cannabisnews.com: Economic Hero or Reefer Madness
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Economic Hero or Reefer Madness
Posted by CN Staff on April 17, 2009 at 08:44:28 PT
By Jen Senofonte
Source: Equinox
N.H. -- New Hampshire activists have been trying to legalize the growth of industrial hemp for the state for over a decade. Just a few months ago, they introduced a new House Bill to try again.The bill permits the development of an industrial hemp industry in New Hampshire. The Environment and Agriculture Committee advocates that the use of industrial hemp will improve New Hampshire’s economy and agricultural capabilities, having nothing to do with the use of marijuana as an illegal substance.
“The production of industrial hemp can be regulated so as not to interfere with the strict regulation of controlled substances in this state,” states House Bill 399.“America is the number one importer of hemp, it would be better to buy it from ourselves,” said Keene State College sophomore, Erik Breakell.He said he thinks if the bill was passed it would be really interesting and it would improve the economy.The growing of cannabis for industrial hemp use means the plant will contain the least amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), at less than one percent. It will be grown only for the purpose of hemp and not for the use of marijuana as an illegal substance.“You can’t get high off hemp,” said KSC senior Eva Loomis. “It’s like drinking O’Doul’s, you can’t get drunk off a non-alcoholic beer.” Loomis said it is frustrating because of the stigma hemp has acquired since people relate it to marijuana, which is illegal. With that in mind, there are several uses for hemp that come from marijuana plants that have nothing to do with the illegal drug world. Hemp has proved to be one of the most productive and useful plants known world-wide for many years. Some uses include various foods, oils, fibers that can be used to make clothing, jewelry, rope, biofuels, roofing shingles and many other products.“I wear hemp shirts and shoes,” Breakell said. “I use hemp paper and I drink hemp milk.” “It can be anything if utilized to its full potential,” Loomis said. There are 25,000 uses for hemp, according to Loomis. She thinks it should be a replacement for cotton because of the possibilities the crop has and its benefits for the environment.“Because of the growing soil problems, hemp will need to be legalized at some point,” Breakell said.Its nutrients replenish the soil and benefit the environment because pesticides and herbicides are unnecessary, unlike other crops it could substitute for.“It’s an obvious solution to deforestation,” Loomis said. Hemp is 77 percent cellulose, as opposed to 60 percent in wood. Some people say hemp is ‘a plant to save the world’.“It’s crazy. There’s this miracle plant in terms of everything and it’s illegal for some absurd, unknown reason,” Loomis said. “How much can we run our environment into the ground before something positive starts to happen?”In an interview on New Hampshire Public Radio, Mark Lathrop, the chairman of the New Hampshire Hemp Council, talked about his personal expositions with hemp and, as a farmer, highlighted the potential economic possibilities of industrial hemp.“There is already a domestic market, there is already companies doing this and importing raw materials. This is an immediate agriculture our farmers could step into with little overhead and giving it to an end user,” he said.Both Vermont and North Dakota are the two only states in the United States to pass laws enabling the licensure of hemp. The law was passed, however no permits to grow the crop have been awarded. Breakell advocated that if New Hampshire does pass HB 399, it may quicken the pace of the whole movement.“It’s kind of a shame that hemp is associated with the drug culture these days because people see it as a middle step of marijuana,” Breakell said. He said this is discouraging because it slows down the whole process of making hemp accepted and legal to grow.Both Loomis and Breakell have been involved as student activists dealing with issues on hemp and marijuana. Specifically, Breakell gave a presentation at last year’s Academic Excellence Conference about hemp. He said he also has supported petitions for hemp, made posters to inform people and generally educates people on the issue.Loomis organized the on-campus event held on Monday, April 13, Help Eliminate Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP). The event supported both medical marijuana and industrial hemp. It began as just a project for her Student Empowerment and Activism course at KSC and evolved into a passion for her as an activist. “Change will come about gradually,” she said. “People will think, ‘why didn’t we do this earlier?’”“It’s sad to see little movement happen because people are scared of drugs,” Breakell said. “[Hemp] is not a controlled substance and there is a difference.”Source: Equinox, The (NH Edu)Author: Jen SenofontePublished: Friday, April 17, 2009Copyright: 2009 Keene EquinoxContact: equinox keene.eduWebsite: http://www.keeneequinox.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/NTZLCXBkCannabisNews Hemp Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/hemp.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help
Comment #30 posted by Storm Crow on April 18, 2009 at 19:01:53 PT
A few random thoughts...Why not.....
