Be warriors for your own freedom.

One thing all cannabis consumers hate is Prohibition. There is no more common ground than that. No matter what your personal interest or personal beliefs may be, the end game still remains the same. Nobody, Not Even the Pope himself can condemn or prohibit something so natural as the cannabis hemp plant. Did god not create this amazing plant ? What is the words of god on the Subject of the Cannabis Hemp plant ? well here are some biblical mentions and what some say refer specifically to the Cannabis Hemp plant in the holy bible.

(Genesis 1:29-31)– “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth.…To you it will be for meat.” … And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. The Bible even speaks of the prohibition of such plants and Herbs. (Paul: 1 Timothy 4:1-3)– “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall … speak lies in hypocrisy … commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. The Bible also speaks of a special plant. (Ezekiel 34:29)–”I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.” The Bible also mentions a Healing plant. (Revelations 22:1-2)–A healing plant. On either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare 12 manner of fruits, and yielding her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Now i am in no way a religious person. but if you are and you don’t like Cannabis, Even your god would slap you and say “what the hell is wrong with you” ? Now if you are a religious person, which is totally cool with me by the way if you are. I believe the same right you have to believe in it, is the same right i have not to believe in it. and i do not judge a person by their beliefs, I judge them by their actions. Now if there was such a plant that the bible speaks about, and it in fact can do so much for mankind, and that god was so very proud of. why would any government, world leaders or hell even dictators prohibit such an amazing contribution to the world and there people. But yet that is the current status here in America and many other country’s worldwide for the cannabis plant. So if you’re not quite convinced on how or why the world needs the cannabis plant on a global scale now more then ever in human history. I am here to do my damnedest to convince you other wise.

So Here are some reasons why ending cannabis prohibition makes sense scientifically,socially, industrially, economically and i think we pretty much covered religiously. Now i want you take a seat before we dive into these topics. Now the reason i say that is. What I am about to tell you is going to blow your mind, anything and everything you have ever been told about cannabis or its slang term marijuana is a Lie. Yep ! Unless you happened to be someone educated to historical and modern uses of the cannabis plant by personal interests or for whatever reason. You would simply never know most of what you will find just here in this post, Let alone the fact that most of this is historically documented and can be researched and proven with factual evidence.

Here is some Basic information on the cannabis plant:

Botanically, Cannabis hemp is a member of the most advanced plant family on Earth. It is a dioecious (having male, female and sometimes hermaphroditic, male and female on same plant), woody, herbaceous annual that uses the sun more efficiently than virtually any other plant on our planet, reaching a robust 12 to 20 feet or more in one short growing season. It can be grown in virtually any climate or soil condition on Earth, even marginal ones.

Today we also know cannabis hempseed is the plant kingdom’s richest source of life-giving essential fatty acids. Of the 3-million plus edible plants that grow on Earth, no other single plant source can compare with the nutritional value of cannabis hempseeds. Even more important for building a strong immune system, cannabis hempseeds are the highest source in the plant kingdom of essential fatty acids. These essential oils, linoleic and linolenic acids, are responsible for the luster in your skin, hair, eyes, and even your thought processes. They lubricate (clear) the arteries and are vital to the immune system.

FOOD: So that just that little bit of basic information we just covered would suggest that just eating the cannabis plant would do wonders for the health and well-being of those who consume it as just a food. Not only that but this food source can virtually be grown anywhere on this planet and in any soil or climate. I know right ? its pretty mind-blowing that the most nutritional food source on this planet is hardly ever talked about and is prohibited to be grown here in America and most parts of the world. well let me continue to blow your mind.

So here is where the industrial uses of this plant tie together with economic stability and a lot of social issue we face today. The Cannabis Hemp plant is this planets number one source for Fuel, Fiber, Paper, Food and Medicine.

FUEL: America has been trying to lower its dependency on foreign oil, But yet we don’t utilize the planets number one renewable and natural source for fuel. On a global scale, the plant that produces the most net biomass is cannabis hemp. It’s the only annually renewable plant on Earth able to replace all fossil fuels. Biomass energy systems can supply a sustainable source of fuel and will create millions of new clean jobs. Hemp biomass derived fuels and oils can replace every type of fossil fuel energy product.so lets say for instance we have a huge spill of fuel or oil. This is no longer a planet altering event. The oils and fuels are as natural as the source in which they were derived. it’s a complete renewable cycle and source for fuel dependency, yet nobody speaks of it. Why ? Big business, corporate greed and special interests in washington share most of the blame.

