ISSUE: HempThe ban on industrial hemp
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| Hemp is the name of a Cannabis variety whose seeds and
fibers are used for a variety of industrial purposes.
Hemp contains less than one percent THC, the primary intoxicating element of Cannabis. Because of higher THC concentrations in hemp's cousin, marijuana, the United States has regulated hemp as a controlled substance. For a full review of hemp's promise, click on these
links> The Question of Hemp |
For Mother Earth Beads~HEMP~Gems The Question of Hemp |
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Farmers across America are taking another look at hemp farming. Outlawed in the '30s in a broad swipe at drug use, hemp has unfairly suffered from the bad reputation of its cousin marijuana. Now, as corn, wheat, and soybean profits continue to hold many farmers at the poverty line and as tobacco farmers face decreasing demand for their crop, many farmers are seeking new options. They see that foreign nations and even Canada grow hemp with profits from $220 to $600 per acre. As American farmers have begun work for the right to grow hemp. the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has lobbied furiously against hemp farming. DEA agents have spoken before various state legislatures where hemp initiatives have begun. In spite of these protests, the states of North Dakota, Hawaii, Minnesota, and Maryland have so far passed laws permitting hemp farming. Several other states such as Illinois, New Mexico and Kentucky are close behind. While the DEA points out that hemp is a variation of the Cannabis sativa plant and therefore first cousin to marijuana, hemp activists argue that hemp contains such small amounts (1% or less) of psychoactive ingredients (cannabinoids) that a person smoking even large amounts cannot become intoxicated. The U. S. Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey and the DEA complain that hemp farming would create significant complications in law enforcement's efforts to identify and eradicate marijuana crops. However, the fact is that anyone trying to produce marketable marijuana would never plant marijuana near a hemp field, since cross pollination with hemp would significantly reduce marijuana's psychoactive ingredients. Former CIA Director James Woolsey, representing the North American Industrial Hemp Council, recently stated, "If you want to get rid of marijuana, there's nothing better to do than plant a lot of industrial hemp." Hemp and marijuana have significantly different growth configurations. The densely sown stalks of hemp shoot straight and tall, yielding maximum fiber and seeds. But marijuana potency depends on small stalks and heavy budding tips which are kept from seeding. Increasing public interest in hemp goes far beyond farmers anxious for more profitable crops. Hemp farming is low impact and poses no environmental threat. Hemp fiber is versatile, durable, and cheap to produce. Hemp seeds serve as an important animal food source and hemp seed oil offers significant health and nutrition benefits for humans. Hemp products are 100% biodegradable. And hemp is a renewable resource, producing two crops per year in the South. Arkansas farmers deserve a chance to get in on the ground floor of hemp farming. Hemp production, processing, and manufacturing offer a remarkable economic opportunity for the State of Arkansas. Since at least 8000 BC in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, the Cannabis sativa L. plant has been exploited for human benefit. Hemp is a particular variety of Cannabis, and has served as an important resource in the production of durable goods. The ancient Chinese credited the Emperor Shen Nung for introducing the Cannabis plant they called ma in the 28th century BC. The wild Cannabis ancestor is believed to have grown somewhere in a general area between western China and the eastern Caucasus, north of the Hindu Kush. This ancestral species is not found today. Cannabis grows just about anywhere, even in poor soils, without much need for fertilizer. Insect pests mostly leave it alone. Its roots push deep into subsoil, bringing up important nutrients and moisture even in dry seasons. Its six- to eight-foot-tall main stalk sends off multiple side branches, all of which contain long, strong fibers. At the end of the growing season, each branching tip contains hundreds of seeds. Before cotton, hemp and flax were the principal crops used for fabric in temperate cultures. In antebellum America, hemp homespun called "Kentucky jeans" was commonly used to clothe the slave population. But hemp's major use was as a cordage fiber. Its natural resistance to rot and salt damage made it especially ideal for maritime uses. So critical was hemp to naval powers that laws were passed in England and in the American colonies requiring farmers to allot a portion of their acreage to the production of hemp. For a time following the War of Independence, farmers could pay their taxes