Pubdate: Mon, 31 Jan 2011
Source: Gauntlet, The (CN AB Edu)
Contact:  2011 Gauntlet Publications Society.
Website: http://thegauntlet.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2652
Author: Adam Worobec
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?330 (Hemp - Outside U.S.)

THE CASE FOR HEMP: GOOD TO WEAR, BAD TO SMOKE

In late 2009, hemp advocates were hoping to piggyback the California 
vote to legalize marijuana. The proposition would have allowed the 
cultivation of all cannabis, including both marijuana and hemp, but 
it failed to pass. Despite hemp's amazing potential, marijuana's bad 
rap is holding hemp back.

First let's get our facts straight. The words hemp and marijuana are 
often used interchangeably when they actually refer to different 
things. Trying to get high smoking hemp would be like to trying to 
get drunk drinking non-alcoholic beer. Hemp is the ultra low-THC 
(tetrahydracannabinol, the cannabinoid that gets you high) cousin of 
marijuana. Technically, 'hemp' refers to about 60 varieties of 
cannabis that contain less than 0.3 per cent THC, whereas marijuana 
can have as much as 24 per cent THC. Smoking something made of hemp 
would certainly not get you high, only a headache.

The truth is that hemp products are often superior to their 
alternatives. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both cultivated 
hemp and believed it superior to linen and tobacco. Hemp seed is an 
amazing food source that is high in protein. Cold pressed hemp seed 
oil has lots of omega-3, 6 and 9 fatty acids, lots of vitamin E and 
is low in saturated fat. It's nutritious, delicious and good for your 
skin. Agriculturally, it is an environmentally friendly crop that 
grows fast and requires no herbicides or pesticides. The outside of 
the stem makes cloth four times stronger than cotton, is more 
absorbent and dries faster. Gone are the days of rough coarse cloth-- 
new processing techniques make silky soft hemp cloth. The woody core 
of the stem is high in cellulose and makes strong, white paper which 
can be recycled more times. It makes absorbent animal bedding or can 
be mixed with lime and water which petrifies to make strong, green, 
lightweight concrete alternatives.

Many still mistakenly fear that hemp fields could be used to hide 
marijuana crops, but this is unfounded. Hemp and marijuana are 
harvested at different times and in different manners. In every hemp 
crop there are male and female plants. But the stuff people smoke is 
called 'sensimilla:' unfertilized female cannabis flowers. Female 
marijuana plants grown near hemp would become fertilized and thus 
have significantly lower potency and little value.

Way back in 1998 the Canadian government recognized hemp's value and 
legalized its agricultural production. In 1998, Canada grew 5,857 
acres of hemp for industrial use. In 1999, the total increased 
six-fold to nearly 34,657 acres. Consolidated Growers and Processors 
Inc. out of California had agreed to buy most of Manitoba's crop, 
which was largely responsible for the drastic increase in production. 
Then they filed for bankruptcy, leaving Canadian hemp growers without 
a buyer for their crops.

There were a few small Canadian companies that tried to fill the 
void, but today we really only have one small fibre processing 
facility, Stemergy Inc, in Ontario. Farmers in western Canada can 
sell their hemp seed to a variety of hemp oil processors, but the 
valuable bales of stalks and stems are burnt or left to rot. Experts 
agree that the major hurdle for a successful hemp industry is 
technological in nature. We just don't have the infrastructure. It's 
sad that 12 years after it was legalized here, we still are not 
processing this important fibre.

Because of cannabis prohibition in North America, China has surged 
ahead in the hemp industry, making it more difficult for Canada to 
enter the market. China grows and processes more hemp than any other 
country. Hemp has never been illegal there. Chinese farmers are given 
hemp seed for free by the government, who are actively promoting and 
pushing the industry. Why isn't Canada? Most likely due to the stigma 
that cannabis still carries. Because of prohibition, our subconscious 
feelings and emotions toward cannabis have been so ingrained that we 
are unable to look at hemp objectively.

In September 2008, it was announced that Parkland Industrial Hemp 
Growers and Parkland BioFibre out of Manitoba received $6 million in 
grants and loans for a $24 million dollar plant. They plan on 
exporting the processed raw material to China. Unfortunately, they 
are still looking for the remianing funding needed to complete the 
project. Two and a half years later, construction has yet to begin. 
Others have been searching for an in-field solution, which would 
allow farmers to do some initial processing of the raw materials themselves.

Things are slowly changing. You can help. Educate yourself. Buy a 
hemp t-shirt. Hemp is not just for hippies, it's for the pragmatic.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom