California: Legislature Approves Hemp Cultivation Bill

[freethefly 6]

There was a time, in the U.S., when the farming of hemp was considered essential to the growth of our nation. It is time to start cultivating hemp and start the healing of wasted land caused by deforestation and the over use of fertilizers and pesticides.
Last weekend at the Cannabis Revival, in Joplin, Mo., I had the pleasure of meeting Teri Zimmerman of St. Louis NORML (we set up our medical mj items in her booth). She is widely known for the Hempmobile and her work at promoting biomass fuel. We, Jacqueline Patterson and myself, followed her as she drove her VW Quantum to the festival. She was running the car on a fuel made from french fry grease. The smell was of french fries. The car will run on any biomass fuel. To date they import hemp seeds from Canada to make the hempfuel. The fuel has an odor of popcorn (she had jars of the fuel on display). You can also drank it as it is not lethal, although not recommended.
After talking to Teri, I am amazed that this fuel is not utilized to free us from BIG OIL. I wonder what the hell is wrong with our country when such a plant can do so much yet veiwed as the greatest evil of all by a government that caters to only the big corporation.
It is time for the sea of green to once again spread across the world and heal this dying planet.

California: Legislature Approves Hemp Cultivation Bill

Sacramento, CA: The California legislature this week approved legislation recognizing industrial hemp as an "agricultural field crop" and establishing regulations governing its cultivation by state-authorized farmers. The bill, AB 1147 (The California Industrial Hemp Farming Act), now awaits final approval from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R).

Under the proposal, authorized farmers and researchers would be allowed to cultivate non-psychoactive varieties of cannabis containing less than 0.3 percent THC for industrial purposes, such as fiber content and seed stock. Farmers in Canada, the European Union and elsewhere currently grow hemp commercially as an agricultural commodity for a variety of consumer products, including food.

According to a 2005 Congressional Research Service report, "The United States is the only developed nation in which industrial hemp is not an established crop."

Hemp

According to David West, PhD, "The THC levels in industrial hemp are so low that no one could ever get high from smoking it. Moreover, hemp contains a relatively high percentage of another cannabinoid, CBD, that actually blocks the marijuana high. Hemp, it turns out, is not only not marijuana; it could be called 'antimarijuana.'"

Source: West, David P, Hemp and Marijuana: Myths and Realities (Madison, WI: North American Industrial Hemp Council, 1998), p. 3.


Although opponents of hemp production claim that hemp fields will be used to hide marijuana fields, this is unlikely because cross-pollination between hemp and marijuana plants would significantly reduce the potency of the marijuana plant. On March 12, 1998, Canada legalized hemp production and set a limit of 0.3% THC content that may be present in the plants and requires that all seeds be certified for THC content.

Source: West, David P, Hemp and Marijuana: Myths and Realities (Madison, WI: North American Industrial Hemp Council, 1998)., pp. 4, 21.


In a July 1998 study issued by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Kentucky, researchers concluded that Kentucky hemp farmers could earn a net profit of $600 per acre for raising certified seeds, $320 net profit per acre for straw only or straw and grain production, and $220 net profit per acre for grain only production. The only crop found to be more profitable was tobacco.

Source: Tompson, Eric C., PhD, Berger, Mark C., PhD, and Allen, Steven N., Economic Impacts of Industrial Hemp in Kentucky (Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky, Center for Business and Economic Research, 1998), p. 21.


In a July 1998 study issued by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Kentucky, researchers estimated that if Kentucky again became the main source for industrial hemp seed (as it was in the past), the state could earn the following economic benefits:

Scenario Full time jobs created Worker Earnings
Main source for certified industrial seeds only 69 jobs $1,300,000.00
Certified seeds, plus one processing facility 303 jobs $6,700,000.00
Certified seeds, plus two processing facilities 537 jobs $12,100,000.00
Certified seeds, one processing facility, one industrial hemp paper-pulp plant 771 jobs $17,600,000.00

Source: Tompson, Eric C., PhD, Berger, Mark C., PhD, and Allen, Steven N., Economic Impacts of Industrial Hemp in Kentucky (Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky, Center for Business and Economic Research, 1998), p. iv.


In February 2004, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Drug Enforcement Administration cannot ban hemp products. The Associated Press reported that "On Friday, the court said that though the DEA has regulatory authority over marijuana and synthetically derived tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the agency did not follow the law in asserting authority over all hemp food products as well. 'They cannot regulate naturally-occuring THC not contained within or derived from marijuana,' the court ruled, noting it's not possible to get high from products with only trace amounts of the mind-altering chemical. Hemp is an industrial plant related to marijuana. Fiber from the plant long has been used to make paper, clothing, rope and other products. Its oil is found in body-care products such as lotion, soap and cosmetics and in a host of foods, including energy bars, waffles, milk-free cheese, veggie burgers and bread." The case is Hemp Industries Association v. Drug Enforcement Administration, number 01-71662.

Source: Terence Chea, Associated Press, "Appeals Court Rejects DEA Bid To Outlaw Hemp Foods," Feb. 6, 2004, from the web at http://www.mapinc.org/newscsdp/v04/n231/a07.html , last accessed Feb. 18, 2004.


"Other than Maryland, only Hawaii, North Dakota and Minnesota have laws allowing hemp production. All were passed last year. Both Minnesota and North Dakota allow farmers statewide to grow hemp."

Source: Montgomery, Lori, Washington Post Staff Writer, Maryland Authorizes the Production of Hemp, The Washington Post, May 19, 2000, p. B1, B5.


"In Virginia, lawmakers passed a resolution last year urging federal officials to 'revise the necessary regulations' to permit experimental hemp production there."

Source: Montgomery, Lori, Washington Post Staff Writer, Maryland Authorizes the Production of Hemp, The Washington Post, May 19, 2000, p. B5.


http://www.jackherer.com/chapter02.html

Hemp Facts

Hemp is the Strongest Natural Fibre Known to Man
Hemp Produces 4 Times As Much Paper Per Acre than Tree
A Crop of Hemp can be Grown in 100 Days, Without Harmful Fertilizers & Pesticides
Hemp can Create Jobs, Reduce Acid Rain & Help Reverse the Greenhouse Effect
http://www.hemphouse.com/docs/hempinfo.html

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[Gravitymaster 0]

Uh, yeah. So what?

They are allowing hemp that actually counters the effects of pot to be grown. Is this some kind of victory for the potheads?

Indiana and Illinois have had hundreds if not thousands of acres of hemp growing wild for a long time. One can sneak into the farmers fields at night and pick all you want. All it does is give you a headache, though.

[freethefly 6]

Hemp has nothing to do with "potheads" and everything to do with saving the planet, providing a profitable crop for small farms, saving the forest, reducing pesticide run off, providing food, providing non-petro plastics, providing stronger building materials, stemming erosion of farm land. The list of what hemp provides is extremely long. It is the most versatile plant on the planet. George Washington grew hemp. Todays farmer should be allowed the same.

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[skydyvr 0]

Maybe the fog of ignorance surrounding hemp is lifting a little.

. . =(_8^(1)

[Gravitymaster 0]

Quote

Hemp has nothing to do with "potheads" and everything to do with saving the planet, providing a profitable crop for small farms, saving the forest, reducing pesticide run off, providing food, providing non-petro plastics, providing stronger building materials, stemming erosion of farm land. The list of what hemp provides is extremely long. It is the most versatile plant on the planet. George Washington grew hemp. Todays farmer should be allowed the same.

I only ask what the connection to potheads is because you mentioned Terri Zimmerman with NORML. Obviously if they are involved, there's a tie-in to the legalization of pot. Seems pretty reasonable to question whether this is an attempt by NORML to get an incremental step towards the legalization of pot?

I really don't care if people smoke pot, as long as they don't do it on the job or while driving a car etc. Same restrictions as using alcohol.

[freethefly 6]

Fair question as NORML is normally associated with recreational use.
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3377
NORML Statement on the Cultivation of Industrial Hemp

Introduction
What is Hemp?
History Of Hemp
Where does the DEA Stand on Hemp?
Hemp Today

"The marketplace, not myopic rules, should determine hemp's future in America."
- New York Times Editorial Board, April 11, 1998

Introduction
Why are American farmers legally forbidden from growing a plant proclaimed by Popular Mechanics magazine to have the potential to be manufactured into more than 25,000 environmentally friendly products? It's because the plant is hemp -- also known as marijuana -- and for more than 60 years, it has remained the U.S. government's public enemy #1.