in hemp. George Washington admonished: "Sow it everywhere." Hemp's excellence as a paper-making fiber was discovered by the ancient Chinese. Both the U. S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were drafted on hemp paper, then copied onto parchment. Paper made of hemp lasts many times longer than if made of wood and is considered a specialty paper (archival paper, parchment, cigarette papers) with high strength even if wet (coffee filters, tea bags). In ancient times, people added handfuls of hemp fiber to their clay to strengthen bricks for building. At least one medieval French bridge made of hemp cement still stands. Hemp seed, 30% oil by volume, has been used throughout history for animal feed and to produce oil. Hemp seed oil has been an important source of lamp oil, cooking fuel, and human food. Modern proponents of hemp expect to revive long lost usages of hemp in addition to exploring many possible and as yet undiscovered applications of this versatile plant's inherent properties. Before prohibited for its kinship with marijuana in 1937, hemp was a thriving part of the American agriculture community. As with any crop, optimum hemp production requires good fertile soil. However, it may be successfully cultivated even in marginal soils in harsh conditions. Its strong roots control erosion. Hemp's rapid growth suppresses weeds such as thistle and Johnson grass and its resistance to insects and fungal diseases eliminates the need for pesticides. A 120-day maturity cycle means that in many parts of the country, farmers could harvest two or more yearly crops. Industrial hemp produces three main raw materials: bast fiber, hurds, and seeds. The stalk of the plant is called "straw," and is separated (decorticated) into two components -- the long strands from the outer stalk is the fiber and the inner part is the hurd. Farmers market certified hemp seed for planting and/or seed (grain) for hemp oil and meal. Highly absorbent hemp hurd is ideal for animal bedding. Switching to hemp production would not require that farmers invest in expensive new equipment. Hemp serves as a low-maintenance, high volume rotation crop. And when other crops are rotated on acreage that has grown industrial hemp in the previous year, crop yield for the next crop can increase by 10 to 20%. A recent Wall Street Journal article reported that the demand for industrial hemp worldwide would increase from $75 million in 1997 to $250 million in 1999. In 1998, the total amount of industrial hemp imported to the United States was over 546 tons. While history has shown wide application for all parts of hemp, modern technology promises an even greater utilization of this natural cornucopia. The fledgling U. S. hemp industry has begun to attract significant investment interest. Responding to pressure from farmers, legislators in North Dakota, Minnesota, Hawaii, and Maryland have recently passed laws encouraging the cultivation of industrial hemp. Virginia and Montana have petitioned the federal government to end the ban. State legislation authorizing study of hemp has passed or is pending in New Mexico, New Hampshire, Montana, Vermont, Iowa, Maryland, Wisconsin, California, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Oregon, and Arkansas. The board of the North American Industrial Hemp Council (NAIHC) includes leaders from agriculture, manufacturing, ag research, conservation, and politics. NAIHC receives support from a wide assortment of interests, including the Wallace Genetic Foundation, which sees hemp as a vital component of sustainable farming. When delegates for the American Farm Bureau met in January 1999 for their annual convention at Albuquerque, New Mexico, they dropped their opposition to hemp farming because "farmers are in need of alternative crops." In July 1998, the University of Kentucky released a study entitled the "Economic Impact of Industrial Hemp in Kentucky." The following excerpts come from the study's conclusion. "The primary finding regarding economic feasibility was that industrial hemp appears to be a potentially profitable crop for farmers as well as a profitable input into a number of high value added products in the United States. Industrial hemp appears to be useful for higher value products in industries ranging from health supplements, nutraceuticals, food products, animal feed, and animal bedding to paper, carpets, and automobile parts. "Products made with industrial hemp were expected to capture a share of the higher end of markets where consumers were willing to pay a higher price in order to receive a higher quality product, a product for some specialized use, or out of environmental concern. ... Given current technologies and uses for industrial hemp, sales of hemp products in these industries were estimated to support the cultivation of up to 82,000 acres of industrial hemp [in Kentucky]. "It is estimated that Kentucky could grow certified seed to supply up to 41,000 acres of industrial hemp planted for straw