FIBER: Cannabis hemp is, overall, the strongest, most-durable, longest-lasting natural soft-fiber on the planet. Homespun cloth was almost always spun, by people all over the world, from fibers grown in the “family hemp patch.” In America, this tradition lasted from the Pilgrims (1620s) until hemp’s prohibition in the 1930s. In the 1930s, Congress was told by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics that many Polish-Americans still grew pot in their backyards to make their winter “long johns” and work clothes, and greeted the agents with shotguns for stealing their next year’s clothes.

PAPER: Until 1883, from 75-90 percent of all paper in the world was made with cannabis hemp fiber, including that for books, Bibles, maps, paper money, stocks and bonds, newspapers, etc. The Gutenberg Bible (in the 15th century); Pantagruel and the Herb pantagruelion, Rabelais (16th century); King James Bible (17th century); Thomas Paine’s pamphlets, The Rights of Man, Common Sense, The Age of Reason (18th century); the works of Fitz Hugh Ludlow, Mark Twain, Victor Hugo, Alexander Dumas; Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland (19th century); and just about everything else was printed on cannabis hemp paper.

MEDICINE: From 1842 through the 1890s, extremely strong marijuana (then known as cannabis extractums) and hashish extracts, tinctures and elixirs were routinely the second and third most-used medicines in America for humans (from birth, through childhood, to old age) and in veterinary medicine until the 1920s and longer. For at least 3,000 years, prior to 1842, widely varying marijuana extracts (buds, leaves, roots, etc.) were the most commonly used and widely accepted medicines in the world for the majority of mankind’s illnesses.

So cannabis Hemp is the number one source for all of those five topics discussed above. pretty amazing huh ? one plant really can do so much if utilized properly. and those are just five of the thousands of industrial uses of the cannabis hemp plant. Ok so we have pretty much determined that the cannabis hemp plant, no matter what your beliefs are is the planets number one source for Food, Paper, Fibers, Fuel, and Medicine. so that means that even the poorest of the poor people on this planet, in the worst climate and soil, if given access to dirt and sunlight and very little water can provide themself with Fibers to provide themself with clothes. They can provide themselves with paper for newspapers, books and education. They can provide themselves with the most nutritional food source for human consumption on this planet. They can provide Biomass fuels to power their tractors, vehicles and generators as well.

This single plant could uplift the poorest and hungriest person from poverty into economic stability in matter of a few crops. And its illegal why ? Well i say its time to stop ranting and start acting. The cannabis hemp movement is fractured in such a way, that we no longer fight the same fight. we need a drastic change in the direction of this movement. a change for the better. a more unified approach to achieve the goal that all cannabis hemp consumers want to achieve, Ending the prohibition of the worlds most amazing plant, cannabis hemp. so wether it be medicator VS stoner, hippie VS modern, science VS religion, in the end we all want the exact same thing. The freedom to choose a natural renewable plant for the many uses it was intended without fear of discrimination or persecution. I think that is something everyone within the cannabis movement can get behind. And if not, well we don’t need you around anyhow. from these ash’s must rise a phoenix the world has never known. we must tear down our walls of indifference and unite with a unified voice with a unified goal of ending the prohibition of the cannabis hemp plant for everyone and all purposes. If we keep that very goal in mind, in the end, everyone’s goal is achieved.

Now as I wrap this post up I want to take some time to introduce you to the CCHHI 2012 initiative that I am currently gathering signatures for here in Fresno California. The California Cannabis Hemp and Health initiative of 2012 is Jack Herer’s own initiative from 1994. nothings changed, it is truly Jack Herer’s own Legacy only continued by close friends and activists. There are dedicated activists statewide currently gathering signatures to place this initiative on the 2012 ballot. Let me explain in my opinion why i think this is the best initiative for all cannabis consumers as a whole, and with 2012 being a presidential election year is actually perfect timing for an initiative to really get passed.

