Restoration and Regulation of Hemp

Biodiesel | Fashion | Fiber | Food | Hempcrete | Medicinal | Paper Prohibition | Recreational | Sustainability The Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp (CRRH) goal is to educate people about the medicinal and industrial uses for cannabis in our global society in order to restore hemp cultivation and end adult cannabis prohibition. The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, would set aside two percent of the profits from the sale of cannabis in cannabis-only stores for two state commissions that promote industrial hemp biodiesel, fiber, protein and oil. It will also legalize the sale, possession and personal private cultivation of marijuana. People who want to cultivate and sell marijuana, or process commercial psychoactive cannabis, would be required to obtain a license from the state. Adults could grow their own marijuana and the sale of all cannabis strains' seeds and starter plants would be legalized with no license, fee nor registration. The profits from the sale of cannabis to adults will add hundreds of millions into the state general fund as well as drug treatment and education. In order to be sucessful, we will need help from volunteers across Oregon. Please tell ten friends about OCTA 2010 and get involved! We are now circulating the petition across Oregon. We will need 83,000 valid signatures by July, 2, 2010 to qualify for the November ballot. The OCTA 2010 Petition is Available - Print it, Sign it & Return it! Print the Petition! | OCTA Text | OCTA Talking Points Petition Instructions: This petition is ONLY a single sheet petition. Following these instructions carefully will ensure that you meet the state of Oregon's requirements, so your signatures count. If you wish to circulate a ten signature sheet petition, please fill out our volunteer form. • Do not put anything on the petition, like a sticker or stamp of any kind or write any slogans on there, this will disqualify the entire sheet. • DO NOT cross anything off or write over anything on the petition. • Do not number the petition. • Along with your signature please print your name address and date. Please use a pen. • A person can only sign a petition once, and CANNOT sign for anyone else. For example, husbands cannot sign for their wives. • The date you sign at the bottom must be in MM/DD/YY format, no exceptions. • You MUST be a registered Oregon voter. Register Now. Sign your full name, as you did when you registered to vote. • You may print off sheets for your friends and family to sign, if they too are registered Oregon voters. • You may also forward the link to friends who wish to sign the petition.  Mail petitions to: Oregon Cannabis Tax Act Headquarters 5220 North East Sandy Blvd. Portland, Oregon 97213 The certified ballot title is as follows: Permits personal marijuana, hemp cultivation/use without license; commission to regulate commercial marijuana cultivation/sale Result of "Yes" Vote: "Yes" vote permits state-licensed marijuana (cannabis) cultivation/sale to adults through state stores; permits unlicensed adult personal cultivation/use; prohibits restrictions on hemp (defined). Result of a "No" Vote: "No" vote retains existing civil and criminal laws prohibiting cultivation, possession and delivery of marijuana; retains current statues that permit regulated use of medical marijuana. Summary: Currently, marijuana cultivation, possession and delivery are prohibited; regulated medical marijuana use permitted. Measure replaces state, local marijuana laws except medical marijuana and driving under the influence laws; distinguishes "hemp" from "marijuana"; prohibits regulation of hemp. Creates agency to license marijuana cultivation by qualified persons and to purchase entire crop. Agency sells marijuana at cost to pharmacies, medical research facilities, and to qualified adults for profit through state stores. Ninety percent of net proceeds goes to state general fund, remainder to drug education, treatment, hemp promotion. Bans sales to, possession by minors. Bans public consumption except where signs permit, minors barred. Agency to regulate use, set prices, other duties; Attorney General to defend against federal challenges/prosecution. Provides penalties. Effective January 1, 2011; other provisions. CRRH's Cannabis Tax Acts (CTA) would comprehensively reform marijuana laws by regulating and taxing adult sales; licensing the cultivation of the drug for sale in adult-only businesses; allowing adults to grow their own and farmers to grow industrial hemp without license; and letting doctors prescribe untaxed cannabis to patients suffering from a variety of illnesses and injuries. OCTA was carefully crafted over a period of years, with the input of dozens of people. The first third of the text, or Preamble, is a finding by the people, giving the reasons we are breaking from federal drug scheduling. When it is passed, this groundbreaking legislation will: Protect children! This is the real Protect Our Children initiative. The Cannabis Tax Act (CTA) will take the lucrative marijuana market out of the blackmarket where children and substance abusers often control it today, and place it in stores, where the age limit of 21 and older is strictly enforced. Help farmers! We will license farmers to cultivate cannabis for both medicinal and adult private use. Farmers will be able to grow industrial hemp without a license, for paper, fabric, protein and oil. Allow doctors to prescribe untaxed cannabis through pharmacies, so patients won't have to grow their own or buy medicine illegally. Raise millions of dollars in new public revenue, lowering the tax burden on all and saving you money. Take the profit out of crime. Restore industrial hemp, the most productive agricultural source of fiber protein and oil. Hemp seed oil is diesel fuel. The first cordage, cloth and paper were invented from hemp fiber. Wipe out the black-market. The CTA allows police and the courts to concentrate on real criminals that hurt others, not arrest, prosecute and jail harmless, productive adult cannabis users. Stop our government from tearing families apart. Let's show real family values and end cannabis prohibition. Restore Newsletter - Spring 2010 (PDF) Restore Newsletter - Spring 2010 (Flip Book) The Restore Newsletter is an information service designed to end marijuana prohibition and promote industrial hemp. If you'd like to be involved in the Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp, or just want to keep informed of important new developments, you are invited to subscribe to the CRRH Restore Newsletter.

