Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Legalize Hemp Please
Senator Moves To Legalize Cannabis Production For Hemp
Industrial hemp, a variety of Cannabis sativa, contains low levels of THC and can be used for a variety of non-drug purposes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Hemp is a variety of Cannabis sativa, the same plant species that yields marijuana, and is illegal to grow in the United States under federal law. But that legislation has long drawn contention from hemp advocates, who point to the health and sustainability advantages of the industrial plant, and note that its genetic and chemical traits differ from those of the Cannabis sativa drug varieties. Their case gained additional footing Thursday when U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon proposed an amendment to the Farm Bill that would exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana, allowing American farmers to grow the plant legally for the first time since 1957. The introduction of the proposed amendment comes as activists nationwide have already rallied to generate support for hemp and educate the public about its properties as part of the third annual Hemp History Week.
“Industrial hemp is used in many healthy and sustainable consumer products. However, the federal prohibition on growing industrial hemp has forced companies to needlessly import raw materials from other countries,” Wyden said in a press release on the website of Vote Hemp, a nonprofit lobbying organization based in Brattleboro, Vt. “My amendment to the Farm Bill will change federal policy to allow U.S. farmers to produce hemp for these safe and legitimate products right here, helping both producers and suppliers to grow and improve Oregon’s economy in the process.”
The 2010 U.S. retail market for hemp products was estimated at $419 million, and was on track to increase to roughly $450 million for 2011, said Tom Murphy, national outreach coordinator of Vote Hemp and spokesperson for the Hemp Industries Association. Some estimates put the global market for hemp at more than 25,000 products – including fabrics, paper, insulation materials, foods, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, according to a Congressional Research Service report released in January. In Canada, where farmers can legally cultivate hemp, acreage devoted to the crop roughly doubled between 2011 and 2012.
Though hemp comes from the Cannabis sativa species, industrial plants tend to contain small to negligible amounts of THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), the main psychoactive component of marijuana, with typical levels of less than 1 percent. THC levels average around 10 percent in marijuana, according to the congressional report. In Canada and the European Union, laws regulating hemp cultivation set 0.3 percent THC as the threshold between industrial cannabis and that with drug potential, the report says.
The legal status of industrial hemp and its products is ambiguous under federal law. The Drug Enforcement Administration considers THC a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act. DEA spokesman Rusty Payne said an exemption in the law removes CSA restrictions on “legitimate industrial products” produced from cannabis plants, but prohibits human consumption of products containing THC. A 2004 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit stated that the DEA had misinterpreted the CSA in its regulations, making them invalid. But a ruling by the Eighth Circuit in 2006 claimed that anything with THC was considered a controlled substance.
John Roulac, CEO of Nutiva, a health food company based in Oxnard, Calif. that imports hemp to make several hemp products, said the federal ban on growing hemp is a political issue. He said arguments against the crop include claims that members of the DEA could not distinguish between hemp and marijuana plants, and that it “sends the wrong message to the youth of America.” He likened the government’s ban on growing hemp to banning farmers from cultivating mushrooms.
“To use their logic, all mushrooms should be illegal because there are some mushrooms that are hallucinogenic,” Roulac said.
Language supporting hemp has not reached the floor of the Senate or the House of Representatives for a vote since the 1950s, though Representative Ron Paul has repeatedly introduced a bill to lift restrictions on farming industrial hemp since 2005. The cultivation and research use of industrial hemp is allowed in nine states – including Maine, North Dakota, Oregon and Vermont – but those efforts remain hampered by the federal ban on growing hemp. In North Dakota, for example, cultivating industrial hemp is legal under state law, but federal agents could charge farmers with years of imprisonment or property forfeiture for growing the crop.
Once grown by the likes of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, industrial hemp was a staple crop during the colonial era and the market for hemp has experienced a resurgence in the United States over the past two decades. Hemp can be cultivated for its seeds, fiber, oil and other byproducts, which have a variety of uses. Roulac said hemp seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids, while its fibers are “ideal” for constructing houses, as material made of hemp is energy efficient, resistant to fire and insects, and more durable than wood. He added that legalizing hemp cultivation would have the additional benefit of job creation.
