Saturday, November 30, 2013

United States: From the HEART - Feral Hemp Makes 35 Tons of Fiber and Four Tons of Seeds Per Acre - See more at: http://hemp.org/news/content/from-the-HEART#sthash.wXACuK3q.dpuf

By Paul Stanford, Hemp News Director
There is a truth that must be heard! Hemp seeds produce more oil and protein than any other plant per land area cultivated. Hemp protein and oil are rich in the essential fatty acids (EFAs) that our brain and cardiovascular system need, Omega 3 & 6, in the perfect ratio for optimal human health. Hemp protein has all 8 amino acids, again, in just the right balance to meet humans' nutritional needs.
Per acre, according to a study published in the Notre Dame University journal, The American Midland Naturalist, wild hemp here in the USA produces 8,500 pounds of seed per acre. The study is called: An Ecological Study of Naturalized Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in East-Central Illinois, by Alan Haney and Benjamin B. Kutscheid at the University of Indiana at Urbana, Department of Biology.
http://www.myspace.com/restorehemp/photos/23904376
After you press the seeds, you get over 300 gallons of oil and 6,000 pounds of high protein hemp meal. That is 6 barrels of oil produced per acre, which is extremely healthy while fresh, and 3 tons of food per acre. This oil production rate is three times more productive than the next most productive seed oil crops: soybeans, sunflower seeds and canola, which produce 100 to 115 gallons of oil per acre. Hempseed oil will be the most productive source of biodiesel fuel when legalized, and it is also a nontoxic resource for plastics and other synthesized products.
Hemp biofuel conversion from biomass is beyond compare. Cannabis produces more biomass than any other plant outside the tropics, and it grows well in the tropics too. The ethanol production capacity of cannabis biomass is the best on Earth.
Fiber production from cannabis is also incomparable. Hemp stalks produce two types of fiber, the bast fiber, or the outer bark, and the hurd fiber, or the inner woody core of the stalk. Per acre, hemp is the most productive fiber on earth, making 10 tons of bast fiber, for canvas, rope, lace and linen, and 25 tons of hurd fiber, for paper and building materials.
The US Department of Agriculture's own Bulletin No. 404 said that the waste product from making canvas, rope and linen from cannabis hemp, this waste product, the hurd fiber, is more than 4 times more productive than trees for fiber production for paper and building materials. The USDA produced a movie during WWII called "Hemp for Victory" that promoted hemp farming for the war effort, and it is available online for free on YouTube and www.hemp.org...
Then, the flowers make a medicine that helps fight cancer, multiple sclerosis, neuro-degenerative disease, gastro-intestinal disorders, relieves chronic pain, helps glaucoma, seizures and spasms, and restores homeostasis. Marijuana increases longevity and using it as an edible food additive will make you live longer. The flowers make human brain neurotransmitters that make people laugh and relieve depression and anxiety.
There is a truth that must be heard! I believe hemp is Mother Earth's greatest gift to us.
Remember, the low THC hemp allowed in Europe and Canada only make 600 to 1200 pounds of seed per acre, a small fraction of what hemp is capable of making. They get the THC so low by breeding out the flowers, and that breeds out the seeds too.
It is a conspiracy from the oligarchy to keep the wealth in their hands. Petroleum is capital intensive, hemp is naturally decentralized. You can buy 10 hemp seed presses for the price of one small car. It is over $1 billion to build an oil refinery, and they are incredibly toxic.
Hemp will create thousands of jobs and return economic control to the people. No more wars for petroleum, use hemp instead. Hemp can lead the way to economic and ecological sustainability, and help save the remnants of our biosphere's precious heritage, the diversity of life that we should bequeath to the seventh generation and beyond.
I am now working on establishing a multi-year hemp oil, protein and fiber agronomic research project to demonstrate the potential fuel, fiber and food production capacity of high-THC hemp. Stay tuned...
( Hemp Energy Alternative Resource Technology: H.E.A.R.T. )


Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Automotive Giant Sees Future In Hemp-Based Bioplastic

in Hemp · Tech
 26 Nov, 2013

Faurecia, one of the largest car parts suppliers in the world, has developed a hemp-based plastic made entirely from renewable materials, which it hopes to mass produce by 2016.

Introduced last week at the L.A. Auto Show, the new product is called BioMat and offers a lighter and more eco-friendly alternative to traditional injection-moulded plastic, reports the magazine Eco Composites.
BioMat is produced from a mixture of hemp fibers and a bio-based matrix called PBS (poly-butylene succinate), which Mitsubishi’s chemical division helped develop.
It will be used to make interior components like door panels, which can then be covered with various textiles or leather.
One of the automative company's exterior concepts (Photo: Faurecia)
One of the automative company’s exterior concepts (Photo: Faurecia)
According to the company, BioMat “reduces the industry’s dependence on the oil price and helps reduce greenhouse gases and will contribute to a higher recyclability level for future vehicles, as well as to a positive impact on the life cycle assessment.”
While hemp is not uncommon in cars today, the use of all-natural materials makes BioMat an improvement over older hemp composites, including Faurecia’s NAFILean product, which is made from hemp and petroleum-based polypropylene.
Both BioMat and NAFILean weigh about 25% less than comparable fiberglass materials, contributing to better car performance and fuel efficiency.
Customer breakdown from Faurecia's 2012 financial report
Customer breakdown from Faurecia’s 2012 financial report
Faurecia, which specializes in interior components, was the 7th largest global supplier of OEM parts in 2012, according to Automotive News.
The company’s top customers include Volkswagen, Ford, Renault-Nissan, GM and BMW.
Most of the company’s sales come from Europe, where automotive manufacturers face stricter environmental regulations than North America, and are steadily turning to bio-based materials as a result. BioMat is made from a combination of hemp fiber and an optimized bio-matrix (Photo: Faurecia)