June 24, 2010 The internet's longest running compilation of international news stories about hemp and cannabis. Donate CRRH Hemp News, a compilation of international news stories about hemp and cannabis, is a public service ofCampaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp (CRRH) and The Hemp & Cannabis Foundation (THCF). This is intended for political and educational use on the subject of cannabis and the wide-ranging effects of drug prohibition. Our goal is to educate people about the medicinal and industrial uses for cannabis in our global society in order to restore hemp cultivation and end adult cannabis prohibition. Activism | Alternative Energy | Blog | Community | Industrial | Medicinal | NORML | Nutritional | Political |Recreational Why should farmers grow hemp? Because hemp is the ultimate cash crop, producing more fiber, food and oil than any other plant on the planet. According to the Notre Dame University publication, The Midlands Naturalist, from a 1975 article called, "Feral Hemp in Southern Illinois," about the wild hemp fields that annual efforts from law enforcement eradication teams cannot wipe out, an acre of hemp produces: 1. 8,000 pounds of hemp seed per acre. When cold-pressed, the 8,000 pounds of hemp seed yield over 300 gallons of hemp seed oil and a byproduct of 6,000 pounds of high protein hemp flour. These seed oils are both a food and a biodiesel fuel. Currently, the most productive seed oil crops are soybeans, sunflower seeds and rape seed or canola. Each of these three seed oil crops produce between 100 to 120 gallons of oil per acre. Hemp seed produces three times more oil per acre than the next most productive seed oil crops, or over 300 gallons per acre, with a byproduct of 3 tons of food per acre. Hemp seed oil is also far more nutritious and beneficial for our health than any other seed oil crop. In addition to the food and oil produced, there are several other byproducts and benefits to the cultivation of hemp. 2. Six to ten tons per acre of hemp bast fiber. Bast fiber makes canvas, rope, lace, linen, and ultra-thin specialty papers like cigarette and bible papers. 3. Twenty-five tons of hemp hurd fiber. Hemp hurd fiber makes all grades of paper, composite building materials, animal bedding and a material for the absorption of liquids and oils. 4. The deep tap root draws up sub-soil nutrients and then, when the leaves fall from the plant to the ground, they return these nutrients to the top soil for the next crop rotation. 5. The residual flowers, after the seeds are extracted, produce valuable medicines. Our farmers need this valuable crop to be returned as an option for commercial agriculture. While marijuana is prohibited, industrial hemp will be economically prohibitive due to the artificial regulatory burdens imposed by the prohibition of marijuana. When marijuana and cannabis are legally regulated, industrial hemp will return to its rightful place in our agricultural economy. Hemp may be the plant that started humans down the road toward civilization with the invention of agriculture itself. All archaeologists agree that cannabis was among the first crops purposely cultivated by human beings at least over 6,000 years ago, and perhaps more than 12,000 years ago. Restoring industrial hemp to its rightful place in agriculture today will return much control to our farmers, and away from the multinational corporations that dominate our political process and destroy our environment. These capital-intensive, non-sustainable, and environmentally destructive industries have usurped our economic resources and clear-cut huge tracts of the world's forests, given us massive oil spills, wars, toxic waste, massive worldwide pollution, global warming and the destruction of entire ecosystems. Prohibiting the cultivation of this ancient plant, the most productive source of fiber oil and protein on our planet, is evil. In its place we have industries that give us processes and products that have led to unprecedented ecological crisis and worldwide destruction of the biological heritage that we should bequeath to our children, grandchildren and future generations. Restore hemp! Hemp and Cannabis Videos CNN - Allen St. Pierre and Kevin Sabet Debate Feral Hemp Patch with Dr. Dave West Lotus Eco Elise Cr Made with Hemp Hemp Lotus Elise from Fifth Gear C5 Hemp Farmers Industrial Hemp: What it Can Do for America Jack Herer - Hemp for Victory Discovered Marijuana: It's Time for a Conversation The Market For Hemp Products NORML Founder Keith Stroup-2008 Hemp: The Environmentally Sustainable Alternative Hemp Oil Canada: Processing Hemp Pine Ridge Hemp Project The Color Green Nutritional Profile of Hemp Seed Oil New Study: Marijuana Stops the Spread of Cancer The California Chronicles Of Medical Marijuana Hempseed Biodiesel Car at Ohio County Fair The History of Marijuana - Magic Weed The History of Marijuana - Grass The History of Marijuana - Grass 2 Willie Nelson: Hemp and the Family Farm Hemp Hemp Hooray! D. Paul Stanford - Hempstalk 2007 NOW Willie Nelson on Biodiesel | PBS Biodiesel from Hemp - General Biodiesel Info Hemp 4 Victory - 1943 Reefer Madness Manitoba Harvest on National News Medical Marijuana in Texas Mikuriya MD, Bayer MD and Glick RN Discuss Cannabis Portland, Oregon Discusses Legalization Santana: Mr President, Please Legalize US Should Get Into the Hemp Business Willie Nelson On Legalization Winter Harvest of Hemp Montel Williams Uses Marijuana Drew Carrey - Reason.TV Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods & Oils - Harvest Video Medical Marijuana in Texas Hemp Building Materials Hemp: The New Soy Hemp Powered Car debuts in Washington, DC Hot Hemp Foods on Today Show Hemp: A solution for our world Hemp Foods on The Roseanne Show Hanfernstemaschine Bllcher US should get into the hemp business The Hemp Movement meets Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap The Hemp Movement with Living Harvest Hemp Break / KY Hemp Museum The Hemp Movement and Dash Hemp The Hemp Movement and French Meadow Bakery Cannabis hemp dot info episode #1 Harvest of hemp as a biogas substrate North Dakota's agriculture commissioner backs hemp