“We’re turning the hemp sector into a billion dollar industry, and guess what?” Roulac said. “The market place is voting
Friday, June 8, 2012
33 States To Go!!!
Connecticut: Medicinal Marijuana Legalization Measure Signed Into Law
Hartford, CT: Democrat Gov. Dan Malloy signed legislation into law on Friday, June 1, allowing for the state-sanctioned production, distribution, and use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes. The new law - Public Act 12-55, An Act Concerning the Palliative Use of Marijuana - will take effect on October 1, 2012.
"For years, we've heard from so many patients with chronic diseases who undergo treatments like chemotherapy or radiation and are denied the palliative benefits that medical marijuana would provide," Governor Malloy said in a prepared statement. "With careful regulation and safeguards, this law will allow a doctor and a patient to decide what is in that patient's best interest."
Under the law, patients with a qualifying "debilitating medical condition" must receive "written certification" from a physician and register with the state's Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). Qualifying patients and their primary caregivers will be allowed to possess a combined one-month supply of cannabis, the specific amount of which will be determined by a board consisting of eight physicians certified by appropriate medical boards and enforced through DCP regulations. Patients must obtain marijuana from certified pharmacists at licensed dispensaries, who will obtain it from licensed producers. The law allows for the licensing of at least three, but no more than ten, producers statewide.
Patients will not be permitted to cultivate their own cannabis.
Connecticut is the 17th state since 1996 to allow for the limited legalization of medicinal cannabis. It is the fourth New England state to do so, joining Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
In May, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed into law similar legislation allowing for the state-licensed production and limited distribution of medicinal cannabis. Vermont lawmakers in 2011 approved a similar measure; however, to date the state has yet to license any statewide dispensaries. Presently, a total of eight state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries are operating in Maine.
Similar state-licensed dispensaries operate in Colorado and New Mexico. Additional licensing legislation awaits implementation in Arizona, Delaware, New Jersey, and Washington, DC.
For more information, please visit http://norml.org/legal/item/connecticut-medical-marijuana, or contact Connecticut NORML at: http://norml.org/ct/item/connecticut-norml.
Hartford, CT: Democrat Gov. Dan Malloy signed legislation into law on Friday, June 1, allowing for the state-sanctioned production, distribution, and use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes. The new law - Public Act 12-55, An Act Concerning the Palliative Use of Marijuana - will take effect on October 1, 2012."For years, we've heard from so many patients with chronic diseases who undergo treatments like chemotherapy or radiation and are denied the palliative benefits that medical marijuana would provide," Governor Malloy said in a prepared statement. "With careful regulation and safeguards, this law will allow a doctor and a patient to decide what is in that patient's best interest."
Under the law, patients with a qualifying "debilitating medical condition" must receive "written certification" from a physician and register with the state's Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). Qualifying patients and their primary caregivers will be allowed to possess a combined one-month supply of cannabis, the specific amount of which will be determined by a board consisting of eight physicians certified by appropriate medical boards and enforced through DCP regulations. Patients must obtain marijuana from certified pharmacists at licensed dispensaries, who will obtain it from licensed producers. The law allows for the licensing of at least three, but no more than ten, producers statewide.
Patients will not be permitted to cultivate their own cannabis.
Connecticut is the 17th state since 1996 to allow for the limited legalization of medicinal cannabis. It is the fourth New England state to do so, joining Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
In May, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed into law similar legislation allowing for the state-licensed production and limited distribution of medicinal cannabis. Vermont lawmakers in 2011 approved a similar measure; however, to date the state has yet to license any statewide dispensaries. Presently, a total of eight state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries are operating in Maine.
Similar state-licensed dispensaries operate in Colorado and New Mexico. Additional licensing legislation awaits implementation in Arizona, Delaware, New Jersey, and Washington, DC.
For more information, please visit http://norml.org/legal/item/connecticut-medical-marijuana, or contact Connecticut NORML at: http://norml.org/ct/item/connecticut-norml.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
CRS. Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity
Hemp Is On The Rise, it's a darn shame that we had to lose any of this commodity at all.
We all know how precious any commodity is.
www.nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/crs/
We all know how precious any commodity is.
www.nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/crs/
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
HEMP FACT FOR THOUGHT. Pass it Around
Currently in the United States of America it is illegal to grow Hemp. Clear cutting forests, burning fossil fuels, spraying large amounts of pesticides; all these things and more can be avoided from the production and usage of hemp plants. To clarify, I am talking about Hemp, not Marijuana. Hemp will not get you high, Hemp does not contain enough THC to get you high, if you were to smoke it; you would probably just end up with a headache. Hemp is illegal in the United States because it looks too much like its sister Mary Jane. While it is legal almost everywhere else in the world, hemp is still not being used to its full potential.