Breed multi-purpose strains? High THC, but a fiber type "build"? You'd need some sort of sex-linked trait to help with separating the males and females. Shouldn't be THAT hard! And the demand for pure strains will provide a small, but steady, market for the breeders of "pedigree seeds". Also those "low THC" plants often are high in CBD, a very medically useful cannabinoid. So it wouldn't necessarily be a disaster. You might find this thread on CBD to be educational. (Don't worry, FoM- the site is OK) http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=116792&highlight=CBD
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Comment #29 posted by konagold on April 18, 2009 at 13:08:32 PT
Hemp; pot; Cannabis; and being dizzy
Aloha FoM it is more than a bickerlow THC Cannabis pollen will threaten medicinal pot by seeding female plants with inferior genes huge Cannabis pollen clouds from Morocco already trigger allergenic reactions in Europe if the Midwest were to become the hemp belt rather than the corn belt, it would make the task of producing outdoor medicinal quality pot very difficult with pollen traps on even indoor grows UNLESS so called hemp advocates give up the low THC stuff for superior Medicinal strainsafter all their positioning for low THC is really just cowardice, to avoid facing up to the real problem prohibition
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Comment #28 posted by Hope on April 18, 2009 at 07:54:04 PT
White Phosphorous vs. White Widow
http://www.defensetech.org/archives/002847.html
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Comment #27 posted by Hope on April 18, 2009 at 07:51:29 PT
We talk about the white phosphorous
and the episode in this thread.http://cannabisnews.com/news/22/thread22288.shtml
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Comment #26 posted by Hope on April 18, 2009 at 07:50:07 PT
Taliban takes high cover
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15239501/
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Comment #25 posted by Hope on April 18, 2009 at 07:44:24 PT
Hemp
I still keep thinking about those fields of cannabis in Afghanistan that the prohibitionist military couldn't set ablaze... like they wanted to. They wanted to make a big show of burning a field of "Marijuana". Yet they couldn't get it to blaze... as the article said, not even with the use of white phosphorous.How ignorant and deep in denial does a person have to be to see that that species of Afghanistan cannabis, grown as hemp... in dense plantings, would likely make extraordinary and completely natural fire breaks in the brush and forest fire prone sections of our country? Oh no! Better rampant brush fires than living firebreaks of hemp. Couldn't have that. Someone might try to smoke it. Better to let the world burn than allow a cannabis plant to live.That non burning bush that doesn't require too much water could be a blessing in fighting wild fires... or arson induced fires in some areas. Hedgerows of dense hemp could save firefighters, people's homes, lives, and property.It still bugs me that that coincidence in Afghanistan wasn't looked at for the marvel it appears to contain.
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on April 18, 2009 at 05:28:38 PT
George
I am at a point in my life that when a troll signs up and tries to take this web site and turn it into a forum of hate they aren't welcome here. This is a private forum. Do you want me to remove your comment since the post you responded to is removed? Let me know and I'll remove my comment too.Responding to trolls only gives them what they want.
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Comment #23 posted by George Servantes on April 18, 2009 at 03:18:18 PT
rednecks
Yea, poor those slave owners - Lincoln was real tyrant for trying to unite his country. And that guy was against prohibition. Prohibition doesn't have nothing to do with slavery and nobody is forcing states to have same laws as federal ones. My state, state of Maine has already decriminalized marijuana, have legal hemp and medical marijuana. See what I am talking about, states still have their rights. Slavery was very very wrong thanks to few rich who liked glamorous and comfortable living by treating other humans like animals, now they have replaced slavery with modern slavery: you work and get pay minimum wage or they put you in prison and you work almost for free.What I want to say is that Lincoln was a very good president who had courage to end old problem and now in our time we need again somebody who is going to reform justice and prison system and end prohibition of cannabis-hemp-marijuana. It's all same plant.