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Bozeman Hempfest 2010

Home of the Bozeman Roundup, Gallatin County Fair, and the Wild West WinterFest, the Gallatin County Fairgrounds has been a community, state and regional event center since 1903.

Bozeman Hempfest is a celebration of all things hemp & cannabis. The event is open to all caregivers, collectives, dispensaries, and the general public.

Use our contact form for booth information and reservations. If you are a non-profit please feel free to contact us about our free booth space.

http://bozemanhempfest.org/

Special Guests
Richard Davis
Curator of the USA Hemp musuem, author of Hemp for victory, & Trillion dollar crop
Ed Rosenthal
The Guru of Ganja, author of the big book of buds, and more...

THC Industrial Hemp Varieties From Ukraine

Research, Evaluate, Introduce and Multiply Low THC Industrial Hemp Varieties From Ukraine for Development of a Canadian Industrial Hemp Seed Industry

Applicant:
Holly Bencharski
Parkland Industrial Hemp Growers Co-op Limited
Unit C, #21 - 3rd Avenue N.E.
Dauphin, Manitoba  R7N 0Y5  Canada         
Table of Contents:

Background and Objective
Procedure and Project Activities
Results and Discussion
Conclusions



ARDI Project:

#00-361
Total Approved:    $25,000
Date Approved:    June 30, 2000
Project Status:
Completed March, 2002

Background and Objective:

The objective of this project is to investigate and evaluate industrial hemp varieties for the supply of quality, low cost Canadian industrial hemp varieties for the industry as it develops.

Commercial industrial hemp cultivation became legal in Canada in 1998 under regulations administered by Health Canada.

World markets are striving towards a zero tolerance of THC in industrial hemp products.

The PIHG (Parkland Industrial Hemp Growers) Co-op has a potential to be the Canadian world grower and distributor of the varieties from an alliance formed with the Ukraine (Bast Institute) and their breeding program and/or by working towards developing Canadian varieties.