1. Paper & Cardboard Products
Hemp regenerates in months; it grows extremely quickly, sounds like a perfect thing to make paper with. Unlike trees that can take over 30 years to be ready to harvest hemp is ready to go right away! Why are we still clear cutting forests? Hemp is a way better alternative! The paper that is made from hemp doesn’t become yellow or brittle because hemp is naturally acid free. Did you know that the original declaration of independence was written on hemp paper? Hemp can be recycled up to 7 times, while wood pulp paper can only be recycled a maximum of 3 times. Not to mention that 220 million pounds of toxic pollution or added into the air and water every year during the production of wood paper and pulp. Hemp paper does not need to be bleached with chlorine; it can be whitened with hydrogen peroxide, which is a lot safer for the water and soil of the earth.
2. Clothing & Fabrics
As a fabric, hemp is the optimal choice! ‘Hemp doesn’t wear out, it wears in!’ Hemp clothing becomes softer every time you wash it. Growing hemp requires the use of very little pesticides and no herbicides, so not only is this great for the environment, but in turn, if used for clothing and blankets, it is not harmful for your skin. One acre of hemp will produce as much material as 2-3 acres of cotton. Wow, this hemp really is amazing isn’t it? Hemp material will keep you cool in the heat and keep you warm in the cold, it is known to be 4 times warmer than cotton material! The production of hemp into fabric instead of cotton, as if there aren’t enough amazing facts about hemp fabric as it is, it is also naturally fire retardant! So as oppose to most other fabrics, clothing, bed sheets, linens etc.. it would not need to have fire repellant chemicals added, what a great bonus! 
3. Plastic & Building Materials
Did you know that Henry Ford made a body for a car that was lighter than steel but could stand 10 times the impact without denting? Of course, it was made of hemp! Hemp can be made into various different building materials, hempcrete, fiberboard, carpet, stucco, cement blocks, insulation, and plastic. Not only are Hemp building supplies a lot better for the environment but also walls made from Hemp are rot free, pest free, mold free and fire resistant! Walls made from hemp can last up to 500 years. How’s that for sustainability? Hemp plastic can completely replace oil based plastic materials that we are using today that contain large amounts of dangerous chemicals such as the very well known Bisphenol A. If all our plastics were made from hemp material you could literally purchase something that came in a plastic hemp container and then throw that container directly into the compost, as hemp plastics are completely biodegradable. Now why have we even been using the other harmful destructive ways of producing plastic?
4. Fuel
Hemp can be made into fuel in two ways: The oil from the pressed hempseed can be turned into biodiesel. The fermented stalk can be made into ethanol and methanol. Biodiesel is completely biodegradable and a much cleaner fuel for the air. Even the exhaust produced from burning hempseed biodiesel has a pleasant smell. Although hemp is not the greatest alternative to fuel that is available, hemp fuel can be used temporarily because it can be used in all the existing vehicles today without making any alterations. Both sources of hemp fuel are non-toxic and are completely biodegradable.
5. Nutrition
So, not only is hemp great for the environment, it is great for your body too! Hemp seeds are known to be one of the most nutritious seeds on the planet! Quite impressive, I know. Along with magnesium, potassium, dietary fiber and almost every vitamin and mineral that the body needs, Hemp seeds contain high amounts of essential omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. Hemp seeds are very high in protein, containing 25% protein content. They do not contain phytic acid, which means every last bit of goodness that these tiny seeds have to offer can be absorbed and utilized by the body! Hemp seeds have a great nutty taste to them too, so you’ll enjoy sprinkling them over salads or your other favorite dishes!
As you can see Hemp is an excellent choice for many different reasons. Almost everything created out of hemp is biodegradable, so not only do hemp products seem to last a lot longer, but when it is time to replace them, they can be returned back to the Earth. What a beautiful cycle. Really its design is perfect. It’s time to implement these new resources, we have the information, we have the technology, so what’s stopping us? The way I see it, Hemp will be at the forefront of a new Earth!
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Hello nhartvig,