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on April 17, 2009 at 20:57:10 PT
Had Enough
You're welcome. I agree with you too.
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on April 17, 2009 at 20:51:08 PT
Josephlacerenza
Thank you. You're very kind.
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Comment #19 posted by Had Enough on April 17, 2009 at 20:43:14 PT
Thanks…FoM
I needed that….Troubled spirits…have set in…all around…Clicked your link….As a result…listened to a montage of Beatles tunes…Troubled spirits are now at bay...I hope...The link I leave is what I concluded…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLxTpsIVzzo&NR=1
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Comment #18 posted by ChristenMitchell on April 17, 2009 at 20:10:44 PT:
KonaGold
Good for you. I second.
Hemptopia
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on April 17, 2009 at 19:36:46 PT
Figured Out What Song
It bothered us that we couldn't remember what song the words I posted were from. Thank goodness for Google! LOL!The Beatles - We Can Work It Outhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ij6nBQfQoo
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Comment #16 posted by josephlacerenza on April 17, 2009 at 19:20:22 PT
Hope
It is good to see you!! It has been a couple of days and i love to hear from you!!;)
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Comment #15 posted by Hope on April 17, 2009 at 18:41:53 PT
That's wonderful.
"I turned on Fork in the Road and danced"Dancing is good for us... even if we're sitting in a wheelchair. Getting the rhythm and bouncing a bit, or more, if you can, is good for both body and soul.If you can... get after it.Drag out those old dancing shoes... or get some new ones.
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on April 17, 2009 at 17:57:21 PT
Just Another Thought
I agree Hope. We all need to learn as a society first and foremost to be kind and tolerant. I try very hard when I find myself annoyed by anything to turn it off and find something productive to do and let the time pass. Life is way too short to waste it. My nephew called from Florida and we were on the phone for over an hour and laughed and talked seriously about serious issues and had a wonderful time and made great memories. Stick's blood pressure started stabilizing this afternoon so I turned on Fork in the Road and danced. That made my nephew laugh when I told him. He said that he can tell I surround myself with good people. I told him I most definitely do. There's no time for fussing and fighting my friend. That's from a song but I don't remember which song.
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on April 17, 2009 at 17:21:47 PT
Comment 10
Indeed, but I think we've grown a bit more alike in our attitudes about it all over the years because of our serendipitously common, as well as opposite, background and certainly, our basic common desire... to end the persecution and injustice.We have every right to be angry, to be outraged... but we've learned that there is something far from good in allowing ourselves to sink into and seethe with hatred and fear.
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Comment #12 posted by George Servantes on April 17, 2009 at 16:44:53 PT
hemp
heh even chinese are starting to grow hemp, they give their farmers free seeds and educate them how to grow. that's how they want to combat poverty in certain areas - but our government is so stubborn we have great fertile land we can grow lots of hemp and get out of this economic depression.
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Comment #11 posted by AdaptBones on April 17, 2009 at 16:09:23 PT:
FoM
See, that is exactly what I am talking about! Thank you for that example. It shows exactly what I think we need to get back to on a national level. There are issues that EVERYONE can agree on, such as children should not be allowed to smoke cannabis and there should be big penalties to people who DO sell to children. I think both sides could agree with that and I don't think the agreements stop there. But the prohibitionists don't seem to hear us when we have talked before. Luck and momentum are with us this time as more and more average citizens are tired of this wasted "war on drugs" that has done nothing but cause harm. We can and will win back freedom from over bearing government because of logic. I have to believe that it will happen. With so much bad in the news and the world in general you have to focus on something that can make you happy. This movement is that to me and it has the added benefit of helping EVERY citizen in this country (and other countries when it happens considering Canada and Mexico have only been stopped in the past by the USA). Blessed be, we can succeed.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on April 17, 2009 at 15:55:05 PT
AdaptBones
My best cyber friend is Hope who contributes to our conversations on CNews. We having shared probably 100s of emails but not about drug policy. We don't approach that the same way but deep inside we want the same thing. Words and ideas and thought processes make us all different and when a wall of hate gets erected like happens on line on our issue we get stuck. Hope and I don't get stuck because we have found common interests in our very different lives. It's very cool.