Members of the Parkland Co-op are developing access to superior seed for development of the new and growing industrial hemp markets in Canada. Industrial hemp is a crop diversification opportunity that can lead to a pedigreed seed production system. PIHG Co-op has a business plan for the construction of an industrial hemp fibre processing plant. Financing is being sought for construction to start in the summer of 2002. Manitoba can initially support approximately 20,000 acres of commercial industrial hemp production to support this plant. In 2001, 1,100 acres of commercial hemp were grown in Manitoba to supply existing grain processing facilities in Manitoba (Fresh Hemp Foods and Hemp Oil Canada). PIHG Co-op has also formed an alliance with Biofibre in Wales, U.K. for supplying seed for their facility (approximately 5,000 acres per year).

Seed supply requirements for the industry at present is approximately 522,000 pounds, which represents certified seed production from 1,100 acres. Farm gate value at $2.50 per lb. would be $1.3 million.

Present seed supplies from previous activities from imported seed are available for existing needs and for startup of the new processing facility.

New sources of varieties adapted to Manitoba are required for long term survival of the new and growing industrial hemp industry. Seed and plant types are required specific to the end use (e.g. fibre, crushing, dehulling, etc.)

Procedure and Project Activities:

PIHG Co-op contacted the Bast Institute, Summy Region, Ukraine to develop an alliance for the pedigreed production of Bast Institute varieties.

Pavlo Goloborod'ko, Director of the Institute, visited with the group in 2000. Breeder seed was forwarded for multiplication and evaluation. Negotiations for maintaining and distributing the varieties has been ongoing.

Peter Dragla, MSc, PAg, Chatham, Ontario, Industrial Hemp Breeder, was contracted to carry out the breeding program on three varieties; USO 14, USO 31 and Zolotonoshskaya 11 (Zolo 11) in 2000 and 2001. Breeder seed was maintained in small plots under CSGA (Canadian seed Growers Association) guidelines.

Three growers in the Dauphin area multiplied breeder seed from 2000 under CSGA guidelines in 2001.

Variety comparison trials were also conducted in Dauphin in cooperation with PCDF (Parkland Crop Diversification Foundation) headquartered in Roblin as well with Manitoba Agriculture and Food.

New varieties, Anka and Carmen (developed and licensed by Peter Dragla) were also evaluated in Manitoba for performance.

Varieties were evaluated for grain and fibre yields (Table 1 and Table 2).

Results and Discussion:

Growing Season

The 2000 growing season in Chatham and Dauphin were average for the area. The 2001 growing season in Chatham was hot and dry. The Dauphin location had excess moisture, which delayed seeding for a week. Later in the season, the weather was hot and dry.

All varieties were tested at flowering stage for THC levels (delta-9tetrahydracannabinol). Samples were screened by Peter Dragla for THC and also tested by Meatherall Consulting (accredited forensic and clinical toxicology laboratory) in Winnipeg.

All varieties tested <0.05% THC content as a percent of dried weight. This is the minimum level of testing available and is well below the Health Canada acceptable limit of 0.3% THC.

Roguing

The USO14 variety, breeder seed plot had the most off types that were not consistent with the variety. Approximately 40% of the plants were removed in the first year to maintain variety purity. In year two, the breeder plots were true to variety (5% of plants removed). Breeder plots in 2001 for multiplication required minimal roguing to maintain purity.

The Variety USO 31 was more true to type requiring about 30% of the plants to be removed the first year. In year two, the breeder plots were true to variety similar to the USO 14.

Zolo 11 was the most uniform and consistent requiring removal of 25% off types in year one and less than 5% in year two.

In 2001, breeder seed from 2000 was multiplied in four breeder plots in the Dauphin area. Plot size was 2.5 acres. Varieties were true to type requiring limited roguing to remove males. Production was good averaging 800 lbs. per acre clean grain CSGA inspections and standards were met for foundation status. Foundation seed available for 2002 planting is 2000 pounds. This will plant 130 acres to produce registered status. The varieties will be further multiplied to supply certified grain for plantings in 2003. This will give sufficient seed availability for the initial two years after the fibre plant is established and in production. This will allow for further plant breeding arrangements and efforts to be solidified.

Anka and Carmen varieties were also evaluated. THC levels are low (<0.05% for Anka and 0.08% for Carman). Anka did well in the Manitoba conditions (Table 1) and out yielded the Ukrainian varieties in grain and fibre yields.