What is Hemp?
Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis sativa L. that contains minimal (less than 1%) amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. It is a tall, slender, fibrous plant similar to flax or kenaf. Various parts of the plant can be utilized in the making of textiles, paper, paints, clothing, plastics, cosmetics, foodstuffs, insulation, animal feed and other products.

Hemp produces a much higher yield per acre than do common substitutes such as cotton and requires few pesticides. In addition, hemp has an average growing cycle of only 100 days and leaves the soil virtually weed-free for the next planting.

The hemp plant is currently harvested for commercial purposes in over 30 nations, including Canada, Japan and the European Union. Although it grows wild across much of America and presents no public health or safety threat, hemp is nevertheless routinely uprooted and destroyed by law enforcement. Each year, approximately 98% of all the marijuana eliminated by the DEA's "Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program" is actually hemp.

Despite America's bureaucratic moratorium on industrial hemp cultivation, a domestic industry exists and continues to grow. U.S. retailers and manufacturers annually import approximately 1.9 million pounds of hemp fiber, 450,000 pounds of hemp seeds, and 331 pounds of hempseed oil from Canada and other nations that regulate hemp farming. (Federal law permits the importation of hemp fiber, sterilized seeds, and ingestible hemp-based products containing no THC.) In addition, a growing number of health professionals are praising hemp seeds' nutritional value, noting that it's second only to soy in protein and contains the highest concentration of essential amino and fatty acids found in any food. Given the crop's versatility, it's no wonder that hemp has been endorsed by organizations and individuals such as the U.S. Agriculture Department's Alternative Agricultural Research, the National Conference of State Legislatures, environmentalist Ralph Nader and health guru Andrew Weil.


History of Hemp
Researchers trace hemp's history as a fiber and food crop back some 12,000 years. During America's colonial era, many of the founding fathers -- including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson -- espoused its manufacturing for rope, sails and paper. Early settlers also used hemp seeds as a source for lamp oil and some colonies made hemp cultivation compulsory, calling its production necessary for the "wealth and protection of the country."

Hemp continued to be cultivated in America until 1937 when Congress passed the Marihuana Tax Act outlawing marijuana. Although not a bill specifically aimed at hemp production, legal limitations posed by the legislation put an end to the once prominent industry.

Hemp production briefly re-emerged in 1942 when the federal government encouraged American farmers to grow it for the war effort. Armed with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) film "Hemp for Victory," thousands of farmers grew hundreds of thousands of acres of hemp for wartime needs. Unfortunately, when World War II ended, so did the government's allowance of hemp cultivation. By 1957, prohibitionists had reasserted a total ban on hemp production. That federal ban remains in effect today.

Where does the DEA Stand on Hemp?
Despite hemp's emergence as a worldwide economic industry, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) remain firmly opposed to it. Currently, only the DEA has the power to license farmers to legally grow hemp, even in those states where local laws permit it. Not surprisingly, the DEA has continued to deny every permit for large-scale hemp farming (In 1999, they did give Hawaii researchers permission to grow a one-quarter acre test plot of the crop.) within America's borders for the last four decades.

In a 1995 USDA "White Paper," the DEA stated that they are "opposed to any consideration of hemp as a legitimate fiber or pulp product," and recommended that any USDA researcher who wishes to explore the issue must first be briefed by White House anti-drug officials. Since then, DEA officials have stonewalled several state efforts to enact hemp cultivation and research bills by threatening to arrest any farmers who attempt to grow it. Most recently, President George Bush's spokesman Ari Flesher answered the question: "Does the President favor the legalization of industrial hemp?" by stating that Bush has not made "any statements ... that would lend one to reach that conclusion."

Hemp Today
Although our federal government refuses to waver on hemp prohibition, public, state and international support is growing. The European Union now subsidizes farmers to grow hemp, which is legally recognized as a commercial crop by the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

In recent years, a number of U.S. states have commissioned studies recommending hemp as a viable economic crop. Most recently, legislatures in Montana and North Dakota have enacted legislation licensing farmers to grow hemp (though federal approval still remains necessary), hopefully paving the way for a renewed U.S. hemp cultivation industry in the not-so-distant future.

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young