Fighting Climate Change and Creating "Green Jobs": Is Hemp the Silver Bullet?

green

Though Obama has frequently spoken of the need for more "green jobs," he has failed to acknowledge the inherent environmental advantages associated with a curious plant called hemp. One of the earliest domesticated crops, hemp is incredibly versatile and can be utilized for everything from food, clothing, rope, paper and plastic to even car parts. In an era of high unemployment, hemp could provide welcome relief to the states and help to spur the transition from antiquated and polluting manufacturing jobs to the new green economy. What is more, in lieu of our warming world and climate change, the need for environmentally sustainable industries like hemp has never been greater. Given all of these benefits, why have Obama and the political establishment chosen to remain silent?
The explanation has to do with retrograde and backward beliefs which have been hindering environmental progress for a generation. A biological cousin of marijuana, hemp contains minute amounts of THC or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychoactive chemical. Even though advocates say one would have to smoke huge amounts of hemp to get high, the plant occupies a highly dubious legal status in the U.S. During the 1970s, Congress declared hemp a "Schedule I" drug under the Controlled Substances Act, ridiculously lopping the plant in the same category as heroin. Though the authorities allow farmers to petition the federal government to grow hemp, the Drug Enforcement Administration or D.E.A. has proven incredibly resistant to such licenses and for all intents and purposes the crop has remained illegal (ironically enough, however, the U.S. imports many hemp-related products from abroad).
Tide Beginning to Turn
On the other hand, tectonic political and cultural change may provide some reason for optimism. Last fall, Washington state and Colorado legalized marijuana which has in turn exerted pressure on the Obama Administration. As I discuss in a recent article, surprisingly diverse social constituencies supported the ballot initiatives, which suggests that the political tides may be turning (in Latin America, too, public sentiment seems to have soured on Washington's unpopular drug war).
In moving to legalize marijuana, Colorado also passed hemp legalization though the D.E.A. must still grant permission to farm the crop. Colorado joins a growing number of states which are moving on hemp legislation, though such measures are hardly uniform. Some states have authorized the study of industrial hemp as an industry, while others have simply asked the Feds to relax draconian drug laws. Some, however, have legalized hemp production just like Colorado.
This in turn raises the question of whether the Obama Administration might actually conduct raids on local farms in an effort to crack down on the crop. Perhaps, such a scenario will never come to pass since change has even come to Capitol Hill: recently, a bipartisan group ranging from liberal Democrat to right-wing Republican reintroduced legislation which would require the federal government to respect state laws allowing for the cultivation of hemp.
Creating New Green Jobs in the American Heartland?
Could hemp help to bring back sorely needed employment in the American heartland? That is the hope in Kentucky, which had a booming hemp industry as recently as World War II. Somewhat outlandishly, Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell no less has remarked "the utilization of hemp to produce everything from clothing to paper is real, and if there is a capacity to center a new domestic industry in Kentucky that will create jobs in these difficult economic times, that sounds like a good thing to me."
In Colorado meanwhile, hemp boosters are hoping that the once taboo crop could help the local economy. Indeed, hemp production might provide the state with new jobs and tax revenue. Colorado farmers believe that their state could lead the way in this new, innovative field and some even hope to turn their crop into edible oil. Trendy food markets in Boulder are already carrying a number of products made out of hemp ranging from soaps to lotions and even protein powders. Perhaps, Colorado farmers will one day turn out "Hemp Hearts," a new product made out of the partially shelled seed of the plant. Boosters say Hemp Hearts, which don't have an overly assertive taste, can be spread over cereal or yogurt.
Not to be outdone, manufacturers in Oregon hope that hemp will help to revive flagging industry. Oregon has been hard hit by the economic downturn, and hemp boosters say the crop could assist in the production of everything from bio-plastics to sustainable construction materials to bio-fuels. Some envision a scenario in which hemp farmers sell their crop to bio-fuel refineries and budding green-building entrepreneurs. Just across the border in California, meanwhile, farmers hope that hemp fiber may help to spur the growth of a budding textile industry.
From New Vehicles to Masonry to Textiles and Petrochemicals
If such claims regarding hemp's transformative properties were not enough, advocates also envision nothing less than the end of the petrochemical industry as we know it. From shoes to sofas to cars and even planes, many of the common materials that we use today are derived from petrochemicals. Hemp on the other hand is a versatile fiber and could be employed in everything from the construction of tractor hoods to shields to cabs.
At one time, none other than Henry Ford produced a car whose frame was partially made of hemp and whose engine could be powered with hemp fuel. Some manufacturers claim that vehicles made out of hemp are lighter and as a result display greater fuel efficiency. In addition, agricultural fibers can be cheaper to produce than fiberglass. What is more, scientists are conducting research on how to derive biodegradable plastic products from hemp. Already, such research has borne fruit as auto companies introduce hemp into major manufacturing.