Carmen is a later maturing variety and did not produce seed in Manitoba. Fibre yield was high (Table 2). This variety would be suitable as a fibre only variety. Seed production and supply would be a problem in the future, as the industry would have to rely on a long season growing area for seed supply.

This indicates Canadian seed development is required to get varieties adapted to Western Canada growing conditions.

2001 Performance

Table 1 summarizes the grain yields for the Dauphin location. Yields of all varieties were reasonable considering the year was hot and dry with less than normal moisture. No disease or pests were identified as a problem. Plant population was sufficient to out compete weeds.

http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/research/ardi/projects/00-361.html

Cannabis L. hemp

PLANTS Profile

Cannabis L. hemp         Symbol:   CANNA   Group:   Dicot   Family:   Cannabaceae   Duration:     Growth Habit:     Native Status:   None Click on the image below to enlarge it and download a high-resolution JPEG file. R.A. Howard. ©Smithsonian Institution. Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution, Richard A. Howard Photograph Collection. United States, HI, Kauai. Usage Requirements. Any use of copyrighted images requires notification of the copyright holder.   More Information: Classification Data Source and Documentation   Images: Cannabis L. Click on a thumbnail to view an image, or see all the Cannabis thumbnails at the PLANTS Gallery   Distribution: Cannabis L. See U.S. county distributions (when available) by clicking on the map or the linked states below: USA (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA,VT, WA, WI, WV, WY), USA+ (PR), CAN (MB, NB, NS, ON, QC, SK)   Related Taxa: Cannabis L. View 2 genera in Cannabaceae or click below on a thumbnail map or name for species profiles. Cannabis sativa marijuana  Native    Introduced   Classification: Cannabis L. Click on a scientific name below to expand it in the PLANTS Classification Report.     Kingdom Plantae – Plants Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons Subclass Hamamelididae Order Urticales Family Cannabaceae – Hemp family Genus Cannabis L. – hemp   More Accounts and Images: Cannabis L. View species account and distribution map from Flora of North America (FNA). View taxonomic account from Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) for ITIS Taxonomic Serial Number 19108. View species account and distribution map from Jepson Interchange (University of California - Berkele

What is Industrial Hemp

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Q: What is Industrial Hemp?
     A: Industrial Hemp is a number of varieties of Cannabis sativa L. that are intended for agricultural and industrial purposes. They are grown for their seed and fiber content as well as the resulting byproducts such as oil, seed cake, hurds, etc. Industrial Hemp is characterized by being low in THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and high in CBD (cannabidiol). THC is less than 1% and in Canada and Europe the current legal level for cultivation is 0.3%. The ratio of CBD to THC is greater than one.

2. Q: What is marijuana?
     A: Marijuana is a preparation made from varieties of Cannabis sativa L. that are intended for medical and recreational drug use. They are grown for their THC content, primarily in the flowering tops and to a lesser extent in the leaves. Cannabis sativa L. grown for marijuana is characterized by being high in THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and low in CBD (cannabidiol). The THC content is greater than 1%, usually 3% to 20%. The ratio of CBD to THC is less than one.

3. Q: Is Industrial Hemp marijuana?
     A: No. Even though they both come from Cannabis sativa L., the varieties that are used to make Industrial Hemp products (seed, fiber, etc.) and those that are used to make marijuana (flowering tops and leaves) are distinctly different. They are scientifically different and are cultivated in very different ways.

4. Q: What can I do to make a difference? How can I help?
     A: There are many things that you can do. In the end it comes down to two things: education and money. People need to know about hemp and its usefulness and buy hemp products. Please take a look at our updated Action Page for more ideas.

5. Q: Is industrial hemp illegal to grow in the United States?
     A: Technically the answer is no, it is not illegal to grow hemp in the U.S. and it has only been in its current state since the adoption of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in 1970. Tara Christine Brady noted this in her 2003 story "The Argument for the Legalization of Industrial Hemp" in the San Joaquin Agricultural Law Review:

"Currently it is illegal to grow hemp in the United States without a special Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) permit being issued."

     Jean Rawson, of the Congressional Research Service, also noted this in her 2005 CRS Report "Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity" for the U.S. Congress:

"Strictly speaking, the CSA does not make Cannabis illegal; rather, it places the strictest controls on its production, making it illegal to grow the crop without a DEA permit."

