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Hemp and Marijuana Myths & Realities Abstract Surely
no member of the vegetable kingdom has ever been more misunderstood
than hemp. For too many years, emotion—not reason—has guided
our policytoward this crop. And nowhere have emotions run hotter than
in the debate overthe distinction between industrial hemp and marijuana.
This paper is intended toinform that debate by offering scientific
evidence, so that farmers, policymakers,manufacturers, and the general
public can distinguish between myth and reality.Botanically, the genus
Cannabis is composed of several variants. In the United States, the debate about the relationship between hemp andmarijuana has been diminished by the dissemination of many statements that havelittle scientific support. This report examines in detail ten of the most pervasive andpernicious of these myths. Myth: United States law has always treated hemp and marijuana the same. Reality: The history of federal drug laws clearly shows that at one time the U.S. government understood and accepted the distinction between hemp and marijuana. Myth: Smoking industrial hemp gets a person high. Reality: The THC levels in industrial hemp are so low that no one could get high from smoking it. Moreover, hemp contains a relatively high percentage of another cannabinoid, CBD, that actually blocks the marijuana high. Hemp, it turns out, is not only not marijuana; it could be called “antimarijuana.” Myth: Even though THC levels are low in hemp, the THC can be extracted and concentrated to produce a powerful drug. Reality: Extracting THC from industrial hemp and further refining it to eliminate the preponderance of CBD would require such an expensive, hazardous, and time-consuming process that it is extremely unlikely anyone would ever attempt it, rather than simply obtaining high-THC marijuana instead. Myth: Hemp fields would be used to hide marijuana plants. Reality: Hemp is grown quite differently from marijuana. Moreover, it is harvested at a different time than marijuana. Finally, cross-pollination between hemp plants and marijuana plants would significantly reduce the potency of the marijuana plant. Myth: Legalizing hemp while continuing the prohibition on marijuana would burden local police forces. Reality: In countries where hemp is grown as an agricultural crop, the police have experienced no such burdens. Myth: Feral hemp must be eradicated because it can be sold as marijuana. Reality: Feral hemp, or ditchweed, is a remnant of the hemp once grown on more than 400,000 acres by U.S. farmers. It contains extremely low levels of THC, as low as .05 percent. It has no drug value, but does offer important environmental benefits as a nesting habitat for birds. About 99 percent of the “marijuana” being eradicated by the federal government—at great public expense—is this harmless ditchweed. Might it be that the drug enforcement agencies want to convince us that ditchweed is hemp in order to protect their large eradication budgets? Myth: Those who want to legalize hemp are actually seeking a backdoor way to legalize marijuana. Reality: It is true that many of the first hemp stores were started by industrial-hemp advocates who were also in favor of legalizing marijuana. However, as the hemp industry has matured, it has come to be dominated by those who see hemp as the agricultural and industrial crop that it is, and see hemp legalization as a different issue than marijuana legalization. In any case, should we oppose a very good idea simply because some of those who support it also support other ideas with which we disagree? Myth: Hemp oil is a source of THC. Reality: Hemp oil is an increasingly popular product, used for an expanding variety of purposes. The washed hemp seed contains no THC at all. The tiny amounts of THC contained in industrial hemp are in the glands of the plant itself. Sometimes, in the manufacturing process, some THC- and CBD-containing resin sticks to the seed, resulting in traces of THC in the oil that is produced. The concentration of these cannabinoids in the oil is infinitesimal. No one can get high from using hemp oil. Myth: Legalizing hemp would send the wrong message to children. Reality: It is the current refusal of the drug enforcement agencies to distinguish between an agricultural crop and a drug crop that is sending the wrong message to children. Myth: Hemp is not economically viable, and should therefore be outlawed. Reality: The market for hemp products is growing rapidly. But even if it were not, when has a crop everbeen outlawed simply because government agencies thought it would be unprofitable to grow? Hemp and Marijuana Myths & Realities A Botanical and Biochemical Introduction
Hemp. Has there ever been a plant so fraught with confusion and controversy?The
word itself carries a confusing history. “Hemp” was for
medieval Europeans ageneric
term used to describe any fiber. Indeed, a recent conference held in Jefferson City, Missouri and sponsored by DruWatch International and the Drug Enforcement Administration was entitled,“Marijuana: Myths, Concerns, Facts”—yet much of the discussion concernedindustrial hemp and the legal products made from it. The conflation of the word “marijuana” and the word “hemp” has placed aheavy burden on public policymakers. Many believe that by legalizing hemp theyare legalizing marijuana. Yet in more than two dozen other countries, governmentshave accepted the distinction between the two types of Cannabis and, whilecontinuing to penalize the growing of marijuana, have legalized the growing ofindustrial hemp. The U.S. government remains unconvinced. To understand the difference between hemp and marijuana, let’s begin with twobotanical analogies: field corn and sweet corn; breadseed poppies and opium poppies. Field Corn and Sweet Corn For crops less encumbered by polemic than hemp is, functional distinctionsamong varieties are commonly recognized. Consider the case of field corn and sweetcorn. The untrained observer cannot tell the different varieties apart just by looking,Both belong to the genus Zea mays. But if a grocer attempted a substitution, hewould hear complaints. Your average consumer will recognize the difference. Andwhen sweet corn is planted too near field corn, the resulting cross-pollinationreduces the sweetness of the former. Companies like Green Giant that grow hugeacreages of sweet corn for canning go to great lengths to ensure that an adequatedistance separates their fields from corn destined for the grain elevator, or they growthe different varieties at different times. Either way, pollen carrying the dominantgene for starch synthesis is kept clear of cornsilks borne on plants of the recessive (sweet) variety. Commercial producers of planting seed of either variety are very careful topreserve the genetic integrity of their lines from contamination by other varieties.Their genetic resources are assemblages of optimized characteristics—yield, diseaseresistance, maturity—created through substantial research investment. Breeders ofthese crops rigorously ensure that their breeding stocks do not become contaminatedby the other type, as this would result in a serious decline in the quality factors eachtries to enhance.