First thing it does is legalizes cannabis hemp. (1)- Creates and funds new hemp based industries and jobs. (2)- It permits the use of Marijuana or Cannabis hemp by adults 21 and older and licenses, regulates, enforces, and taxes recreational marijuana or cannabis hemp just like beer and wine. (3)- It prohibits taxing and expands the accessibility of medicinal marijuana or cannabis hemp in accordance with prop-215. (3)- Prohibits counties from imposing discriminatory, excessive or prohibitive zoning requirements and fees on cannabis hemp outlets. (4)- Allows farmers to grow industrial cannabis hemp and hemp seed, and allows industries and entrepreneurs to use the crop for the many uses and applications that cannabis hemp provides, both historically and modern. (5)- Restricts the use in California of genetically modified cannabis seeds. (6)- Eliminates the unfair practice of drug testing for cannabis metabolites, which can be retained in the human body for months. Impairment testing for non-metabolized cannabis, a more effective and accurate measurement for impairment or recent usage, would replace the metabolite test. (7)- mandates the state establish performance based standards, similar to those established for alcohol, to determine levels of impairment for safe operation of motor vehicles and other equipment. (8)- Allows for the release and discharge of people currently being punished for non-violent marijuana or cannabis hemp related offenses, saving taxpayers millions of dollars annually and freeing up jail space, judicial and crime fighting resources. (9)- Removes cannabis hemp from the California Uniform Controlled Substances Act, which currently allows the federal government to regulate cannabis hemp as a schedule I drug. (10)- Prohibits California law enforcement from assisting federal drug agents attempting to enforce federal laws that are no longer illegal by reason of this legislation. (11)Allows for personal use and possession of cannabis hemp grown for personal consumption. (12)- Caps the excise tax for commercial sales at $10 per ounce. (13)- Caps the license fees for commercial production, distribution, and sales at $1000. (14)- Allows a physician to approve or recommend medicinal marijuana or cannabis hemp without fear of repercussion to patients of any age. (15)- Requires that 50% of excise taxes collected from sales of recreational cannabis hemp be made available to be used for the development, promotion, and assistance in the creation of industrial, nutritional, and medicinal cannabis hemp industries.

Pretty much this is the best and most well-rounded initiative that has ever been conceived. there is little to no flaws in it at all. and it totally covers the entire cannabis community as a whole, focusing all major aspects of Cannabis hemp reform, from the recreational user and grower, to the medicinal patient and provider, to the farmers and industries in which would finally be allowed to become out of the dark and into the light. It will Create and funds new hemp based industries and jobs in a time where unemployment rates are at all time high. It will provide farmers here in the central valley a cheap and easily manageable crop that will provide them with many outlets for their raw cannabis hemp products to be manufactured. It also can provide food for the hungry, Clean the polluted air we breath, and replenish the soil we have destroyed with pesticides and treatments.

We are at a major tipping point for this planet and this movement. We must unite, under a single and unified voice to achieve the restoration of the cannabis hemp plant. Please I am asking all who have taken the time to read this to please take the time to read this initiative, get motivated, and actually promote the change we all seek so desperately. Get involved, Contact the CCHHI 2012 via social networking or through E-mail or by whatever means nessacary and see how you can help. Donate the money, if you have it, or just educate your friends and family to the restoration of the cannabis hemp plant and CCHHI in 2012. ( CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO CCHHI 2012 ) —-> http://www.cchhi2012.org/media.html

Now i will leave you with a video of the High Times lifetime achievement award video that they played at the first ever L.A High Times medicinal cannabis cup last weekend, which I had the honor of attending. Though Jack is no longer with us,( R.I.P- Jack ) and could not accept his award. Dan Skye senior editor of High times said some very kind words about Jack, ” if not for Jack Herer, I wouldn’t be here today doing what I do” said Dan Skye. He then proceeded to announce Dan Herer, Jacks son would be accepting the award on his father’s behalf. Then Dan Herer after accepting the award, warned of complacency, and that there is still much to be done in the realm of cannabis hemp reform. the main thing that really stuck with me from this video was jacks words at the end.