     Growing hemp is kind of like driving, you can't drive without a license and you can't grow hemp without a permit. The difference is that it is almost impossible to get a permit from DEA to grow hemp. An excellent example is John Stahl, of The Evanescent Press, and his DEA permit story.

6. Q: What is hemp oil?
     A: Hemp oil, or hemp seed oil, and cannabis flower essential oil are not synonymous. Hemp oil is legal in the United States and cannabis flower essential oil is not legal. Marijuana flavored lollipops and candies are not flavored with hemp oil, they are flavored with cannabis flower essential oil. Hemp oil is not used as a flavoring. Hemp seed oil is a vegetable oil that tastes much like safflower oil. Hemp oil is legal and is exempt from the definition of "marihuana" in the Controlled Substances Act 21 U.S.C. 802(16).

7. Q: What is cannabis flower essential oil?
     A: Cannabis flower essential oil, which smells like fresh marijuana buds, is used like other essential oils is used to flavor foods, candies, and beverages It is also used as a scent in perfumes, cosmetics, soaps, and candles. It is also known as cannabis flower extract, hemp essential fragrance, essence of hemp, or as hemp essential oil by those in the trade. It is incorrect to refer to cannabis flower essential oil as "hemp oil."

     Cannabis flower essential oil is produced exclusively from the flowering buds of Cannabis sativa plants by low-pressure steam distillation. It requires about 50 pounds of flowers to produce 1 ounce of pure oil. Cannabis flower essential oil is produced mainly in Switzerland, England, France, and The Netherlands. It is not produced in the United States. Because it is made from the flowers cannabis flower essential oil is not legal in the United States is considered to be "marihuana" in the Controlled Substances Act 21 U.S.C. 802(16). Products, like candies and lollipops, that are made with Cannabis flower essential oil are considered to be "marihuana" and are not legal.

Introduction to Industrial Hemp

Dr. Dave's Hemp Archives
     High quality writings from a man who knows his stuff. Dr. West holds a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding from the University of Minnesota and has been an applied plant geneticist for 25 years. Since 1993 he has served as an advisor to the emerging Industrial Hemp industry regarding Industrial Hemp germplasm.
     This is real research material.

Honolulu Star-Bulletin Hawaii News
     Dr. David West in the news. The story is about the Hawai`i Industrial Hemp Research Project.

The abstract below is copied in part from: Dr. Dave's Hemp Archives, Hemp and Marijuana: Myths & Realities
     This is a must read for anyone who is interested in Industrial Hemp!
Download the .pdf version

Abstract

    Surely no member of the vegetable kingdom has ever been more misunderstood than hemp. For too many years, emotion-not reason-has guided our policy toward this crop. And nowhere have emotions run hotter than in the debate over the distinction between Industrial Hemp and marijuana. This paper is intended to inform that debate by offering scientific evidence, so that farmers, policy makers, manufacturers, and the general public can distinguish between myth and reality.

    Botanically,the genus Cannabis is composed of several variants. Although there has been a long-standing debate among taxonomists about how to classify these variants into species, applied plant breeders generally embrace a biochemical method to classify variants along utilitarian lines. Cannabis is the only plant genus that contains the unique class of molecular compounds called cannabinoids. Many cannabinoids have been identified, but two preponderate: THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient of Cannabis, and CBD, which is an antipsychoactive ingredient.One type of Cannabis is high in the psychoactive cannabinoid, THC, and low in the antipsychoactive cannabinoid, CBD. This type is popularly known as marijuana. Another type is high in CBD and low in THC. Variants of this type are called Industrial Hemp.

    In the United States, the debate about the relationship between hemp and marijuana has been diminished by the dissemination of many statements that have little scientific support. This report examines in detail ten of the most pervasive and pernicious of these myths.

     Myth: United States law has always treated hemp and marijuana the same.

     Reality: The history of federal drug laws clearly shows that at one time the U.S. government understood and accepted the distinction between hemp and marijuana.

     Myth: Smoking Industrial Hemp gets a person high.

     Reality: The THC levels in Industrial Hemp are so low that no one could 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."

     Myth: Even though THC levels are low in hemp, the THC can be extracted and concentrated to produce a powerful drug.

     Reality: Extracting THC from Industrial Hemp and further refining it to eliminate the preponderance of CBD would require such an expensive, hazardous, and time-consuming process that it is extremely unlikely anyone would ever attempt it, rather than simply obtaining high-THC marijuana instead.

     Myth: Industrial Hemp fields would be used to hide marijuana plants.