Perhaps most interestingly, hemp can also be made into most any building material including roofing, flooring, paint and even bricks. Hemp plaster is known for its high insulation qualities and can reduce the need for heating in winter and air conditioning in summer. Curiously, by simply adding water and lime to hemp one winds up with efficient and lightweight "hempcrete" which can help to construct houses. Experts say that hemp masonry exhibits exceptional fire resistant qualities and is easily recycled.
Advocates also believe that hemp can help to bring about a revolution in the textile industry. In the not-too-distant future, "eco-textiles" could become a popular buzzword as hemp replaces environmentally wasteful cotton production. Entrepreneurs say that hemp necessitates far less water to grow than cotton. Additionally, hemp rarely requires pesticides to grow and scientists are developing an innovative technique designed to turn tough hemp fiber into yarn. Early independent tests indicate that the process yields clothes which are durable and comparable to cotton in both softness and brightness.
Interestingly enough, by shifting to large-scale hemp production the U.S. might not only spur the growth of new industries but also help to clean up contaminated landfill. Recently, the Colorado State legislature passed a bill to study hemp's potential to bring about so-called "phyto-remediation," a process by which plants actually filter and clean polluted soil. If Colorado plants hemp on contaminated sites, the state would follow in the steps of Ukraine, which planted industrial hemp near Chernobyl in the late 1990s in an effort to remove harmful contaminants from the ill-fated nuclear site.
Bio-Fuels and Climate Change
As if all these potential benefits were not enough, advocates hope that hemp could also be used to create a new bio-fuel. To be sure, the planet needs to shift away from fossil fuels which exacerbate climate change, though in practice some bio-fuels fail to measure up. As I argue in my last book, No Rain in the Amazon: How South America's Climate Change Affects the Entire Planet, corn-based ethanol based in the American Midwest does not put much of a dent in our global warming problem. Though Brazil's program of sugar cane ethanol is somewhat better than corn from an environmental standpoint, the crop still eats up land and leads to deforestation in sensitive bio-diverse areas such as the cerrado. Moreover, sugar cane requires fertilizer and deprives poor peasant farmers of land which could otherwise be used to grow food.
So, how does hemp stack up when compared to corn or sugar cane? Writing in Salon, Steven Wishnia remarks that hemp oil for bio-fuel "is unlikely to be practical." At 50 gallons per acre, he explains, "even if every acre of U.S. cropland were used for hemp, it would supply current U.S. demand for oil for less than three weeks." Nevertheless, hemp biomass can be converted into many diverse fuels such as methane, methanol and gasoline. Moreover, planting hemp arguably represents a more efficient use of land and resources than corn or sugarcane. That is so because hemp can be used for fuel but also for food and, according to AlterNet, its seeds contain "roughly four times the cellulose biomass potential of corn." Best of all, hemp grows very fast and leaves the soil in good shape.
In addition to bio-fuel, could hemp also lead to other benefits --- like helping restore the earth's climate equilibrium? The short answer seems to be, yes. As hemp grows, it "sequesters" or captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Hemp is able to sequester such large amounts of carbon because it grows very tall --- between 9 and 12 feet to be exact --- within a very short span of time. Furthermore, when hemp is manufactured into masonry this acts as a carbon sink: the carbon is literally locked into the building material.
A Silver Bullet?
With so many benefits, hemp advocates believe that the plant may represent a silver bullet when it comes to solving the earth's many environmental problems. Take for example widespread deforestation which has exacerbated climate change. Though deforestation is linked to many diverse and complex causes, the timber industry has no doubt played a nefarious role. Hemp and marijuana boosters --- which often overlap --- claim that hemp might offer a way out of our deforestation dilemma. Hemp has a higher cellulose level than wood, advocates argue, and therefore the plant could be used for paper to avoid cutting down trees.
The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol argues that hemp paper manufacturing may reduce waste-water contamination and the plant's low lignin content reduces the need for acids utilized in the process of pulping. Hemp can be used for every quality of paper, though it would most likely be mixed with recycled paper. Moreover, advocates say that high quality hemp paper can be recycled more times than wood-based paper. "Hemp produces more pulp per acre than timber on a sustainable basis," the group states. Not everyone, however, agrees with such rosy prognostications. According to the Instituto Superior Técnico in Portugal, hemp is nowhere near as environmentally-friendly as eucalyptus and researchers say that hemp is an "annual" plant that needs to be grown from scratch year in and year out.
Whatever the case, hemp's overall environmental potential should not be underestimated. In an era of ever worsening global warming and job scarcity, this unlikely plant may represent an ecological and social boon to wider society. If the Obama Administration is serious about job creation and the next wave of green employment, it would do well to investigate hemp more seriously. To be sure, the humble crop still carries a social stigma, though such outmoded attitudes seem to be changing. Indeed, if recent political and cultural change associated with marijuana legalization is any indication, hemp production may be coming to America sooner rather than later.
Nikolas Kozloff is the author of No Rain in the Amazon: How South America's Climate Affects the Entire Planet. Follow on Twitter here.
Follow Nikolas Kozloff on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NikolasKozloff