alone ... This production would have an economic impact of 69 full time jobs and $1,300,000 in worker earnings. "Kentucky may also be able to capture one or several decorticating facilities and the attendant hemp acreage. .. If one decortication plant and one industrial hemp paper pulp plant were to locate in Kentucky, cultivation would rise to 27,600 acres ... [with] an economic impact of 771 jobs and $17,600,000 in worker earnings. "Finally, it should be pointed out that the current role for industrial hemp in high value or specialty markets does not preclude its future use in bulk markets. ... Research is now underway on how to use industrial hemp in bulk plastics and cattle feed markets, to name some key areas." The North American Industrial Hemp Council has developed a broad base of support in American agriculture. Bud Sholts, the current NAIHC chair, states. "Many large Fortune 500 companies have told us privately of their interest, but they fear getting involved in the "marijuana" issue.... I am confident that tens of millions of dollars will be spent on hemp research and product development and marketing -- just as soon as it is relegalized in the U.S." For more information, the full University of Kentucky study is available on-line at www.hemptrade.com/hemptrade/menu.htm A wealth of other research is also available at this site. To contact NAIHC, go to http://naihc.org Forestry Issues: Paper and paper products are currently made primarily of wood (93%), causing wholesale slaughter of forests worldwide. In 1988 alone, 226 million tons of wood were pulped for paper. Not only is pulp wood forestry devastating to tourism, wildlife habitat, and natural ecosystems, but it also creates mono-forests of pine -- susceptible to epidemics of pests such as the gypsy moth -- where healthy hardwood and mixed vegetation forests once thrived. U. S. Department of Agriculture studies show that hemp crops would yield more than four times as much pulp per acre as timber. Hemp can substitute for other timber uses besides paper, such as fabricated construction materials. Since 1935, technology has been available to produce particle board from hemp stalk chips and natural glues, heated for tensile strength. Improvements on this method have led to products such as Envirocor® paneling and boards, strong enough to be used for primary load-bearing at only 40% the weight of wood. These products are immune to termites and produce no toxic fumes. French construction entrepreneurs have rediscovered hemp cement, which they call "Isochanvre." Used as a finished surface, both interior and exterior, and impervious to rodents and insects, Isochanvre provides thermal and sonic insulation, is fire retardent, weighs one-seventh of concrete, and costs about the same as traditional materials. Water and Soil Quality Issues: Hemp crops are a low-impact, sustainable resource. Few if any pesticides or fertilizers are needed. Hemp improves soil because its roots dig deep into hard pan and subsoil to bring up trace nutrients and prevent erosion. Hemp will grow even on marginal lands, and its natural habit of shedding leaves throughout the growing season reduces soil moisture evaporation and provides a layer of rich organic matter. Processing hemp for paper uses significantly fewer chemicals and acids than does wood pulp. Since it requires less bleach, hemp also reduces dioxin pollution. German firms have introduced a 100% hemp oil-based laundry detergent with environmentally-friendly production and high biodegradability. It can be made into an industrial cleaner that removes oil and tar from textiles. Highly contaminated soils have been targeted by a new technology called phytoremediation, wherein plants are grown in contaminated places to break down or degrade organic pollutants and stabilize metal contaminants by acting as filters or traps. Phytoremediation can be used to remove radioactive elements from soil and water, as well as to clean up metals, pesticides, solvents, explosives, crude oil, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and toxins leaching from landfills. A Russian research scientist working with phytoremediation field tests recently stated: "Hemp is proving to be one of the best phyto-remediative plants we have been able to find." Solid Waste Issues: The following consumer products would be 100% recyclable and biodegradable if manufactured from hemp fibers:
Air Quality Issues: Hemp oil and hemp biomass could serve as a domestic source of renewable, low-pollution fuel. Seed oil can be combined with 15% methanol to create a substitute for diesel fuel which burns 70% cleaner than petroleum diesel. Hemp cellulose can be polymerized to make any type of plastic product. Manufacturing processes using hemp would produce significantly less pollutants than processes involving petrochemicals. Seed oil can produce an industrial cleaner that removes oil and tar from textiles, and makes a better printing ink than soybeans. Paints and varnishes made with hemp oil produce no volatile organic compounds. "Why use the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the fields?" Henry Ford, on the use of hemp celluloid in automobile production. Food: Hemp seed, 30% oil by volume, can be used for fuel or cooking oil. Its quality is as good as whale oil and jojoba. The seed is about as nutritious as soya, but is more digestible, gives higher yields, and is easier to harvest. It is a complete source of vegetable protein, in the particularly human-friendly form of albumin and edestin. Already on the shelf is a tasty assortment of snacks, salad oils, non-dairy cheese, milk, ice cream, and butter, hemp-pesto salad dressing, hemp hot sauce, pretzels ("hempzels"), hemp soda, and hemp beer. Nutraceuticals: Food products made of hemp seed are high in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and Vitamin A. Major U. S. corporations are gearing up for what they believe will be a "booming" business in hemp products, including hemp oil (higher in anti-oxidents than Vitamin C or E), high-nutrient foods, and supplements. Personal Hygiene: Hemp oil's high "essential fatty acids" content makes it ideal for cosmetics, lip balm, shampoo and conditioner, lotions, oils, and soaps. Absorbents: Cat litter, barn bedding, oil cleanups. Very absorbent, fast to compost. Textiles: Clothing, diapers, hats, bags, belts, wallets, backpacks, upholstery fabric, carpeting, shoes . Hemp is washable, strong, durable, breathable, holds its shape, is fire resistant, won't mildew or mold, and will accept various dyeing methods. A "natural" fiber. Paper products: "Tree-free" paper, stationary, bags, filters, fiberboard, matting. Strong, long-lasting. Construction Materials: Paint, paneling, composite board, concrete, brick. Biodegradable, non-toxic. Plastic: Natural hemp cellulose can serve as a petroleum replacement and can produce a biodegradable plastic. Already used to manufacture biodegradable plastic eating utensils, shopping bags, and other consumer items. Law enforcement agencies such as the U. S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
complain that hemp farming will significantly compromise helicopter
surveillance efforts to eradicate marijuana cultivation. "As far as
our laws are concerned, hemp, marijuana, whatever you want to call it,
it's the same plant. An illegal drug under a different name is still an
illegal drug." Tim McCormick, head of the Minneapolis DEA In the Clinton Administration, U.S. Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey, took an aggressive approach to hemp. Speaking before a June 16, 1999, hearing of the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources: "Growing numbers of farmers, rightfully or wrongfully, believe that hemp may offer a new crop that can help the farm economy. However, there are those who want to use de-regulation of hemp to erode America's disapproval of drugs. Still others with criminal intent see hemp as providing a new way to conceal the production of marijuana plants. "If we allow farmers to test the viability of this crop in the marketplace, we must not do so in a manner that allows the normalization of marijuana. Products that market their hemp content with marijuana leaves do so only to sell their product's relationship to marijuana. ...The hype built around these marijuana-related products serves only to glamorize the counter-culture appeal of a drug that has serious consequences for our young people who use it. "We cannot allow our policies toward hemp to directly or indirectly increase the use of marijuana among our young." States which have approved or are considering approval of hemp farming include regulations requiring licensing of hemp crops, with additional provisions for crop inspection. Hemp farming advocates argue that prohibition of hemp has not prevented young people from having easy access to marijuana. Recent surveys show that in 1975, 87% of high school seniors said it was "very easy" or "fairly easy" to obtain marijuana, and in 1995, the number was 89.6%. (Source: NIDA, 1997) Furthermore, there is evidence the significant drug war resources are routinely wasted on mistaken eradication of wild hemp. From the March 15, 1999, issue of U. S. News Online: "[T]he U. S. government continues to spend money uprooting hemp. According to DEA figures, 98 percent of the $7.3 million the government spent on marijuana eradication programs last year went to kill ditchweed, a type of industrial hemp that grows wild." In late November 2000, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) set in motion plans to bar hemp-based foods and other hemp products that can enter the human body, such as lotions and creams. On November 30th, it quietly published a notice of the proposed "Interim Rule" in an obscure federal publication called the Unified Agenda. The proposed rule change has three parts: First, the DEA proposes to change its interpretation of existing law to bring hemp products within the purview of the Controlled