This botanical distinction is reflected even in the academic disciplines
that dealwith corn. Go to a midwestern land grant university’s
agriculture college and ask tospeak to a plant breeder about sweet
corn and you will be sent to the horticulturedepartment; for field
corn you will be directed to the agronomy department.A similar situation
exists with respect to poppies, the popular garden flower ofwhich
there are dozens of variants. Recently the U. S. Drug Enforcement|
Administration has been cracking down on one specific poppy variety
grown inbackyards
for many years, because it says that opium can be extracted from it.
Yet theDEA
still considers it legal for gardeners to continue to cultivate the
many othervarieties
of Papaver somniferum, even though these are not botanically distinctfrom
the poppy variety that has been outlawed. In similar fashion, the
so-called“breadseed
poppy” is also a member of the same species, yet the ControlledSubstances
Act specifically sets aside the poppy seed because of the culinary
market. Now let’s move from analogy to the real thing by examining in more detail thegenus Cannabis. The Genus Cannabis: Taxonomy and Biochemistry Scientists
who were the first to study the genus Cannabis clearly discerned different
species. The father of plant taxonomy, Linnaeus, officially designated
theCannabis
genus in 1753 when he founded the binomial system of botanicalnomenclature
still used today. In 1889, botanist and plant explorer George Watt wrote about the distinctionbetween types of Cannabis: “A few plants such as the potato, tomato, poppy andhemp seem to have the power of growing with equal luxuriance under almost anyclimatic condition, changing or modifying some important function as if to adaptthemselves to the altered circumstance. As remarked, hemp is perhaps the mostnotable example of this; hence, it produces a valuable fibre in Europe, whileshowing little or no tendency to produce the narcotic principle which in Asiaconstitutes its chief value.” Dr. Andrew Wright, an agronomist with the University of Wisconsin’sAgriculture Experiment Station and steward of the Wisconsin hemp industryduring the first half of the twentieth century, wrote in 1918, “There are three fairlydistinct types of hemp: that grown for fiber, that for birdseed and oil, and that for drugs.”Although these early analysts discerned clear differences among hemp types,taxonomists have had a difficult problem in deciding how to reflect those differences. The key Cannabis species problem derives from the fact that there is noconvenient species barrier between the varying types that would allow us to draw aclear line between them. In taxonomy, often the delineating line between species isthat they cannot cross-breed. But disparate types of Cannabis can indeed producefertile offspring, not sexually dysfunctional “mules.” Consequently, a debate has raged within botanical circles as to how many speciesthe genus contains. At this time botanists generally recognize a unique family ofplants they call “Cannabaceae,” under which are classified the genus Cannabis andits closest botanical relative, Humulus, which contains the beer flavoring, hops. The prevailing opinion currently recognizes three species: C. sativa, C. indica, and C.ruderalis.“Industrial” types fall exclusively within C. sativa, although all Cannabisplants contain stem fiber and can have multiple uses in primitive societies wherethey are indigenous. Recent analytical advances are leading many scientists to believe that a more accurate and satisfying way to differentiate the different forms of Cannabis would be by their biochemical composition. Cannabis is the only plant genus in which can be found the unique class ofmolecules known as cannabinoids. Cannabis produces two major cannabinoids— THC
(delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol), and several
other minor cannabinoid compounds. Cannabis strains of the type used for industrial purposes have relatively highlevels of CBD versus THC. Drug strains are high in THC and low to intermediate inCBD. Smoking hemp, high in CBD and very low in THC, actually has the effect of preventing the marijuana high. Even when the amount of THC in a sample is ashigh as 2 percent, the psychological high is blocked by as little as 2 percent CBD. Cannabis with THC below 1.0 percent and a CBD/THC ratio greater than one istherefore not capable of inducing a psychoactive effect. Hemp, it turns out, is notonly not marijuana, it could be called “antimarijuana.” The balance of cannabinoids is determined by the genetics of the plant. That it isa stable characteristic of a given genotype (i.e., the individual’s specific geneticcomplement) was demonstrated by Dr. Paul Mahlberg of Indiana University-Bloomington. In other words, plants do not capriciously alter their cannabinoid profile. Thus, using the chemotype approach, Cannabis variants can be classified on thebasis of their THC-CBD balance. This is accepted by a growing number of scientists.Gabriel Nahas, M.D., Ph.D., writes, “One should still distinguish two principal largegroups of varieties of Cannabis sativa, the drug type and the fiber type. In addition tothis classical distinction of these two groups, botanists generally accept descriptionconsisting of three chemical types: (a) the pure drug type, high THC content (2-6percent) and lacking CBD[cannabidiol]; (b) the “intermediate type” (predominantlyTHC); and (c) the fiber type (THC<0.25 percent)." Dr. Mahmoud ElSohly, Director of the National Institute on Drug AbuseMarijuana Project at the University of Mississippi-Oxford, which analyzes Cannabissamples sent in by law enforcement agencies, explained to the author that his group is currently reevaluating the data collected since the 1960s. They are taking anew approach that classifies any sample with less than 1.0 percent THC and a CBDto-THC ratio greater than one as “ditchweed,” in order to have a properdiscrimination among the samples. This was never done for the data on which theclaims of great potency increase are based, from pre-1983 samples. Interestingly, thissame threshold—THC less than 1 percent and the ratio of CBD to THC greater than one—is a prescription for industrial hemp. Current hemp varieties grown in Canada and Europe are certified to have THClevels below 0.3 percent. The certification system originally developed in Europe toallow for the commercialization of industrial hemp considered the ratio of CBD toTHC as well as the absolute percent THC. The original THC threshold was 0.8percent. When varieties with lower levels of THC were developed by Frenchbreeders, the breeders were able to persuade the European Union to reduce thetolerance further, giving the French until recently a de facto monopoly of hempseed varieties sold in the European Union.In the United States, Cannabis with any detectable trace of THC is illegal. CBD isnot considered at all.Exposing the Myths Much of the rest of the world quickly and relatively easily moved beyond thedebate about hemp and marijuana to focus on how best to reintroduce a crop that atone time was the world’s best selling fiber. In the United States we are still paralyzedby our belief that industrial hemp is a drug crop. This belief has been nurtured bythe dissemination of much misinformation. Here we shall shed some scientificlight on ten of the most widespread and dark myths about the relationship ofmarijuana and hemp. Myth: U.S. law has always treated hemp and marijuana the same Reality: U.S. drug laws offer clear evidence that the U.S. government at one timeunderstood and accepted the distinction between marijuana and hemp.The 1937 Marijuana Tax Act defined marijuana as: “(A)ll parts of the plantCannabis sativa L., whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extractedfrom any such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture,or preparation of such plant, its seeds, or resin; but shall not include the maturestalks of such plant, fiber produced from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seedsof such plant, any other compound, manufacture salt, derivative, mixture, orpreparation of such mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom), fiber, oil, orcake, or the sterilized seed of such plant which is incapable of germination.”The Marihuana Tax Act was proposed by the Treasury Department, a division ofwhich was the Bureau of Narcotics. In support of the bill, Assistant General CouncilClinton Hester testified: “The form of the bill is such . . . as not to interferematerially with any industrial, medical or scientific uses which the plant may have.Since hemp fiber and articles manufactured therefrom are obtained from theharmless mature stalk of the plant, all such products have been completelyeliminated from the purview of the bill by defining the term “marijuana” in thebill, so as to exclude from its provisions the mature stalk and its compounds ormanufacturers.” Hester went on to add: “There are also some dealings in marihuana seeds forplanting purposes and for use in the manufacture of oil which is ultimatelyemployed by the paint and varnish industry. As the seeds, unlike the mature stalk,contain the drug [later shown to be untrue-dpw], the same complete exemptioncould not be applied in this instance. But this type of transaction, as well as anytransfer of completed paint or varnish products, has been exempted from transfertax.” Harry J. Anslinger, Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (thepredecessor to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)), told the SenateCommittee that those in the domestic hemp industry “are not only amply protectedunder this act, but they can go ahead and raise hemp just as they have always doneit.” After the passage of the Marihuana Tax Act, during World War II, the federalgovernment launched an aggressive “Hemp for Victory” campaign. U.S. armedforces had relied on abacá, Manila hemp, imported from the Philippines, for rope,canvas, uniforms, and other products. After the Philippines fell to Japanese forces in1942, the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Army urged farmers to growhemp. Without any change in federal law, more than 400,000 acres of hemp werecultivated in the United States between 1942 and 1945, aided by the War HempIndustries Corporation, which built 42 hemp mills in the Midwest.0 The lastcommercial hemp fields were planted in Wisconsin in 1957.In 1961 the U.S. became a party to the United Nations Single Convention onNarcotic Drugs. That Convention expressly recognized the distinction between marijuana and industrial hemp, exempting the latter from coverage. “ThisConvention shall not apply to the cultivation of the Cannabis plant exclusively forindustrial purposes (fiber and seed) or horticultural purposes.” The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs andPsychotropic Substances (1990, supplement to the UN Single Convention onNarcotic Drugs) did not concern itself with such botanical aspects of the Cannabisplant as THC. The terms of this treaty concerned the use to which the plant is put.As such, this treaty does not constrain its signatories’ freedom to allow industrialhemp agriculture. Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria—allcountries with expanding hemp acreage—are signatories to this convention.In 1970, the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act repealedthe Marihuana Tax Act but incorporated verbatim that Act’s definition of“marihuana.” “The term ‘marihuana’ means all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa (L.),whether growing or not, the seeds thereof, the resin extracted from any part ofsuch plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, orpreparation of such plant, its seeds or resin; . . .” The key difference was that, while the 1937 Act used a system of taxation anddisclosure that allowed the government to penalize marijuana growers withoutpunishing industrial hemp growers, the 1970 Act abolished the taxation approachand effectively made all Cannabis cultivation illegal, except where the DEA issued alimited-use permit, by setting zero tolerance for THC.There is no indication that, in the debate about the 1970 law, the