Kentucky asks whether DEA will oppose hemp [online extra]


Written by: Gregory A. Hall   The Courier-Journal
Agriculture Commissioner James Comer. (By James Crisp, Special to the Courier-Journal) Feb. 22, 2012
Agriculture Commissioner James Comer. (By James Crisp, Special to the Courier-Journal) Feb. 22, 2012 

Three of Kentucky’s members of Congress and Agriculture Commissioner James Comer sent a letter to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration asking whether the federal agency would oppose Kentucky’s plans to begin growing hemp.
The letter, dated Nov. 25, relies on a Department of Justice policy change issued Aug. 29 that says the federal agency will not oppose laws by individual states to allow production of marijuana, hemp’s potent relative. Hemp has a tiny fraction of the intoxicating chemical in marijuana and is grown largely for the fiber in its stalks.
“It would defy common sense to allow states to move forward with marijuana activity, but ignore states that have passed laws allowing for the production of industrial hemp,” states the letter signed by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, U.S. representatives John Yarmuth and Thomas Massie, Comer and state Industrial Hemp Commission chairman Brian Furnish.
The letter notes that Colorado also plans to permit hemp production next year following its new law allowing marijuana.
“We expect all states to be treated equally in this process,” the letter said. “If Colorado can produce industrial hemp, so can Kentucky.”
The Kentucky General Assembly passed Senate Bill 50 earlier this year, which allows hemp production if the federal government declassifies it as a controlled substance.
The letter argues that a 2003 DEA rule that exempted hemp from the Controlled Substances Act already does that, but the letter seeks clarification.
Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, however, issued an opinion in September agreeing with Kentucky State Police officials who argue the crop is still illegal. Conway’s opinion said proponents still need a waiver from the federal government or a change in federal law to produce hemp..
Comer has said he will have a bill filed next year in the General Assembly to clean up some of the language in Senate Bill 50.

Friday, November 22, 2013

FDA Approves CBD Treatment for Children




Let's focus on industrial hemp


Jamaica Gleaner Company

Published: Friday | November 22, 2013
Norris McDonald and Roy Patrick, ContributorsIndustrial hemp is a 'legal weed' with annual sales in the United States (US) averaging about US$500 million dollars. This is expected to rise because of the push to decriminalise all forms of marijuana (cannabis sativa) especially its non-toxic cousin, the hemp plant. Ganja is merely one of 500 varieties of this hemp plant and there is no reason Jamaica can't begin a pilot study in industrial hemp production.
Industrial hemp is in the spotlight as many countries race to boost production. Governor Jerry Brown, of California, recently signed a law legalising industrial hemp production. America is a large consumer of industrial hemp products but, at present, most of it is bought from overseas.
Canada is the biggest supplier of industrial hemp to America, and it may well be possible for Jamaica to become a big exporter to the US and other markets. The US (Hawaii), Canada, Great Britain, Russia, Germany, China, Japan, France are among the roughly 27 countries worldwide which grow industrial Hemp. Unlike ganja, it has lower levels of drug toxicity, hence its risk for being abused is considerably less.
The University of Kentucky - College of Agriculture is one of many public institutions studying its economic potentials to boost jobs and revenue for investors. The school published a study on January, 2013 titled, Industrial Hemp Production. It reinforced the fact that, "hundreds of products" can be made from hemp fibre and seeds. Products such as carpets, paper, twine, clothing and animal bedding, industrial oil, biofuels, cosmetics, medicine, personal-care products, cooking oil and pasta salad were highlighted as new products that can emerge from taking advantage of the agro-industrial potentials of the hemp plant.
Hemp is used also to make rope, vegetable oil, vitamin products and brain stimulants.
Cannabin is one of the natural ingredients in industrial hemp and, reportedly, promotes 'healthy ageing,' protects our brains and removes free-oxygen radicals from the body that can cause ill-health.
Another major study
Oregon University is another major American institution that did a comprehensive study on economic potentials of industrial hemp. This study was done in 1998 and, though some critics could argue that it is 'dated', its relevance and significance is based on its overall scope. The Oregon study examined industrial hemp's cost-effectiveness, profitability and viability. It looked at "net return per acre at various price and yield levels" for farms engaging in industrial-hemp production. It also examined farming methods, based on low cost, unskilled labour and more highly skilled farming methods.
This detailed study would be of great value to Jamaican agronomists, and our Government of course, who would be able to use it as a basis for more detailed research. Jamaica should use some of this progressive knowledge and create a new industrial hemp industry. This could enable us to earn hundreds of millions of dollars.
Private-sector money could be used on low-yield sugar farm lands to help reorientate the national economy from traditional crops to this non-traditional crop.
The Government can play an urgent role in facilitating a new industrial plan, based on hemp production, by doing three things.
First, by legalising industrial-hemp production and developing our own technical expertise.
Second, it should give tax write-offs, along with zero taxation or tariffs on all exports, or set any such tariffs at the prevailing cross-country comparative rates. The Government could then lock in a low taxation rate of 10-15 per cent on net profits, over the next 25 years for our investors.
Third, the Jamaican Government could pursue rural-agriculture reform to make more land and, low-cost financing available to small farmers who want to go into industrial hemp production. Ganja farmers who have great agricultural skills could shift to producing 'legal weed'.
Jamaican can catch Canada's half-billion-dollar production and easily surpass it. Canada has a three- to four-month growing season and we could grow the crop all year round.
This requires political will, private-sector ingenuity and national support.
Norris McDonald is a journalist. Roy Patrick is a chemist, agronomist and horticulturalist who has worked in both the private and public sectors. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Industrial Hemp Recipes! Are you Hemp Healthy Today?