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Comment #9 posted by AdaptBones on April 17, 2009 at 15:35:21 PT:
Compromise
I completely agree with you on your last statement. When I heard that Texas was talking about leaving the Union I found myself thinking, "why is everyone getting upset"? I have noticed what I feel is one of the biggest problems in America: no one wants to seriously talk about anything and no one respects others opinions. If people were just open to talking with eachother and actually listening to the other side I believe compromise would happen a lot more often and guess what is supposed to happen in a democracy? Oh yeah compromise.
Of course I feel the role of the federal government should be to provide freedom for EVERYONE and protect everyone under the law by making ALL laws neutral by nature. That means the "all things except what I believe in are evil" and the "there is no such thing as evil" crowd could both represent their views peacefully. The only thing the federal law should do is make it so that both sides can hold their views but neither side would be allowed to try and impose their will on the other. If any of them did then the law would step in to bring neutrality again. That is the way law is supposed to work in America and we need to get back to that.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on April 17, 2009 at 12:29:12 PT
josephlacerenza
I don't watch Fox so I didn't see it except on CNN and MSNBC a little but we just turned to another channel (Discovery etc.) rather then getting upset. I thought about how the Texas Governor mentioned seceding and I thought if that is what they want no one should stop them. If any state doesn't want to be a part of the United States of America they shouldn't be forced to be. That causes discord all the way around for every state and that fuels division. What I wondered about is if Texas does secede what if Mexico runs on them to take back the land they lost in that Mexican American war? What if a major disaster happens and they could use some FEMA help? What about Social Security for those nearing retirement? What about health care in any capacity? I see problems if they do secede but I don't deny them the right to do what they feel is best for Texas.
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Comment #7 posted by josephlacerenza on April 17, 2009 at 12:14:06 PT
O.T.
While I was watching and listening to these tea-baggers again today , I realized why I was so pissed off at them. They tried to hijack the definition of what a "grass roots" movement was, along with Faux News.They tied to marginalize many legitimate movements, gay rights, woman's rights, etc., by showing that a major news group was in some way able to move it viewers, like Stephen Colbert and John Stewart at Comedy Central, to take up these tea bags and shove them in the mouths of the AMERICAN people. Faux News HATES that John and Steve are even taken seriously.When I watch, I know the entrainment factor; it is called COMEDY Central!!! I think fox forgot where it came from. It is where the Simpsons, Married With Children, and Inside Addition, That is where I first saw Bill OH, not to mention it was one of the trashiest TV reporting shows, were aired. It was a channel I could get for free!!
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on April 17, 2009 at 11:36:57 PT
konagold
Hemp and Cannabis to me are the same plant. I am proud that Cannabis is such a complex plant. Everyone should celebrate that not condemn it. Grumbling and nit picking that goes on between Hemp activists and Cannabis or Marijuana activists whatever one wants to call it makes my head spin a bit.
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Comment #5 posted by konagold on April 17, 2009 at 11:27:12 PT
cant get high off of hemp a bogus lie
using concentrating methods 100% THC can be obtained from 1%THC hempmedicinal pot can also be utilized 25,000 waysI'm fed up with so-called hemp advocates promoting hemp to the disadvantage of medicinal Cannabisthe gov't shouldn't lie about pot neither should hemp advocated lie about hemp
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 17, 2009 at 11:16:18 PT
Federal Law
I think state's right have always scared me a little because some repressive states could abuse it. Say execute Gays as an extreme example.Marijuana is against Federal Law. We can work and try everything but to fix something you have to undo something. The something is the federal law and that would be by Congress.