implications ofits passage on the future of industrial hemp were ever considered. By that time thedomestic industrial hemp industry had disappeared, and there were no farmers toargue its case. Despite the 1970 narcotics act, which resulted in the lumping together ofmarijuana and hemp, the federal government continues to make a distinctionbetween the two plants. For example, in 1994, by Executive Order, the President ofthe United States designated hemp as a strategic crop of importance to nationalsecurity. Hemp is legally grown by 29 countries around the world at present, with almosthalf of these having made hemp cultivation legal only in the last few years. In 1996world hemp production was about 100,000 metric tons. Four-fifths of this total wasgrown in China, Russia, and Korea. Each year the U.S. government identifies thosecountries that it considers to be drug-exporting nations. None of the major hempgrowingand -exporting nations has ever been listed. The legal history is clear. The federal government has long recognized thedistinction between hemp and marijuana. This distinction is codified in numerousdomestic laws and statutes and in international treaties to which we are a party. TheDEA has it in its authority to recognize this history and to drop hemp from itsnarcotics schedule. Instead the DEA, unlike its predecessor, the Bureau of Narcotics,is aggressively trying to persuade Americans that hemp and marijuana are identicalplants. We can speculate about the reasons. The results are widespread confusionand the inability of America’s farmers and manufacturers to take part in theworldwide resurgence of hemp cultivation and use. Myth: Smoking industrial hemp can get someone high. Marijuana in the 1960s contained THC levels approaching those of today’s hemp. Reality: The THC levels in industrial hemp are so low that no one can get highfrom smoking it. Moreover, industrial hemp, while low in THC, is high in anotherkind of cannabinoid, CBD, which counteracts THC’s psychoactivity.As William M. Pierce Jr., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology andToxicology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine notes, “Industrialhemp does in fact contain a psychoactive substance, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)and thus the question appears at first reading to be a reasonable one. Upon closerconsideration, however, using the most fundamental principles of pharmacology, itcan be shown that it is absurd, in practical terms, to consider industrial hemp usefulas a drug.”According to Professor Pierce, to obtain a psychoactive effect with even 1 percentTHC hemp (industrial hemp and feral hemp, the wild hemp the DEA aggressivelyharvests and burns, contain less than 0.5% percent THC), would require the userto smoke 10-12 cigarettes containing hemp in a “very short period of time. . . . Thislarge volume (and) high temperature inhalation of vapor, gas, and smoke would bedifficult for a person to withstand, much less enjoy.” Professor Pierce goes on to notethat anyone who ate hemp hoping to get “high” would be consuming the fiberequivalent of several doses of a high-fiber laxative. In other words, the veryunpleasant side effects would dissuade anyone from trying to use industrial hempas a drug. Dr. Pierce points out that beer sold as “nonalcohol” contains measurable alcohol.So does mouthwash. Even nutmeg contains a psychoactive substance. But theauthorities are not aggressively concerned about the abuse of these products becausethe side effects are so severe as to discourage such abuse.Critics have alleged that the marijuana of the sixties had THC levels comparableto those of industrial hemp. But when Lynn Zimmer, Ph.D., and John Morgan,M.D., examined this assertion they found it lacked substance. When today’s youth use marijuana, they are using the same drug used byyouth in the 1960s and 1970s. A small number of low-THC samples seized bythe Drug Enforcement Administration in the early 1970s are used to calculatea dramatic increase in potency. However, these samples were notrepresentative of the marijuana generally available to users during this era.Potency data from the early 1980s to the present are more reliable, and theyshow no increase in the average THC content of marijuana. Dr. Mahmoud ElSohly, Director of the Marijuana Project at the University ofMississippi-Oxford for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, was asked by theauthor about his assertion, quoted in antihemp literature, that 0.5 percent THCcould produce a high. Dr. ElSohly admitted that it might be difficult to distinguishfrom a placebo effect and would require a substantial amount of smoked material.He acknowledged that the CBD in industrial hemp confounds the psychoactiveeffect of the THC and called for more research in this area. When industrial hemp is grown legally and where federal authorities do not callit marijuana, people do not smoke it. Industrial hemp is a crop that no informedperson would smoke, and if the naive do, they do not remain naive. If they thinkthey got “high,” they are confusing the experience with anoxia or hyperventilation. Myth: Even though THC levels are low in hemp, the THC can be extracted andconcentrated to make a powerful drug. Reality: Extracting THC from industrial hemp would require such an expensive,hazardous, and time-consuming process that it is extremely unlikely anyone wouldever attempt it, rather than simply obtaining high-THC marijuana instead.Botanist and Cannabis expert Robert C. Clarke, writing for the InternationalHemp Association to Health Canada concerning Canada’s new regulations,addressed this issue as follows: “Although industrial hemp does contain traceamounts of THC, it is of no practical significance. There is also a minor percentage ofprecious gold dissolved in sea water, but it is no more economically feasible toextract than is THC from hemp.” If industrial hemp were “cooked down” to concentrate the extract, it would also,as noted by Dr. Paul Mahlberg, Professor of Biology at Indiana University-Bloomington, contain many products other than THC, including