Industrial Hemp is a Completely Digestible Protein, High in Omegas 3,6,9.. Hemp is Considered as a Super Food! Brain Food, EFA's (Essential Fatty Acids) Help with Brain Development. This Book will help you Get Hemp into your Diet!
 
Go On Ebay and Get your Copy today and Start Eating Healthy!
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    Thank you for your Support!
       

 

Monday, November 18, 2013

My New: Hemp Healthy Honey & Banana Pancakes !!!

My New Hemp Healthy Honey Banana Pancakes, No Flour Needed!!
Howdy Hempsters: Have you checked out this Hemp Healthy Cookbook posted on my blog? Hemp Healthy Cooking: Hemp for Breakfast. I have some Amazing  Hemp Healthy Recipes!  Quick and Easy for, "ON THE GO MORNINGS" Check it Out! 
Hemp Healthy Cooking: Hemp for Breakfast
http://www.bakespace.com/cookbooks/detail/Hemp-Healthy-Cooking%3A-Hemp-for-Breakfast/540/

Thursday, November 14, 2013

BMW’s New Electric Car Sheds Weight With Hemp

   By on July 31, 2013

The i3 will be available in North America by early 2014. The base model starts at  $41,350 (US).
The i3 will be available in North America by early 2014 with a starting price of $41,350 (US)
TruthOnPot.com – BMW has finally come out with an all-electric car, which made its world debut on Monday. And in true BMW fashion, they’ve outdone just about every other electric car in what matters most: Weight. The BMW i3 is a mere 2,700 pounds – 800 pounds less than the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt.
Weight is essential because the i3 depends entirely on a 22 kWh lithium-ion battery for fuel, which also contributes about 20% of the car’s total mass. The only solution was using a variety of low-weight materials to maximize fuel efficiency and driving range (130-160 km per charge) – hemp being one of them.
Hemp and kenaf materials contribute to the i3's natural looking interior.
Hemp and kenaf materials contribute to the i3′s natural looking interior.
Like many BMWs before it, the i3 features door panels made of hemp. Mixed together with plastic, hemp helps lower the weight of each panel by approximately 10%.
But that’s not all. The hemp fibers – which are left exposed – also offer a design element, reports Bloomberg. According to Benoit Jacob, the i3′s designer, the use of natural materials like hemp and kenaf (a plant in the hibiscus family) makes the i3′s interior feel like “a small loft on wheels.”
A BMW 5 series door panel made out of hemp.
A BMW 5 series door panel made out of hemp.
While any mention of hemp always seems to perk ears, the fact that hemp was used to make parts of the i3 shouldn’t come as a surprise. BMW has been testing and using natural fibers like hemp since the 1990′s, when government pressure to use recyclable materials forced most European car makers to go greener.
Starting out with trunk liners and airbag parts, BMW eventually expanded into making door panels out of hemp. By 2006, hemp panels were used in all of BMW’s 5 series models. Many luxury European car makers – including Mercedes and Audi – now make use of hemp in some form.
The i8 will be the next electric car sold by BMW. The hybrid supercar accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h
The i8 will be the next electric car sold by BMW. The hybrid supercar accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h
What’s next? The BMW i8 – an electric hybrid supercar that is set to launch early next year. And yes, it’s also made with hemp. This versatile, eco-friendly car component is definitely here to stay.


Friday, November 8, 2013

Www.HempPlus.ca Coming this December 2013:)!!!!

Please "Like" and Share this Facebook Page, it is an easy way for you to support Hemp and soon all of our wonderful supporters and the world will be able to Search the Internet on the World's First Search Engine on a Hemp platform along with our Amazon like E-Commerce Center where you can also attain many amazing Hemp Products and much, much, more! W...e will be also offering an Affiliate program with our new store and you will be able to join as a Hemp + Affiliate, and promote Hemp just like us to the masses, with your friends, family and within your own personal network:) This is "Good News" for Hemp as many more that might not have been able to support Industrial Hemp and it's over 50,000 uses will get an opportunity to this with the help of Hemp+:)!!! Thank you once again for your support and we looking forward at being the place that when folks think of Hemp they think Hemp+!!!!
Www.HempPlus.ca Coming this December 2013:)!!!!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Cannabis Possession Legalized in Lansing, Michigan, Decriminalized in Ferndale, Jackson

 
 
The voters of Lansing, Michigan (the state’s capital) have approve an initiative to legalize the possession, use and transfer of up to an ounce of cannabis, and the voters of Ferndalesaved20 and Jackson have both approved initiatives decriminalizing cannabis possession, reducing the charge from an arrestable offense, to a simple ticket.
The Lansing initiative, as well as the Ferndale initiative, were approved overwhelmingly, with the proposals garnering roughly 64% and 72% of the vote. Voters in Jackson also brought forth a clear victory for cannabis law reform, approving decriminalization with 62% of the vote.

