Saturday, December 22, 2012

News on hemp in Kentucky

There has been discussion in Kentucky lately about growing industrial hemp, and whilst this is historically a hemp growing state, and one that badly needs the industry, there are those who oppose the notion. The Kentucky State Police recently decided to go against the economic and historic interests of the state with the usual unscientific argument that hemp and marijuana are indistinguishable. Charles Walker, of Henderson, writing on 12 December - rebuts that in Evansville Courier and Press, stating:

"The recent front page article on industrial hemp quoted the KSP commissioner regarding the inability to distinguish cannabis sativa grown as hemp and that cultivated for flower harvest.

There are plenty of pictures from the "Hemp for Victory" campaign of World War II that depict hemp fields. Hemp cannabis is sown densely. Hemp cannabis grows tall with little branching. Hemp cannabis sown for seed production is sown less densely than that grown for fiber, but still much more densely than that cultivated for flowers.
Any flower cannabis cultivated near other varieties will be pollinated, which is counterproductive for that crop. Hemp cannabis is easily distinguished (whether grown for fiber or seed) from cannabis grown for a medicinal or recreational use crop.
Hemp cannabis contains a very low level of the psychoactive compound THC but a high level of the non-psychoactive cannabidiol. Hemp helped build this country. Cannabis helped cloth the working class. Hemp seed oil is more nutritious than any other seed oil.
Cannabidiol (CBD) has been shown to have medicinal properties. The Department of Health and Human Services holds a patent on the cannabinoids found in cannabis (including THC) for medicinal properties, including anti-tumor effects. Cannabinoids kill cancer cells.
Claiming industrial hemp cultivation will provide an opportunity for people to cultivate "marijuana" is either ignorance or deliberate obfuscation. The commissioner says cannabis is a gateway drug. The No. 1 gateway drug in this country is alcohol. That is fact.
The overwhelming majority of cannabis users do not go on to use other drugs. The opposite is true. Cannabis helps people break alcohol and opiate addiction.
Cannabis prohibition is a failure because cannabis is not a dangerous drug. Rather, it is as Judge Francis Young stated, " ... the most beneficial plant known to mankind. ..." Prohibition protects corporate profit, not people. "

Walker is right, and is supported by fellow Kentuckian Woody Harrelson, who planted hemp seeds there only to be arrested. The blue grass state is presently in the midst of a terrible recession and is ruled by the tobacco industry, which forces farmers to grow tobacco at a loss - if hemp was available to them they could get out from under this monopoly. Please support the citizens of this state in their struggle to be free and prosperous by writing to the police and legislature and demanding that hemp be made legal. Presently we are fomatting a petition for this to be the case in all 50 states, for which we hope to get 25,000 signatures and then send to the White House. We encourage the same actoin on the state level in the US and anywhere else in the world where industrial hemp is still illegal to cultivate.







2 comments:

Carlos said...

The Chinese are laughing at America, they grow lots of hemp and have no problem identifying it as such.
Same with the British, Canadians, Germans, Spanish, Romanians, etc.
The first American flag was made of it, possible from hemp grow in Kentucky.

GOPbuster said...

The Chinese are laughing all the way to the bank, but do not hate them for it, they know a good thing when they have it and keep it.