” YOU GUYS HAVE TO BE WARRIORS FOR YOUR OWN FREEDOM, YOU CANT DEPEND ON ME OR ANYONE ELSE TO WIN THIS FREEDOM FOR YOU “

” LET MY PEOPLE GO, LET MY PEOPLE GROW ” ( R.I.P – Jack Herer – June 18, 1939 – April 15, 2010 )

By: Dustin F. Lowery

February 19, 2012 | Categories: Cannabis, Hemp, Marijuana, Medical Marijuana, Pot, Uncategorized, Weed | Tags: cannabis, central valley, Fresno, hemp, herb, marijuana, medical marijuana, plants, prohibition, weed | Leave A Comment »

Fresno’s WAR on Medical Marijuana

Dont let the Few, ruin it for the many, The needs of the many far out way the few !

Why would the Fresno county board of supervisors pass such an uneducated impartial judgment upon a group of people simply for their difference in choice of medicine ?

Sounds real innocent when you ask it like that, doesn’t it ? But you are all use to hearing marijuana, Drugs, hotbeds for criminal activity, drug stores, pot shops, marijuana busts and raids. If The Fresno County Sherrif’s Dept and Fresno county board of supervisors in fact do want to lower crime and drug activity, then banning Collectives, Co-op’s and dispensary is a terrible idea and an uneducated impartial judgement upon a group of people who choose to use a non toxic plant for holistic healing over western medicine. Collectives, Co-op’s and dispensary are single-handedly providing a legal and safe environment for Valid patients within the state of California to receive their medicine, While at the same time Removing black market middle men and putting drug dealers out of business. By removing street dealers you also greatly decrease the likelihood of other drugs being pushed on kids and adults who are only seeking medical cannabis. The people of the great state of California decided and passed prop 215 ( now HS11362.5 ) by popular vote in 1996. SB 420 was a compromise that considered much input from patients and reformers. It clears up certain implementation issues surrounding Prop 215 HS11362.5 and formulates a voluntary system to protect patients from arrest. It sets standards as the default baseline for protection, but also empowers localities to adopt scientific local medical marijuana guidelines. They must have got some misleading text from the state laws, because I don’t see anywhere it allows them to disregard the state laws and simply ignore it, or come up with such ridiculous regulations and intrusions of personal property in order to create a De facto Ban, Do you ?

Now don’t get me wrong, I do understand why they are doing what they are doing. They were Lied to, so was there parents and grandparents. Everyone has been lied to, or bought in to the notion That cannabis is this evil destructive plant that will alter the course of human history if allowed to exist. When actual Science and facts about the plant are locked away and never to be discussed again. All Clinical studies and research must cease to exist. if anyone does any research they are in direct violation of federal law and will be pursued and persecuted. We have all been lied to for the last 80 to 100 years about the truths of the amazing Cannabis plant. up until the mid 1800′s Extracts and derivatives of the cannabis plant where the second and third most prescribed medicines from birth to old age in the U.S.A. Eli Lilly, Parke-Davis, Squibb, Brothers Smith and other firms produce these medicines through 1930. During this time, not one death or severe side-effect is recorded as an attribute to use. Most Americans would have never guessed that in a million years. That Marijuana could be used as a medicine and in fact has been used as one for thousands of years. Not very many people know that they have a Endocannabinoid System in their body that reacts with the chemicals in the cannabis plant to help stimulate the ECS system.

The Cannabis Plant is not just for getting high, thow it is widely known for enhancing all sorts of activities and enjoyed in a recreational and leisurely fashion. Botanically the Cannabis hemp plant is a member of the most advanced plant family on earth. It is a dioecious ( having male, female and some times hermaphroditic–male and female on same plant ), woody, herbaceous annual that uses the sun more efficiently than virtually any other plant on earth, reaching up to a robust 12 to 20 feet or more in one short growing season. It can be grown in virtually any climate or soil condition on earth, even marginal ones. Cannabis Hemp is, by far, Earths premier, renewable natural resource. I could go on forever on this topic, so i will try to keep to the Subject.

The Fresno county board of supervisors misguided and uneducated decision to Ban all Collectives and Co-op’s in the UNINCORPORATED parts of Fresno co will only increase crime, Increase Access to children, create more problems and restrict the Legal medical Marijuana patients Access to their medicine, while at the same time forcing more money out of our local economy and into other surrounding county’s. Another big problem I have with the County of Fresno’s decision to ban is, The fresno county health department issues State medical marijuana ID Cards for Patients in fresno co. Only for the county to turn around and deny your access to those meds within your county. SAY WHAT ? the hypocrisy of it all is quite insane. Now I will say there are some bad apples in the bunch of collectives co-op’s, But the only reason they are getting away with it is because there are no rules, regulations and guidelines That show them the models in which to operate.

