their upward spiral for years thereafter.

I can't provide sources (the History Channel does have the video series for sale, but you can probably catch it again sometime) for the article I read as it was several years back. Still, science is finding out that marijuana isn't the demon we've been lead to believe (well, at least some people were lead to believe) - there is an article in the last issue of Time magazine (2005 - The Year in Health) that states researchers have found that marijuana has a noteworthy anti-inflammatory effect that may be useful in treating arthritus (oh, my back!).
 
Most probably, because the Hemp is ostensibly lumped together with (and in most people's minds, it is the same as) marijuana which is classified as Schedule 1 Narcotic, prohibited under the UN Single Convention Treaty 1961/1972. There is some legal precedent to try and differentiate the two, but it's nightmarish uphill battle.

It is likely that only a scientific re-classification of Hemp as a seperate species can change this. You might wish to write to the current head of the US Dep't of Agriculture (Mike Johanns, a very intelligent man who is a Nebraska farmer himself) and see what he says. I did just that, but got no reply whatsoever.

Maybe he's too busy with the birds? Who knows...



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Mephisto, how come you are writing so much about this, but can't even manage to offer the reply requested by Zenith-Nadir on the US supplying WMD's to Israel, which you claimed HERE.
 
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The best part is that hemp products are not illegal in the US, just the manufacture of them. The result is that the US government has engaged in reverse protectionism. Going out of their way to prevent Americans from producing certain products, but allowing them to come in from overseas.

Not sure if you are going to get much debate on this one. Pretty much anyone who knows anything about this subject knows the law is stupid, it only stays on the books because average USians are so ill-informed about the subject that legalising industrial hemp would still not poll well over here.
 
Roadtoad said:
As we were discussing in another thread, there's apparently a long history for hemp and hemp products. Currently, there's restrictions on the cultivation of industrial hemp, (which, by the way, can't be smoked. You could, but you wouldn't get much of a buzz because of the lack of THC in it.) However, there's high quality paper that's made from hemp, as well as a whole host of other products.

This provokes some serious questions, not the least of which is that if it's a beneficial product, and it can be grown economically, with little environmental damage, why not legalize its cultivation and reap what benefits are available? This makes little sense to me why we don't do this.
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Are you speaking of the U.S.? If so:


(23 Aug, 2004)

US Court declares hemp products legal to consume.

The three-year legal battle between The Hemp Industries Association of America (HIA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is finally over. Surprisingly, the hempsters won!

The Bush administration's attempt to focus the drug war on harmless hemp was shot down by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on February 6, 2004. It ruled that hemp does not get people high and that hemp-based foods are safe for human consumption.

The HIA, which represents over 200 hemp-based companies across North America, argued that the DEA ignored the exemption Congress made in the Controlled Substances Act, which excludes hemp oil, seed and fiber from regulation. Therefore, the Court reasoned that trace amounts of THC found in hemp was akin to the benign trace amounts of opiates inherent in poppy seeds.

The Court declared that the DEA could not regulate THC that is naturally-derived and not psychoactive. As hemp is not included in the Schedule I, the DEA cannot regulate it, and the Court said the DEA cannot reclassify hemp as a dangerous substance without first proving it has a "high potential for abuse."

As an industrial product, hemp was used in the early part of the 20th Century until the prohibition fever of the 1930's resulted in a federal law banning marijuana completely. Hemp made a brief legal comeback in the US during WWII, when the government urged farmers to "grow hemp for victory." But when the war ended, hemp could no longer be cultivated legally inside the US. However, hemp products could still be imported.

[. . .]

Some speculate that the Justice Department may now try to move against the hemp industry through different means, such as the US Food and Drug Administration.
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Has this made any difference, or is it still illegal to cultivate hemp in the U.S.?
 
Grow it - Go to Jail

"Is it still illegal to cultivate hemp in the U.S.?"

Absolutely.
 
The British Navy, Royal and Merchant, used to use an enormous amount of hemp before and after the American Rebellion. Time was, in New England and Canada, settlers were granted a section if they undertook to grow hemp on a quarter of it. Hemp for which they were paid. After the Rebellion jute from India was preferred by the British, but demand remained high in the ex-Colonies. Whatever happened to that industry?

