cannabisnews.com: Hemp Initiative Offers South Dakota A Process Hemp Initiative Offers South Dakota A Process Posted by CN Staff on June 26, 2002 at 16:50:05 PT Editorial Opinion Source: Press & Dakotan We all think we know what marijuana is, but how well do any of us know the distinction between the weed that is smoked and the plant that has industrial uses? At the very least, South Dakota voters have the chance to expand their knowledge on the subject in the coming months. Petitions bearing more than 13,000 signatures were filed last week to put an industrial hemp initiative on the fall ballot. If the initiative passes, it would create legal distinctions between industrial hemp and marijuana, and pave the way for commercialized hemp development in the state. It presents an opportunity to understand the important differences between hemp and marijuana. The "weed" that is smoked to produce highs and the plant used for industrial applications such as paper, clothing, fuels, lotions, particle boards, foods, bird seed, detergents, paints and soaps are two different things. By not fostering the hemp industry in this state, South Dakota is rejecting a valuable revenue source. That's one reason why the South Dakota Farmer Union supports the ballot measure, called the South Dakota Industrial Hemp Act.The greatest adversaries to the act are the various misconceptions about hemp and its kinship to the more deleterious members in its family.There are important differences between hemp and common marijuana. According to the Hemp Industries Association, both hemp and marijuana come from the same plant, known as Cannabis sativa L. The term "hemp" applies to the stalk and seed, while cannabis refers to the flowers and leaves smoked to produce a high. Also, the plants are cultivated in different ways and harvested at different times. The key is the amount of TetraHydroCannibinol (THC), the element which produces highs in the people who smoke pot. While cannabis has THC levels of 5-10 percent, industrial hemp contains levels of less than 1 percent. Since high levels of THC are needed to produce an intoxicating "buzz," industrial hemp cannot achieve that effect -- unless you wish to count a headache as a high.Since the plant grows in temperate climates and needs no fertilizer or pesticide to thrive, industrial hemp would seem like an ideal enterprise in this region. Indeed, it was once grown by more than 400,000 farmers until stiffened marijuana laws crippled the industry.As for concerns that other, illegal forms of marijuana could be grown amid the industrial plants, some industrial hemp experts state that most of the "ditchweed" plants commonly found growing wild here are actually remnants from the days when industrial hemp was more common. It has very little psychoactive value; South Dakota marijuana isn't exactly in high demand by pot consumers. Also, hemp also contains an element, CBD, that blocks the production of a marijuana high. (This ultimately must produce questions of some of the laws and efforts aimed at marijuana in this and many other states.)But these are all facts South Dakotans should learn in the months ahead. While it is important to make an informed decision on every measure, it is worth the effort for voters to sort out the hemp facts from the marijuana fiction. There are a lot of misconceptions standing in the way.Complete Title: Hemp Initiative Offers South Dakota A Leaning Process Source: Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan (SD)Published: Wednesday, June 26, 2002Copyright: 2002 Yankton Daily Press & DakotanContact: http://www.yankton.net/letters/Website: http://www.pressanddakotan.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:SoDakNORMLhttp://www.sodaknorml.org/Hemp Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/hls.htm South Dakota Voters To Decide On Industrial Hemp http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13170.shtmlPetition Drive Under Way To Put Hemp On Ballot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11519.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Post Comment