Its going to be a long hard battle to get some real regulations in place that work for both sides of the aisle. And even worse so then before due to increased federal funding and activity in California to help the feds with their ongoing war on the 10th amendment of our constitution. But one of the main things that we all can do is be Active. Call your state Reps, congressmen and women, Obama, county board of supervisors, city council and tell them you are tired of thier bullshit, shit or get of the pot! Education is the key to a better future for all Cannabis consumers. So share the gift of knowledge onto one another, tell your friends and family, share news storeys and other blogs like this one with everyone. If wars can be started with lies, they can be ended with the Truth.

” while one has a legal and moral responsibility to obey just laws, one also has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws “

By- Dustin F. Lowery

October 21, 2011 | Categories: Cannabis, Hemp, Marijuana, Medical Marijuana, Pot, Uncategorized, Weed | Tags: cannabis, central valley, Fresno, hemp, herb, marijuana, medical marijuana, plants, prohibition, weed | Leave A Comment »

CANNABIS HEMPSEED: As a Basic World Food

I will first start out by saying that the title is actually taken from “The Emperor Wears No Clothes” written by the Grandfather of Hemp himself, Jack Herer. We lost a great man last April who truly saw the potential of cannabis as not just a recreational past time but as a solution to world hunger, deforestation of trees for paper and lumber, pollution, clean energy and economic stability. I would like to thank, Bene-Joaquin Herer, Barry Herer, River Walker-Herer, Mark Herer, Chanci Herer, Dan Herer and of course Jeannie Herer and all the other members of the Herer family for keeping his spirit and drive to see Cannabis/Hemp legalized and utilized alive and with us today. ( R.I.P – Jack Herer – June 18, 1939 – April 15, 2010 )

Here is the beginning to Chapter 8 of the Emperor Wears No Clothes.

Cannabis Hemp seed as a Basic World Food

In 1937, Ralph Loziers, general counsel of the National Institute of Oilseed Products, told the Congressional committee studying marijuana prohibition that “hempseed… is used in all the Oriental nations and also in a part of Russia as food. It is grown in their fields and used as oatmeal. Millions of people every day are using hempseed in the Orient as food. They have been doing this for many generations, especially in periods of famine.”

That was over 70 years ago. Today we know hempseed is the plant kingdom’s richest source of life-giving essential fatty acids, and may well be the cure for cancer and heart disease.

Hempseed: Humanity’s Best Single Food Source

Of the 3-million plus edible plants that grow on Earth, no other single plant source can compare with the nutritional value of hempseeds. Both the complete protein and the essential oils contained in hempseeds are in ideal ratios for human nutrition. Only soybeans contain a higher percentage of protein. However, the composition of the protein in hempseed is unique in the vegetable kingdom. Sixty-five percent of the protein content in hempseed is in the form of globulin edestin.1 (The word “edestin” comes from the Greek “edestos,” meaning edible.)

The exceptionally high edestin content of hempseed combined with albumin, another globular protein contained in all seeds, means the readily available protein in hempseed contains all the essential amino acids in ideal proportions to assure your body has the necessary building blocks to create proteins like disease-fighting immunoglobulins -antibodies whose job is to ward off infections before the symptoms of sickness set in.2

Cannabis seed protein even allows a body with nutrition-blocking tuberculosis, or almost any other nutrition-blocking ailment, to get maximum nourishment.*

*Cohen & Stillman, Therapeutic Potential of Marijuana, Plenum Press, NY, 1976; Czech. Tubercular Nutritional Study, 1955.

Even more important for building a strong immune system, hempseeds are the highest source in the plant kingdom of essential fatty acids. These essential oils, linoleic and linolenic acids, are responsible for the luster in your skin, hair, eyes, and even your thought processes. They lubricate (clear) the arteries and are vital to the immune system.