The clear victories of these three cities show, unequivocally, that the voters of Michigan are ready for true cannabis law reform. The conversation surrounding statewide legalization will now reach a new level.
- TheJointBlog

Maine: Portland Voters Approve Marijuana Legalization With Landslide Vote

Submitted by steveelliott on Wed, 11/06/2013 -


By Steve Elliott    DavidBoyerMPPPortlandLegalization
Hemp News
Portland, Maine on Tuesday became the first city on the East Coast to legalize marijuana, with voters overwhelmingly approving ballot Question 1, an ordinance removing all penalties for adult possession of small amounts of cannabis.
Unofficial totals showed the proposal passing with 67 percent of the vote, 9,921 to 48,23, reports Randy Billings at the Portland Press Herald.
The city ordinance allows people 21 and older to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana, and is seen by many activists as a foot in the door to statewide legalization. The immediate effects, however, are unclear.
Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck has already said that regardless of the vote, officers will continue enforcing Maine state law, under which possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis can result in fines of $350 to $1,000, along with a civil summons. Selling or providing pot to others can result in criminal charges.
The city should respect the voters and not arrest or fine adults for marijuana possession, according to David Boyer, Maine political director for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). "We call on city officials to stop the bleeding," Boyer said. "It's time for the state of Maine to follow Portland."
MPP will try to legalize marijuana through the Maine Legislature, according to Boyer; if that doesn't work, it will attempt to get a statewide referendum on the 2016 ballot, he said. MPP spent more than $10,000 on the Portland campaign.
Portland's vote will energize Maine voters, according to state Rep. Diane Russell, who has already submitted two unsuccessful bills in the Legislature would would tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol. One of them fell just four votes short in the House of Representatives.
"Volunteers have been working tirelessly to make Portland the first city on the East Coast to legalize marijuana for adults, and tonight we celebrate," Rep. Russell said, reports NORML Communications Director Erik Altieri. "This is truly a victory for science, for common sense and for liberty."
"We already successfully regulate marijuana for medical use and, with tonight's vote, it's now clear Mainers are ready to move forward responsibly regulating all adult marijuana sales," Rep. Russell ssaid.k "It's time to stop rewarding the drug cartels and start rewarding responsible business owners, while funding important state priorities with new tax revenue."
"We hope this resounding vote in Portland sends a loud and clear message, not just to lawmakers in August, but lawmakers nationwide, NORML's Altieri said. "We the people are ready for marijuana legalization and it is well past time for legislators to listen to their constituents and push for an end to the failed policy of prohibition."
When asked if the city would sue to block the new legalization ordinance, City Attorney Danielle West-Chuhta said "At this time, the city has not decided what next steps, if any, it will take with regard to the ordinance."
(Photo: David Boyer, Maine political director of the Marijuana Policy Project, speaks at a victory rally in Portland Tuesday night. Photo by John Patriquin/Portland Press Herald)

Colorado Voters Approve Taxes On Legal Marijuana

Posted by at 7:58 AM on November 6, 2013  Ending Marijuana Prohibition, Marijuana Business News

In a move that didn’t surprise many people, Colorado voters yesterday approved a 15% excise tax and a 10% sales tax on legal recreational marijuana sales. There was some opposition to the proposition, but it was widely predicted that the proposition would pass. The final vote tally showed the proposition passed 65% to 35%. I know there will still be some people upset about how high the taxes are, but it could be worse.
Washington State is looking to tax recreational marijuana at a far higher percentage. Unlike in Washington State, Colorado residents have a very easy way to get around the tax – grow your own marijuana. Colorado allows home cultivation, while Washington State doesn’t. It could be even worse than in Washington. If someone lives in a state where marijuana is very much illegal, like say Louisiana, there is no amount of tax that can be paid for legal marijuana purchases, and if you grow it at home you could be looking at some hefty jail time and fines.
Before people get up in arms about the new taxes in Colorado, take a step back and try to get back in the mindset before the 2012 Election victory. Remember when everyone was saying that we should legalize marijuana, tax it, and have the revenue generated go to help balance budgets? If you were told at that time that legalization would become a reality, but it would come at the expense of 25% in tax, would you have taken the deal? It seems that only after the reality of the situation is setting in that some people are freaking out.
Would I like to see a lower tax rate? Of course. But would I throw legalization out the window in exchange for a different tax rate? Of course not, because legal marijuana taxed at 25% is better than no legal marijuana at all. We can fight the tax fight another day, during another election. For right now we need to remember that there are states that don’t have legal marijuana at all. I guarantee there is someone in Texas scratching their head wondering what all the fuss is about. Feel free to disagree .colorado marijuana legalization taxhttp://www.theweedblog.com/

My Passion for the Industrial Hemp Plant is Never ENDING!!!

To Whom this may Apply,

"My Passion for the Industrial Hemp Plant is Never ENDING, and My life long Goal is to Educate the Masses about Medicinal Cannabis. My Heart will always be filled with, ONE LOVE and Compassion for Patients."