     Reality: Industrial Hemp is grown quite differently from marijuana. Moreover, it is harvested at a different time than marijuana. Finally, cross-pollination between hemp plants and marijuana plants would significantly reduce the potency of the marijuana plant.

     Myth: Legalizing hemp while continuing the prohibition on marijuana would burden local police forces.

     Reality: In countries where hemp is grown as an agricultural crop, the police have experienced no such burdens.

     Myth: Feral hemp must be eradicated because it can be sold as marijuana.

     Reality: Feral hemp, or ditchweed, is a remnant of the Industrial Hemp once grown on more than 400,000 acres by U.S. farmers. It contains extremely low levels of THC, as low as .05 percent. It has no drug value, but does offer important environmental benefits as a nesting habitat for birds. About 99 percent of the "marijuana" being eradicated by the federal government-at great public expense-is this harmless ditchweed. Might it be that the drug enforcement agencies want to convince us that ditchweed is hemp in order to protect their large eradication budgets?

     Myth: Those who want to legalize Industrial Hemp are actually seeking a backdoor way to legalize marijuana.

     Reality: It is true that many of the first hemp stores were started by Industrial Hemp advocates who were also in favor of legalizing marijuana. However, as the hemp industry has matured, it has come to be dominated by those who see hemp as the agricultural and industrial crop that it is, and see hemp legalization as a different issue than marijuana legalization. In any case, should we oppose a very good idea simply because some of those who support it also support other ideas with which we disagree?

     Myth: Hemp oil is a source of THC.

     Reality: Hemp oil is an increasingly popular product, used for an expanding variety of purposes. The washed Industrial Hemp seed contains no THC at all. The tiny amounts of THC contained in Industrial Hemp are in the glands of the plant itself. Sometimes, in the manufacturing process, some THC- and CBD-containing resin sticks to the seed, resulting in traces of THC in the oil that is produced. The concentration of these cannabinoids in the oil is infinitesimal. No one can get high from using Industrial Hemp oil.

     Myth: Legalizing Industrial Hemp would send the wrong message to children.

     Reality: It is the current refusal of the drug enforcement agencies to distinguish between an agricultural crop and a drug crop that is sending the wrong message to children.

     Myth: Industrial Hemp is not economically viable, and should therefore be outlawed.

     Reality: The market for Industrial Hemp products is growing rapidly. But even if it were not, when has a crop ever been outlawed simply because government agencies thought it would be unprofitable to grow?

Implementing California's Proposition 215

Community Cannabis Forum
Implementing California's Proposition 215
Humboldt State University
October 24, 1997

John R. Stahl
The Evanescent Press
The Church of the Living Tree
tree@tree.org

     I am a paper maker, forming sheets at the vat with a mould and deckle in the traditional manner. Since I know that hemp is the oldest and best material for fine papermaking, and has been the mainstay of the industry for the last 2000 years until the advent of wood pulp mills, I began to use the locally available stalks, which were donated to me by marijuana growers, as a source of hemp fiber for my paper mill. My experiments with hemp have been most favorable, and so I want to grow fiber varieties myself in the traditional way that maximizes the fiber yield, not the flowering tops. I wanted to get larger yields of the more valuable bast fiber (the outer part of the stalk), and I wanted to grow it densely, so they would put up tall single stalks, without branches, so that it would be easy to pull off a fat layer of bast fiber from every stalk. This is the opposite of the way marijuana is grown, which is short and bushy, to maximize the flowering tops.

     There is practically no THC in fiber varieties, and no reason in the world why I shouldn't be allowed to cultivate them for my paper mill. There are a great many varieties of industrial hemp, since it has been so widely cultivated for thousands of years all over the world, but they all have very little THC, mostly around 1/2%, but certainly below 1%, which is the dividing line in the scientific literature between industrial hemp and marijuana. For reference, wild drug varieties are in the 3-7% THC range, while cultivated marijuana today is in the range of 10-15%.

     But not only is fiber hemp low in THC, but it is also high in CBD, another chemical which interferes with the high, and produces headaches and discomfort. Most varieties of marijuana, on the other hand, have naturally low levels of CBD. What this means is that there is no potential for drug use whatsoever from any variety of fiber hemp.