There used to be a magazine called Hemp News (printed on hemp paper, natch) out of the Netherlands. Must check up on it. A few years ago a munchy-bar made from hemp-seeds could be bought in health-food shops, but I haven't noticed it recently. It was called 9-Bar. Which means something to some of us.
 
webfusion said:
Mephisto, how come you are writing so much about this, but can't even manage to offer the reply requested by Zenith-Nadir on the US supplying WMD's to Israel, which you claimed HERE.
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Webfusion - I just jumped into the forum and started at the top (this thread was brand new). I haven't seen ZNs question regarding my post, but I'll be sure to take a look. Hope no one is holding their breath . . .
 
CapelDodger said:
The British Navy, Royal and Merchant, used to use an enormous amount of hemp before and after the American Rebellion. Time was, in New England and Canada, settlers were granted a section if they undertook to grow hemp on a quarter of it. Hemp for which they were paid. After the Rebellion jute from India was preferred by the British, but demand remained high in the ex-Colonies. Whatever happened to that industry?

There used to be a magazine called Hemp News (printed on hemp paper, natch) out of the Netherlands. Must check up on it. A few years ago a munchy-bar made from hemp-seeds could be bought in health-food shops, but I haven't noticed it recently. It was called 9-Bar. Which means something to some of us.
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It means nothing to me, but I drive for a living.

Meantime, Capel, you might want to check these guys out. Pretty interesting stuff. I don't live too far from Sebastopol, so I might drop them a line and ask for more info.
 
Mephisto said:
which STILL amazes me, the fact that we humans can rule a friggin PLANT illegal - I mean, it's a weed!
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Rather off-topic, but I just have to point out that you display quite a bit of ignorance here. Many (hundreds? thousands?) species are illegal, many of those species are plants, and often they are illegal precisely because they are weeds.

http://www.chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/spring2002/weed.html

That's but one example... hopefully the concept is not so amazing once you give it some thought.
 
aerocontrols said:
Rather off-topic, but I just have to point out that you display quite a bit of ignorance here. Many (hundreds? thousands?) species are illegal, many of those species are plants, and often they are illegal precisely because they are weeds.

http://www.chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/spring2002/weed.html

That's but one example... hopefully the concept is not so amazing once you give it some thought.
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Thanks for that link, aerocontrols. Amazing stuff and I do know of other weeds that are illegal because they are so invasive, but they're illegal for different reasons. I would imagine that if marijuana were that invasive there would be a constant run on the snacks aisle at the grocery store and people would be volunteering for weekend road-side cleanup crews.
 
By far the most common use for hemp has been rope and sailcloth for sailing boats, and it still is in many places. Until the advent of man-made polymers like nylon, almost all ropes used in shipping were made of hemp, including for the major sailing clippers, naval vessels, and even 20th century ocean liners.

Factoid 1: Wild hemp grows along the roadside in summer in much of Tasmania - it's a major weed, and the cattle eat it. (So too does opium poppy!)

Factoid 2: The Indian/Afghani name for hemp is "ruti". In Sydney, one of the western suburbs was a major growing area of Indian hemp for many decades, supplying rope and hemp sails to the visiting shipping. That area is now officially called Rooty Hill (becorz we carnt spel).
 
While I don't see any problem with hemp on the whole (I am opposed to anti-drug laws in the first place, much less idiotic consequences of them), the biggest problem with the "hemp movement" in the US is the people behind it. If I thought for a second that the stoners who are the big pro-hempers (coughwoodyharrelsoncough) cared the least about actual hemp products instead of just using it as an in to get pot legalized, I might even care. However, as it is, the "hemp" movement is as transparent as the ID movement in terms of its actual agenda.

To paraphrase, you couldn't get the hemp movement any closer to pot if you spotted them the p and the t.
 
Yerrrrs. :rolleyes:

Perhaps it should be grown and marketed under another name??

Example: There was a craze for some little rodents as pets called "slinkets". Some seen-about-town girls used to have them in handbags - thought they were cute and cuddly and all! But not after they were informed that "slinkets" were in fact common labatory rats!
 
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