Have A Hemp Healthy Day,
Derek Cross

Is this even WORTH the Paper its Printed On?( The New One Hundred Dollar Bill )

We Here at: Hemp Healthy Today are having a problem with our current money situation.  We believe that the bill shown above isn't:" EVEN WORTH THE PAPER IT IS PRINTED ON! "

Just because we can magically print money, doesn't give us the right to continually print it. As far as having to constantly change our money with different watermarks and security tape doesn't impress me, nor do I see the Value of the paper.  If we were to Bring Industrial Farming back to America once again, and started to mass produce paper from Industrial Hemp, creating American Jobs and Industry, then that would make the Value of this dollar pictured have meaning and purpose Once Again.

Pubdate: October 14, 1916
Source: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BULLETIN NO. 404: HEMP HURDS AS PAPER-MAKING MATERIAL
Authors: Lyster H. Dewey, Botanist in Charge of Fiber-Plant Investigations, and Jason L. Merrill, Paper-Plant Chemist, Paper-Plant Investigations.
Pages: This is an excerpt of the entire report. ". . ." indicates that text is omitted.
NOTE - This bulletin should be useful to all persons who are interested in the economic phases of paper making, especially to print and book paper manufacturers. It also should be of interest to scientific investigators and chemists.
In preparing the report on the manufacture of paper from hemp hurds it became evident that a short discussion of the agricultural aspects of this material should be included in the publication. Such an article was prepared, therefore, and the two reports are here presented together.
THE PRODUCTION AND HANDLING OF HEMP HURDS.
By Lyster H. Dewey, Botanist in Charge of Fiber-Plant Investigations.
WHAT HEMP HURDS ARE.
The woody inner portion of the hemp stalk, broken into pieces and separated from the fiber in the processes of breaking and scutching, is called hemp hurds. These hurds correspond to shives in flax, but are much coarser and are usually softer in texture.
The hemp stalk grown in a broadcast crop for fiber production is from one-eighth to three-eighths of an inch in diameter and from 4 to 10 feet tall. The stalk is hollow, with a cylindrical woody shell, thick near the base, where the stalk is nearly solid, and thinner above, where the hollow is relatively wider.
In the process of breaking, the woody cylinder inside of the fiber-bearing bark is broken into pieces one-half of an inch to 3 inches long and usually split into numerous segments. The thicker lower sections are split less than the thin-shelled upper ones, and they are often left quite solid.
PITH, WOOD, AND FIBER.
The inner surface of the hurds usually bears a layer of pith, consisting of thin-walled cells nearly spherical or angular, but not elongated. They are more or less crushed and torn. They are probably of little value for paper, but they constitute less than 1 per cent of the weight of the hurds. The principal weight and bulk consist of slender elongated woody cells. The outer surface is covered with fine secondary fibers composed of slender elongated cells, tougher than those of the wood but finer and shorter than those of the hemp fiber of commerce. No method has been devised thus far which completely separates from the hurds all the long fiber. From 5 to 15 per cent of the weight of the hurds consists of hemp fiber, in strands from 3 inches to 8 feet in length. Some fragments of the bark, made up of short cubical cells, usually dark in color, cling to the strands of fiber.
CHARACTER OF HURDS AFFECTED BY RETTING
Nearly all of the hemp in the United States is dew retted. The stalks are spread on the ground in swaths, as grain is laid by the cradle. The action of the weather, dew, and rain, aided by bacteria, dissolves the gums, leaving only the fibrous bark and the wood. The plants in this process lose about 60 per cent of their green weight, or about 40 per cent of their air-dry weight.
The stalks are sometimes set up in shocks to cure before retting, and after retting they are set up in shocks to dry. Each time the stalks are handled they are chucked down on the ground to keep the butts even. In these operations sand and clay are often driven up into the hollow at the base of the stalks, and this dirt, which often clings tenaciously, may constitute an objectionable feature in the use of hemp hurds for paper stock.
In Italy and in most localities in Russia and Austria-Hungary where hemp is extensively cultivated, it is retted in water, but water retting has never been practiced in the United States except to a limited extent before the middle of the last century. Hurds from water-retted hemp are cleaner and softer than those from dew-retted hemp.
The fiber is sometimes broken from dry hemp stalks without retting. The hurds thus produced contain a small percentage of soluble gums, chiefly of the pectose series. Comparatively little hemp is prepared in this manner in America.
Process retting by means of weak solutions of chemicals or oils in hot water is practiced to a limited extent. The hurds from these processes may contain traces of the chemicals or oils and also soluble gums in greater degree than those of the dew-retted or water-retted hemp.
PROPORTION OF HURDS TO FIBER AND YIELD PER ACRE.
The yield of hemp fiber varies from 400 to 2,500 pounds per acre, averaging 1,000 pounds under favorable conditions. The weight of hurds is about five times that of the fiber, or somewhat greater from hemp grown on peaty soils. A yield of 2 1/2 tons of hurds per acre may be taken as a fair average.
HURDS AVAILABLE FROM MACHINE-BROKEN HEMP.
Hemp hurds are available only from hemp which is broken by machines, when the hurds may be collected in quantity in one place. Most of the hemp in Kentucky is still broken by hand brakes. These small brakes are moved from shock to shock, so that the hurds are scattered all over the field in small piles of less than 50 pounds each, and it is the common practice to set fire to them as soon as the brake is moved. It would be difficult to collect them at a cost which would permit their use for paper stock.