     I made application to the DEA five years ago, and after several years of building fences, and lights, and alarms, they were finally satisfied that I was in full compliance with their regulations. They said that I was the first and only applicant to comply. Since their regulations are way beyond absurd, it is no wonder that no one else has complied. (Compare the situation in Europe, where the European Union pays a subsidy to hemp farmers. Here, in addition to all the hassle and expense of compliance, there is also an $875 non-refundable annual fee!)

     So now we have worked our way along at the State level, where we expect the introduction of the Industrial Hemp Act of 1998, either in the legislature, or by initiative, in which “marijuana” will be redefined to exclude “hemp” at the 1% THC line. If this passes, it might only be another year before we can finally put our first crop in the ground.

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     But something is wrong with this picture! Why should I have to put up with all of this nonsense? By what right, and for what earthly reason does anyone oppose my right to cultivate the world's premier fiber plant for my paper mill?

     Hemp is not the only fiber plant that I grow. I have about eight Paper Mulberry trees that I planted a few years ago. And I grow and use kenaf, and yellow dock, and teasel, and thistles, and other plants that I experiment with as sources of fiber for paper pulp. Now I want to grow hemp, and I find it very annoying that my freedom to do this is obstructed. It seems to me that I have a right to live my life in freedom, on my own property, as long as I am not interfering with the freedom of others.

     I am certainly not an anarchist. I believe that there is a very small but essential role for a central government, mainly to keep the peace, maintain justice, and safeguard personal freedom against tyranny from any source or direction. But just because Congress is seated, to carry out the functions assigned to it by the Constitution, it does not have the right to pass laws beyond its clearly limited jurisdiction. If any agents of federal, state, or local government try to interfere in the private affairs of free citizens, they exceed their authority. They become the very tyranny that we put them there to protect us from.

     Our “Government was instituted, deriving its just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, to secure the Rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” That is, our Government was instituted to protect us from infringements to our Liberty, not to become a new Master to shackle us in new chains. And “whenever any Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it.” (Thomas Jefferson, from the Declaration of Independence)

     The People have never consented to arbitrary Laws which interfere with the natural Rights of free Citizens. The Powers of Congress have been carefully limited by Article I, section 8 of the Constitution, and the Rights of the People have been guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Over the years, state, federal, and local governments have tried to spread their dark shadow over more and more areas of our lives over which they have never had any authority.

     If the Government wants to wage a war on drugs, for example, there is only one weapon which they have a right to use: Education, not legal process. Smoking marijuana should be considered a health issue, the way it is in most European countries, not a legal issue.

     It is one of the legitimate functions of government to bring facts to our attention so that we may make informed choices (as in the mandate to “promote the general Welfare”), but no food or drug or even medical process should be prohibited by law. Why should the use of ozone in cancer or AIDS therapy, for example, be prohibited in this country in spite of a history of very promising results in many other countries? The government may set up bodies to examine any of these things and publish their findings and recommendations, the way it does with the use of tobacco. A board of medical examiners may declare that they have found ozone therapy to be a dangerous and ineffective medical procedure, and require its practitioners to publish that message, but we must all retain the freedom to make our own final choice.

     The abuse of any harmful substance may be opposed by education. The more people know the facts about smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, or sniffing glue, the less they use them. If anyone has any data that support a claim that marijuana is harmful, when used in moderation, then we urge them to publish their findings, so that we can make our choices based on accurate information.

     In this country, serious drug abusers are forced underground by the dark shadow of the law. Some of them resort to robbery or to the deliberate addiction of school children to support their expensive habits. In Holland or Switzerland, on the other hand, they are given clean needles, along with food and counseling. The idea of Harm Reduction is one which is understood by most of the rest of the world: if laws create more problems than they are intended to address, then it doesn't make sense to implement them. Laws of Prohibition fall into this category.

     In the case of marijuana, I don't think that the issue has anything to do with the medical merits of marijuana for any particular condition. The issue has to do with the right of Free Individuals to consider the facts and make up their own minds about what they want to do with their own lives.

     When our Government wanted to institute a prohibition against the use of alcohol, they had to pass an Amendment to the Constitution, because otherwise they had no authority to propose such a measure. Nothing is different in the case of marijuana, except that alcohol is far more harmful, both to the user and to the rest of us, than marijuana could ever be. Until and unless there is a Constitutional Amendment establishing a prohibition of marijuana, then no one has any authority to interfere with our freedom.

New Guards for their future Security in Cannabis.

“Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends,
it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.

. . . it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government,
and to provide new Guards for their future Security.”


– Thomas Jefferson,
Declaration of Independence, 1776