Substances Act; second, it would change DEA regulations to agree with the new interpretation; and third, it would establish an "interim rule" exempting traditional hemp products that are not designed for human consumption, such as paper and clothing, from being subject to the Controlled Substances Act. In the DEA's own words, "... [I]n order to protect the public health and safety, the interim rule will not allow 'hemp' products that result in THC entering the human body. In this manner, it will remain clear that the only lawful way THC may enter the human body is when a person is using a federally approved drug or when the person is the subject of federally approved research." An interim rule becomes law once it is published in the Federal Register, which can be done without public comment. The DEA and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the drug czar's office, have reflexively battled the hemp industry throughout the Clinton administration. To justify barring hemp products for human consumption, they have claimed that consuming the products will "confound" drug testing for marijuana. Hemp industry members disagree vociferously, and have the science to back their position. Research results from the Research Triangle Institute, research commissioned by the government of Manitoba and Canadian hemp industries, and a study done by Leson Environmental Consulting in California agree that even heavy consumption of hemp seed foods rarely tip the drug test scales. The belief that the "hemp defense" can help one get out of a dirty drug test has apparently taken hold among enough half-baked pot-smokers to take on the form of an urban myth, one whose consequences are haunting the hemp industry. Industry and activist list-serves have featured calls for a letter-writing campaign urging Congress members to throw a wrench in the DEA's plans by demanding that the rule change be treated as a "major rule" and thus subject to public comment. In January 2001, lawyers representing industry members met in Washington, DC, to set in motion the campaign to halt the interim rule. "The Department of Justice has already signed off on this," said Mr. Bronner of Bronner's Magic Soaps, which contain hemp seed oil, "but Customs, Treasury, Commerce, and the Office of Management and Budget all have to sign off, too, so those are all points of attack. Hemp advocates are at something of a loss to explain DEA's vindictive attitude, especially given its lack of any scientific basis. "They're not even trying to fend off those 'hemp defense' claims," said an exasperated Bronner. "That's because they're looking for any excuse to ban hemp as part of the culture war." ACTION ALERT: Proposed regulations would place hemp seed and its products in Schedule I, the most restricted of all drug categories. The reasoning for this is absurd. As revealed in the following letter from the Drug Enforcement Agency, the fractional amounts of THC in hemp seeds are the excuse. "DEA has been consulting with the Department of Justice, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and other federal agencies, in an effort to determine how to balance the protection of the health and safety of the general public with the needs of private industry. Taking such considerations into account, DEA has drafted proposed regulations that will specify which cannabis-derived products are subject to control under the CSA (Controlled Substances Act). The drafted regulations focus on whether the particular cannabis-derived "hemp" product causes THC to enter the human body. If so, the product will remain a Schedule I controlled substances subject to control under the CSA. If, however, use of the product (such as paper or clothing) does not cause THC to enter the human body, the product will be exempted from control and thereby not subject to any of the CSA regulatory provisions that apply to controlled substances. "In accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, DEA must publish notice of any proposed regulations in the Federal Register and provide members of the public with the opportunity to submit comments. If such publication occurs, it will specify the time and manner for the public to submit comments. We advise hemp supporters to contact their elected federal legislators regarding this proposed regulation and to also write the DEA. The letter cited above came from Toni P. Teresi, Chief, Office of Congressional Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration, U. S. Department of Justice, Washington DC 20537. Please read previous materials on hemp for
more information. LinksTo lend your voice to the protest, go to www.votehemp.org University of Kentucky study on hemp www.hemptrade.com/hemptrade/menu.htm North American Industrial Hemp Council http://naihc.org Hemp Industries Association http://thehia.org Global Hemp News www.globalhemp.com Hemp US Flag "Free For All Directory" http://www.hempusflag.com/links.html |
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