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Comment #3 posted by museman on April 17, 2009 at 11:12:48 PT
yes it is a shame
"“It’s kind of a shame that hemp is associated with the drug culture these days because people see it as a middle step of marijuana,” Breakell said. He said this is discouraging because it slows down the whole process of making hemp accepted and legal to grow."But of course it is negligent to leave out the fact that 'marijuana' became illegal primarily in the first place because it threatened the paper mills, lumber industry, and the monopoly that the rich factions like W.R. Hearst had on raping our forests.The 'association' of hemp to 'drugs' -with the invention of a plethora of BullCrap lies and propganda about cannabis- often referenced to the movie commmisioned by Hearst, Reagan (as head of the MPCA), Bush (as head of anything he could worm his way into), and their main man-Anslinger -"Reefer Madness" - was deliberate and calculated to put fear into the white voters in the 1930's.To pretend that somehow the idea that cannabis, as 'marijuana' is a 'seperate issue' than hemp, is missing the entire point. We can not grow hemp (cannabis) -in any variety- because the ruling factions of wealthy corporate feudalism do not want 'ordinary' people getting access to any resource that they don't have full control over. Period.Let me reiterate; ...the ruling factions of wealthy corporate feudalism do not want 'ordinary' people getting access to any resource that they don't have full control over. Period.Oh there are arguments aplenty, this way and that, but the historical facts haven't been swept under the rug, even as much as some people who CLAIM to be somewhat antiprohibitionists (with conditions that actually put the lie to the effort) llke to act like these things never happened, and that 'marijuana' though used in many forms throughout actual, real history, and not the contrived, selective, pruned record published as 'American History,' is some kind of 'evil twin' to hemp variety.Cannabis is of more benefit than any 'drug' ever to come out of the pharmaceutical chemlabs. Cannabis put alcohol into the 'solvent' category, and cannot be realisticly compared -except for those in personal denial of the facts-.Cannabis is a wonder plant and any one who denies this fact is just in denial period, and has no other purchase on the reality of the subject.Cannabis is a wonder herb, it heals on so many levels -in conjunction and in concert with other NATURAL functions of healing and health. And like a real thinking person with true knowledge of the practice of medieval 'science' that is recognized as 'modern medicine' is going to believe their golfer doctors -like the AMA is anything but an extension of the long arm of the Rulers-that backs any rumor or lie that the status quo gives it -for fear of losing their standing in the eyes of their ruling masters -who make it possible for them to live in multi-million dollar homes, drive lots of fancy cars, and of course go golfing every monday, wednesday, and Saturday....Well, if I need a surgeon, I go see one. If I need a doctor for anything else, I might as well just smoke some cannabis, because I'm more likely to heal myself than if I allow some doctor to start filling me up on pharma that twists around my natural healing functions, poisons me, and pillages my resources to obtain it.Doctors, Lawyers, ..most 'professionals' are about as qualified for that false authority and contrived, invented respect, as dogs and cats. Of course if the criteris for 'professionalism' was about quality of craftsmanship, quality of service, and at least some provision for greater intelligence than has been let in- then the term might actually have some real meaning.Hemp is Cannabis. Cannabis is hemp. Just because the fed tried to make a 'better' hemp plant by inbreeding to the point of creating a whole new strain that we call 'ditch weed' doesn't change the fact that it is cannabis.'Marijuana' --oooh the big scary word----What a bunch of losers. The irony is they haven't a clue that they are wasting their time, because the issue was solved on the first page of Genesis, and any derivative that tries to circumnavigate that DECLARATION OF THE CREATOR OF UNIVERSES can only be an unwitting or conscious servant of evil, destruction, bondage, slavery, disease, and eternal death. We reap what we sow. FREE CANNABIS FOREVER
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Comment #2 posted by josephlacerenza on April 17, 2009 at 11:06:50 PT
The Reality
I live in Montana, a state that has passed such a law, BUT, and that is a big but, the federalies will still come in and confiscate your crop. Or, they will wait until you do the harvesting and light it on fire in front of you so you can literally watch your liberty, freedom, and lively hood go up in smoke. I was on the Huff yesterday and a commenter stated that the push for state rights has been used before, think Civil War, to not defend justice, but tyranny, enslavement, and suppression. We need to be pushing our leaders on a federal level, and commending them when they do well, I'm looking at you Webb. I have never heard such a convoluted argument as what the prohibs are using. "You cant have it because its illegal." This is their argument. They do not have to review their actions because, well cannabis is illegal and that's that.
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Comment #1 posted by HempWorld on April 17, 2009 at 10:30:41 PT
Yes, Hemp is Great but if you live in the US, you
can't have it!Maybe when unemployment hits 20% things will change, otherwise, congress doesn't give a damn about the well being of this country. They are all in the pocket of big business, the people and country be dammned!
On a mission from God!
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