CBD, which wouldcounteract the effects of the THC. Dr. Mahlberg, is one of the U.S. scientists with permission to work withCannabis.. When asked by the Wisconsin Agribusiness Council about reports thatsomeone had used feral hemp, commonly called ditchweed, to make a concentratedhallucinogen, he responded: “As I understand it, the comment was that someonehad used ditchweed to prepare hallucinogenic material. The assumed conclusiondrawn by some people then being that industrial hemp could be used in this way.My response to this conclusion is that industrial hemp will not be attractive to drugusers. Industrial hemp, as grown in Europe, contains 0.3 percent or less THC, and isnot a source of marihuana; marihuana attractive to drug users contains 5 to 20percent THC, the higher percent being the desired material.” Dr. Mahlberg went on to point out that an extraction from industrial hemp usinga deceptive procedure found on the Internet will result in a sludge containing manynoxious elements and very little THC. Of course the preponderant cannabinoid inthis sludge will be CBD. The THC would have to be further refined from the CBD,an expensive and complicated undertaking for a paltry yield. Furthermore, Dr.Mahlberg explains, the chemicals required to attempt such an extraction arethemselves restricted. Any individuals attempting this would be conspicuous and adanger only to themselves. A number of untrue or undocumented statements have been made by the drugenforcement network regarding feral hemp and its relationship to drugs. Forexample, several state and local police officers have publicly testified that they knowof instances in which ditchweed has been made into high-potency drugs. Yet we canfind no documented case where this has occurred. A drug officer in one Wisconsin county wrote the following to the WisconsinAgribusiness Council to discourage them from supporting industrial hemp: “Dr.Guy Gabral (sic, actually Cabral), University of Virginia, has documented the use of“drug chaw,” a cancer-causing product made from 0.1 percent THC marijuana thatthrough chemical process becomes a product containing 40 percent THC.” When contacted about this quote, Dr. Cabral repudiated it. He explained that he wasdescribing an Afghani method of hashish production that employs potent Cannabisstrains and not something that could be done with industrial hemp. Myth: Hemp fields would be used to hide marijuana plants. Reality: Hemp is grown quite differently from marijuana. Moreover, it isharvested at a different time than marijuana. Finally, cross-pollination betweenhemp and marijuana plants would significantly reduce the potency of themarijuana plants. Hemp grown for fiber is planted in narrow row spacing (4 inches apart),branching is discouraged, and plants are not allowed to flower. The stems are keptsmall by the high density and foliage develops only on the top. Hemp plants crowdout weeds and other hemp plants not equal to the competition. Marijuana plants, on the contrary, are spaced widely to encourage branching, andthe flower is the harvested product. Marijuana is a horticultural crop planted inwide spacing to minimize stand competition and promote flower production. Itbranches thickly like a Christmas tree. In contrast, hemp selected for fiber has only afew branches.What about seed producers who space their plants widely? Where seed is theharvested product, whether as reproduction seed or oilseed, purity is critical tomarketability. The mixing of off-type genotypes would be scrupulously avoided inseed production fields. Breeders and producers of sweet corn go to great lengths to isolate their cropsfrom the pollen of field corn. The same applies to hemp and marijuana. People whogrow strains of Cannabis for smoking try to avoid pollination of the flowers. Thesuperior quality material is obtained from seedless plants, the so-called “sinsemilla.”Hemp fields, in fact, could be a deterrent to marijuana growers. A strong case canbe made that the best way to reduce the THC level of marijuana grown outdoorswould be to grow industrial hemp near it. An experiment in Russia found thathemp pollen could travel 12 kilometers. This would mean that a hemp field wouldcreate a zone with a 12-kilometer radius within which no marijuana grower wouldwant to establish a crop. The reciprocal also applies. Growers of hemp seed would not want Cannabis ofan “off type” (i.e., not the intended genetic type) mixing its pollen with their flowers.The isolation of genotypes is a common procedure used by the seed industry topreserve the genetic integrity of varieties. Valued strains are created by plantbreeding, at substantial expense. Marijuana pollen would destroy this value. There is another reason that marijuana growers would be unlikely to plant theircrop in a hemp field. All countries that have recently begun to recommercializehemp operate under a permit system whereby the farmer must let the local policeknow which field is being planted in hemp. Would a marijuana grower decide toplant his or her crop in an area high on the police radar screen and subject tomonitoring without notice? Ironically, another fiber crop, kenaf, grown in the South, resembles Cannabis inits leaf morphology so closely that it is often mistaken for marijuana. Growersreport frequent incidents of kids stealing kenaf that they have taken for marijuana.Since kenaf would not cross-pollinate with Cannabis, and has a longer growingseason, kenaf fields would actually be a better hiding place for marijuana thanwould hemp fields. Myth: Legalizing hemp while continuing the prohibition on marijuana wouldburden local police forces. Reality: The police in countries where hemp is grown as an agricultural crophave experienced no such burdens. The key to a regulated hemp industry is seed certification, a common practice inthe international seed industry. The burden for producing hemp varietiescompliant with the prescribed THC threshold falls on the seed producer andbreeding operation. As mentioned, THC content is genetically determined.Numerous low-THC varieties have been produced by European hemp