Where machine brakes are used, the hemp stalks are brought to the machine as grain is brought to a thrashing machine, and the hurds accumulate in large piles, being blown from the machine by wind stackers.
Machine brakes are used in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and California, but to only a limited extent in Kentucky. Five different kinds of machine brakes are now in actual use in this country, and still others are used in Europe. All of the best hemp in Italy, commanding the highest market price paid for any hemp, is broken by machines. The better machine brakes now in use in this country prepare the fiber better and much more rapidly than the hand braes, and they will undoubtedly be used in all localities where hemp raising is introduced as a new industry. They may also be used in Kentucky when their cost is reduced to more reasonable rates, so that they may compete with the hand brake. Hemp-breaking machines are being improved and their use is increasing. The hemp-growing industry can increase in this country only as machine brakes are developed to prepare the fiber. A profitable use for the hurds will add an incentive to the use of the machine brake.
PRESENT USES OF HEMP HURDS.
Hemp hurds are used to a limited extent for barnyard litter and stable bedding, as a substitute for sawdust in packing ice, and, in rare instances, for fuel. They are not regarded as having a commercial value for any of these uses, though they are doubtless worth at least $1 per ton on the farm when used for stable bedding. They are a waste product, without value for other purposes which might compete with their use for paper stock.
PRESENT SUPPLIES OF HURDS AVAILABLE
During the last season, 1915, about 1,500 acres of hemp have been harvested outside of Kentucky and in regions where machine brakes are used. Estimating the yield of hurds at 2 1/2 tons per acre, this should give a total quantity of about 3,750 tons. Large quantities of hemp from the crop of 1914, which are still unbroken in these areas, and large piles of hurds undisturbed where the machines where the machines have been used during the last two or three years, increase the total to more than 7,700 tons. Hemp is now grown outside of Kentucky in the vicinity of McGuffey, east of Lima, Ohio; around Nappanee, Elkhart County, and near Pierceton, in Kosciusko County, Ind.; about Waupun and Brandon, Wis.; and at Rio Vista and Stockton, Cal.
In Kentucky, hemp is grown in most of the counties within a radius of 50 miles of Lexington. No accurate statistics of the acreage are collected, but the crop harvested in 1915 is estimated at 7,000 acres. A machine brake will probably be used in Bourbon County and also in Clark County, but most of the hemp in Kentucky will be broken on hand brakes.
BAILING FOR SHIPMENT.
The hurds will have to be baled to facilitate handling in transportation and to economize storage space at the paper mills. The bales will need to be covered with burlap or some material to keep them from shaking out. They may be baled in the same presses that are used for baling hemp fiber, but care must be exercised to avoid breaking the press, for the hurds are more resistant than hemp fiber. A bale of hemp 2 by 3 by 4 feet weighs about 500 pounds. A bale of hurds of the same size will weigh about one-third less, or approximately six bales per ton.
Rough hemp fiber as it is shipped from the farm is not covered; therefore, the covering material must be purchased especially for the hurds. A piece of burlap about 36 by 48 inches placed on either side of the bale will be sufficient, but these pieces, weighing about 3 pounds each, cost bout 40 cents a pair. Baling rope, in addition to jute covering, will cost at least 5 cents per bale, making the total cost of covering and ties $2.70 or more per ton. Possibly chip board, costing about $33 per ton, or not more than 5 cents for the two pieces for each bale, may be used in place of burlap. Chip boards, burlap, and also rope ties may all be used for paper stock. Burlap covers might be returned, to be used repeatedly until worn out, but chip board could not be used more than once.
COST OF BAILING.
If burlap covers are used the cost of baling, including covering, ties, use of baling press, power, and labor will amount to at least 60 cents per bale, or about $3.75 per ton. If chip board can be used the cost may be reduced to about $2 per ton. The cost of hauling and loading on the cars will vary from $1 to $3 per ton, depending upon the distance and the roads. The farmer must therefore receive from $4 to $6 per ton for the hurds, baled, on board cars at his home station.
SUMMARY.
Hemp hurds are the woody inner portion of the hemp stalk, broken into pieces in removing the fiber.
They are not used at present for any purpose that would compete with their use for paper.
Hurds are available only from machine-broken hemp, for the cost of collecting them from the hand brakes would be too great.
About 7,000 tons are now available in restricted localities in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and California.
The quantity is likely to increase as the use of machine brakes increases.
The hurds may be baled in hemp-fiber presses, with partial burlap covers like those on cotton bales, or possibly chip-board covers.
It is estimated that the farmers may deliver the bales on board cars profitably at $4 to $6 per ton.

Industrial Hemp is Ameicas Trillion Dollar Crop/ The Sustainable Solution!

The People ARE Speaking, Industrial Hemp Will be Here to Stay, The Market is Calling for this Product to be Grown in America Once again. We the People Spent 1/2 a Billion Dollars Importing, Industrial Hemp Made Foods, and Other Products from Canada, and China. That is money that left this Country! We the People need this Vital Crop for a Sustainable Future, Creating Local Jobs, and thousands of American Made Products. Who would like to see there country become Hemp Healthy Today?