breeders andthese are certified by the appropriate government agency that publishes theapproved list. (The protocol used in Europe to determine the average THC contentof a given variety is appended to this document.) Hawaii State Representative Cynthia Thielen reported from her investigativetrip to Europe that the police forces in these countries have observed no problemswith the agricultural production of industrial hemp.38In countries that have recently legalized industrial hemp, individual farmersand manufacturers are licensed and registered. Field locations are recorded withlocal authorities. Only when there is probable cause does law enforcement need toconcern itself with individual farmers. Canadian authorities have recently issued final regulations that will allow forthe first commercial hemp crop in that country in more than 50 years (A summaryis appended to this document. These regulations are a workable compromisebetween farmers who want to minimize paperwork and regulatory delays and policeauthorities who want to prevent the growing of marijuana. Health Canadaconcludes: “This recommended regulatory framework provides the criteria to assessthe suitability of an applicant to conduct a licensed activity.” In contrast, the current regulations in the United States require that all livehemp seed be stored in a locked safe, and that fields be surrounded with 10-foothigh,barbed-wire-topped fencing, illuminated 24 hours a day, and guarded.40 Andeven with these draconian regulations, no permit to grow hemp has been issued bythe DEA. Myth: Feral hemp must be eradicated because it can be sold as marijuana. Reality: Feral hemp, or ditchweed, is a remnant of the hemp once grown by U.S.farmers. A study of feral hemp in Kansas showed that it contains extremely lowlevels of THC, from 0.5 percent to as low as 0.05 percent and less.41 It has no drugvalue, but it does offer an important environmental benefit as a desirable nestinghabitat for birds. Yet 99 percent of the “marijuana” being eradicated by the federalgovernment—at great public expense—consists of this harmless ditchweed.We have no way of knowing whether feral hemp has been sold as marijuana.What we do know is that if this were done, it would be to fatten the profits of thedrug dealer, not to increase his supply of drugs. Feral hemp, like oregano, parsley,and kenaf, has been used to dilute marijuana and defraud drug customers. That isno reason to outlaw hemp nor to burn down oregano and parsley patches. We don’tmake sugar illegal because it is used to cut cocaine. That kids may try smoking hemp or ditchweed is to be expected. Many farmersremember smoking cornsilk when they were young. Moreover, young people haveseen the National Guard swooping down from helicopters to burn feral hemp. Theyhave then read that the plants burned were marijuana. One would expect that, basedon this misinformation, they would experiment with feral hemp. Where hemp is grown as a common agricultural crop, it is not bothered once theintroductory period is over and the inquisitive have learned their lesson.42 Wherehemp is legal and marijuana is illegal, hemp does not suffer from misidentificationor attempted misuse. This is true today in other countries, as it was once true in ourown nation. In Britain, the Drugs Branch reports that since hemp cultivation began in 1993,“there have been very few thefts of crop and diversion from licit sources has beeninsignificant.”43 According to Ian Low, founder of Hemcore, Ltd., and by far thelargest cultivator of hemp in the United Kingdom, Hemcore has had only oneincident of someone stealing hemp. That occurred in the company’s first year, and ithas not happened since. When hemp was legally grown in the United States, there were few if anyexamples of its being used for illicit purposes. In 1945, Matt Rens of the Rens HempCompany of Wisconsin told a Senate hearing, “In the 30 years we have operated andgrown large acreages we have never heard of one instance where there was an illicituse made of the leaves of this hemp plant. . . . We have never heard of anybodytrying to get into the field and take the leaves for illicit purposes.” Samuel H.McCrory, a senior United States Department of Agriculture official, told the Senatecommittee that he knew of no cases in which anyone had tried to divert industrialhemp leaves or flowers from federal or private hemp mills.The evidence shows that there are no good reasons for authorities to beeradicating ditchweed, while there are at least two good reasons for them not to doso. The ditchweed that these agencies are pulling up represents the only germplasmremaining from the hemp bred over decades in this country to achieve high yieldsand other important performance characteristics. This breeding was done by theUnited States Department of Agriculture in a program directed by Dr. Lyster Deweyfrom 1912 to 1933. These plants represent a unique and invaluable genetic resourcethat should be preserved.Another reason to reconsider our efforts to eradicate feral hemp is that, as JoelVance writes in Outdoor Life magazine, “Conservationists who are against the useof marijuana by people nevertheless find themselves in the weed’s corner becauseof its use by wildlife.”45 Hemp plays a role in supporting gamebird populations inMissouri and Nebraska. According to Dr. Bob Robinson, who experimented withhemp at the University of Minnesota in the 1960s, hemp was good for wildlifebecause its seed was held just above the snowline. The National Wildlife Federationhas determined that, of 28 native bird species studied from 1966-1995, half are indecline, including Henslow’s sparrow (down 93 percent), the bobolink (down 37percent), and the Eastern meadowlark (down 53 percent). Yet feral hemp, whichcontains the wildbird food seed of choice, a seed that is sold (imported and sterilized)in pet stores as high-priced parrot feed, is branded a drug plant and a noxious weed.One may wonder why, given the uselessness of feral hemp as a drug and itsimportant benefits, drug enforcement authorities are spending so much money toeradicate it. We hesitate to ascribe motives for this waste of taxpayer money, but it islikely that drug authorities continue to miseducate the public about the relationshipof ditchweed to drugs because of a natural bureaucratic desire to maintain their largeand growing eradication budgets. More than 90 percent of the plants eradicated inall 50 states is not marijuana but feral hemp. The following is the data for onerepresentative state, Wisconsin, and a summary from the DEA of the most recentnational data. As the data shows, hundreds of millions of dollars a year are spentpulling up a harmless, even beneficial plant with no drug potential. Myth: Those who want to legalize hemp are using it as a backdoor way to legalize marijuana. Reality: It is true that many of the first hemp stores were started by industrialhempadvocates who also favored legalizing marijuana. However, as the hempindustry has matured, it has come to be dominated by those who see hemp as theagricultural and industrial crop that it is, and who see it as a different issue thanmarijuana legalization. In any case, it makes no sense to oppose a very good ideasimply because some of those who propose it also support another policy withwhich one disagrees.Given that the federal authorities consistently call hemp marijuana, treat bothmaterials in the same way, and have outlawed both, an overlap between those whopromote the legalization of both is to be expected. But to outlaw an innocent plantbecause some people in favor of legalizing it are also in favor of legalizing anotherless innocent plant is unreasonable. The fact that there is an overlap between those who favor less stringent penaltiesfor possession of marijuana and those who want to legalize hemp is less ajustification for continuing to outlaw hemp than it is a justification for ending the60 year old policy of the federal government of confusing these functionally distinctplants. The debate about legalizing hemp has been distorted by the fact that, in thiscountry, hemp legalization is under the jurisdiction of the drug enforcementagencies. In other countries, jurisdiction falls to the health agencies, and agriculturalagencies have had a significant role in the movement to commercialize hemp. InCanada, for example, Health Canada gave the initial permission to raise hemp forresearch purposes and as soon as questions arose from farmers and the generalpublic about this crop, Canada’s agricultural department issued a substantivebulletin containing agronomic and economic data. Myth: Hemp oil is a source of THC. Reality: Washed hempseed contains no THC at all. The tiny amounts of THC inindustrial hemp is contained in the glands of the plant itself, and sometimes in themanufacturing process some of that sticks to the seed. The very high sensitivity ofdrug-testing urinalysis procedures has detected THC in some people who consumehemp oils.47 But this is no more a reason to outlaw hemp oil than is the fact thatpeople can test positive for opioids after eating bagels or poppyseed cake a reason tooutlaw these kinds of foods. Hemp oil is an increasingly popular product, used for a growing variety ofpurposes. To allow for its sale while respecting the potential problems of positivedrug test results, Canada recently issued drug regulations with a tolerance level of 10milligrams of THC per kilogram of hemp oil.48 While the hemp industry opposesthe imposition of tolerance limits, it is confident that it can consistently producehigh-quality hemp oil with THC levels below the Canadian maximum. Myth: Legalizing hemp would send the wrong message to children. Reality: It is the current refusal of the drug enforcement agencies to distinguishbetween an agricultural crop and a drug crop that is sending the wrong message tochildren. When young people realize that the government has been misinforming themabout the psychoactive potential of industrial hemp, they may assume that thegovernment is also misinforming them about the addictive potential of real drugs.When they discover that many of our Founding Fathers, such as GeorgeWashington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, grew or processed hemp,and that hemp was grown as part of a patriotic war effort during World War II, theywill begin to wonder what else they may not have been told about hemp. This couldhave the unfortunate effect of causing them to wonder if the government has alsobeen “crying wolf” about real drugs. By condemning teachers who try to educatetheir students about industrial hemp, as has occurred in several parts of the country,drug enforcement agencies are undermining their credibility with these youngsterswhen they try to teach them about the real dangers of crack cocaine. Myth: Hemp is not economically viable, and should therefore be outlawed. Reality:
The market for hemp products is growing rapidly. But even if it werenot,
when has a crop ever been outlawed simply because it was thought to
beunprofitable to raise? Retired General Barry McCaffrey of the White
House Office of National DrugControl Policy has said that one of the
reasons that he continues to support thecriminalization of hemp cultivation
is because hemp is not an economical crop. It isan odd argument. There
is no record in U.S. history of a crop being outlawedbecause it was
uneconomical. Moreover, General McCaffrey has made no indicationthat
he would allow hemp to be grown even if he were persuaded that it
coulddramatically boost farmers’ income. The USDA has aggressively
supported the introduction of many crops in the last 20 years that,
when initially supported, were marginally economical and had smallpotential
markets (e.g., jojoba, meadowfoam, kenaf). The Department rightly
arguedthat, with breeding and the introduction of more effective cultivation
and storagetechnologies, these crops could indeed be profitable for
farmers. Hemp is a multipurpose crop. New markets for its oils, protein,
long fibers, andinner hurds are constantly opening up. Hemp production
is increasing worldwide,as are hemp sales. Innovations in processing
and in cultivation promise to lowercosts and open up still more markets.
The production increase is most dramatic inEurope, where hemp, like
other crops such as rapeseed and flax, is subsidized. Hempcommercialization
has begun in Canada, where as many as 10,000 acres could beplanted
in 1998, even though our northern neighbors receive no governmentincentives
to grow the crop. Preliminary evidence also indicates that hemp may
be a very significant rotationcrop with an ability to reduce pests
and weed growth and to boost yields of theprimary crop. The North
American Industrial Hemp Council soon will publish an in-depthreport
on hemp’s economics and markets. Here we would only argue that
in a freeenterprise system, government should not and cannot make
the a priori decision tooutlaw a crop simply because it believes farmers
would lose money by growing it. Conclusion - Hemp is making a comeback
around the world. Whether it will be a miraclecrop, as some of its
enthusiasts claim, or simply another important addition toworld agriculture,
is yet unknown. Much research and development remains to bedone. Sadly,
the drug enforcement agencies, by disseminating false information,have
created a mythology about Cannabis sativa that ill serves the nation,
itsfarmers, and its industry. We are one of the few countries in the
world that continues to insist that weshould outlaw a crop simply
because one of its botanical cousins can be usedinappropriately. Thomas
Jefferson, who experimented with different hemp varietiesand invented
a brake for separating out the fiber from hemp, once wrote that thegreatest
contribution a person could make to his country would be to introduce
anew crop. If Jefferson could see the roadblocks amassed against hemp
today, how would he judge us? We may be at the most technologically advanced society to date, but we’re primitive compared to even the Founding Fathers when it comes to the use of hemp products. Thomas
Jefferson and George Washington not only grew hemp on their plantations,
they praised the plant for its cultivation capabilities, strength
and wide range of uses. At 420 Hemp and Energy Drinks, we want to
turn back time to the days where hemp was used in practically everything,
and look to the future where there will be a stronger, cleaner, and
healthier society. It’s time for a changing of the guard. Gone will be the days of destructive cotton production, gone will be the days of excessive pollution, gone will be the days of unhealthy, unsatisfying energy drinks. It’s time to replenish, it’s time to rejuvenate, and it’s time to ignite the world with 420 fusion. The health that hemp brings to the Earth and numerous aspects of the body is the future. 420 Hemp and Energy Drinks wish to make the future better than any time in history. 420 is the future, but it’s always 420 somewhere. There’s no better time, there’s no better place. The time for 420 is now. Anytime, anywhere •BACK
TO TOP• World History of Hemp
* Hemp is one of the oldest plants used by mankind. It has been cultivated
for thousands of years and hemp seeds have been found in archaeological
excavations over much of the world. American Hemp
* America's first hemp law was enacted in 1619 at Jamestown Colony,
Virginia ordering all farmers to grow Indian hemp seed. Hemp Fiber Hemp is the longest and strongest natural plant fiber. Hemp paper is stronger and has greater folding endurance than wood pulp paper. Hemp fiber is stronger wet than when dry.uu Hemp cloth is extremely hard wearing. It outwears cotton and other natural fibers. Hemp
fabric improves with washing and wearing. Over time it becomes softer
without losing its shape or appearance. The
Seed and Oil Cannabis hemp seeds contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids, which are vital to the immune system necessary to maintain a healthy life. Hemp seeds contain up to 24% protein. A handful of seed provides the minimum daily requirement of protein for adults. Hemp
seed oil is easily absorbed into our skin, and helps clear up Psoriasis,
Eczema and Dermatitis. The Marijuana Issue! Your
browser may not support display of this image.Both industrial hemp
and marijuana have the same technical name of Cannabis Sativa, yet
they are essentially different varieties of the same plant. Some Environmental Issues Hemp
can be grown in most climates and is tolerant of a wide range of conditions
including a high degree of salinity in the soil. Samuel
Johnson: There is no running from our tasks at hand to sustain a green and eco friendly planet for our children. Dream Green Nothing is as real as a dream. The world can change around us, but our dream will not. Because the dream is with in all of us, no one can take it away….We all dream green Dream Green 07’ Don't
blow it - good planets are hard to find. ~Quoted in Time I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend? ~Robert Redford, Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing." — Thomas Jefferson Hemp farmer and President The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river. ~Ross Perot It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment. ~Ansel Adams "Environmentally
friendly cars will soon cease to be an option...they "The American people have a right to air that they and their children can breathe without fear." — Lyndon Baines Johnson "For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." -Generatiom Hemp "Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marihuana in private and personal use...President immy Carter "Make
the most of the Indian hemp seed, Depending on which U.S. agricultural report is correct, an acre of full grown hemp plants can sustainably provide from four to 50 or even 100 times the cellulose found in cornstalks, kenaf or sugar cane - the planet's next highest annual cellulose plants" Jack herer Hemp is an attractive crop for a sustainable agricultural system, as it has moderate fertilizer requirements, needs little or no pesticides and suppresses weeds and some major soil-borne pathogens. Cannabis is certainly a valuable crop plant, and its future success will depend in part on the responsible dissemination of accurate information concerning its benefits.
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