These essential fatty acids were used by Dr. Joanna Budwig (nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize every year since 1979) to successfully treat “terminal” cancer patients, as well as those suffering from cardiovascular disease, glandular atrophy, gallstones, kidney degeneration, acne, dry skin, menstrual problems and immune deficiency.

This, as well as other research, prompted William Eidleman, M.D., UCLA, and R. Lee Hamilton, Ed.D., Ph.D. Medical Researcher-Biochemist UCLA Emeritus, to speak out on behalf of “the life-giving values” of cannabis hemp. They state:

“These essential oils support the immune system and guard against viral and other insults to the immune system. Studies are in progress using the essential oils to support the immune systems of persons with the H.I.V. virus. So far they have been extremely promising.

“What is the richest source of these essential oils? Yes, you guessed it, the seeds of the cannabis hemp plant … The insane prohibitions against the most valuable plant on Earth, cannabis hemp, must yield to public demand … The promise of super health and the possibility of feeding the world is at our fingertips.” (December 29, 1991 and April 2007)

Hempseed extracts, like soybeans, can be spiced to taste like chicken, steak, or pork and can be used to make tofu-type curd and margarine, at less cost than soybeans. Sprouting any seed improves its nutritional value and hemp can be sprouted and used like any other seed sprout for salads or cooking.

Sprouted hempseeds make milk, just as soybeans do. Alan “Birdseed” Brady of Santa Cruz, California and Abba Das of Colorado use this milk to make a delicious and nutritious ice cream in many flavors that actually lowers cholesterol levels.

Hempseed is ground and used like flour, or cooked, then sweetened and combined with milk to produce a nutritional breakfast cereal-like oatmeal or cream of wheat. This type of porridge is known as a gruel. (Like the fiber, hempseeds will not get you high.)

“Hemp is a favorite [bird seed] because of its nourishing oily content.” (Margaret McKenny, Birds in the Garden, Reynal & Hitchcock, NY, 1939.) Incredibly, when cannabis hemp is grown for seed, half the weight of the mature, harvested female plant is seed!

English and European fishermen who cast in fresh-water lakes and rivers first told me in 1995 that hempseed has always been the preferred bait in Europe for chumming – that is, casting the hempseeds on the water – causing the fish to scramble from all over to get the seeds, thereby getting caught. Not one of the many European fishermen I talked to knew that hemp seeds and marijuana were one in the same. So hempseed is the favorite of fish, as well as, most birds.

The byproduct of pressing hempseed for its nutritious vegetable oil is a high protein seed cake. Hempseed cake was one of the world’s principal animal feeds until this century.* Hempseed can supply a nearly complete diet for all domesticated animals (dogs, cats), many farm animals and poultry, and allows animals maximum weight gain for less than current feed costs. And without any need for artificial growth steroids or other drugs currently poisoning the human race and food chain.

Isn’t it strange – doesn’t it make you mad as hell – that the number one food of all time for most birds, fish, horses, humans, and life in general, is illegal to have naturally and healthfully in the United States of America, as ordered by the Nazi/Gestapo-like Amerikan Drug Enforcement Administration and, through them, the USDA?

*U.S. Agricultural Index; Frazier, Jack, The Marijuana Farmers, Solar Age Press, New Orleans, LA, 1972; Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill, Udo, Erasmus, 1996

Hell yes it makes me mad! Does it make you guys mad? I mean I live in Fresno, CA. All we know here is agriculture. Small time farms as well as large industrial farms are a common sight around the surrounding parts of town and throughout the entire Central Valley. Fresno State University is celebrating its 100 year anniversary and is known around the world for their College of Agricultural Science and Technology. Now I know (from driving tractor-trailers full of tomatoes up, down and all around this great state) that there are a lot of dried up, un-utilized farm plots and acreage due to water shortages.

But don’t worry! Wal-Mart to the rescue? In a really big effort to try to feed the hungry, Wal-Mart offered up $1 million to the poorest and most needy city in America. The contest was held on Facebook and Fresno took 2nd place. We got a $100,000 donation instead of the the big prize of $1 million. The mayor of Fresno has asked its citizens to donate a dollar to help the homeless. Now I am all for that don’t get me wrong but, is this really the best we can do? Relying on HUGE corporations that barely pay their own employees a decent wage and refuse to pay their healthcare costs and expenses to provide the homeless and hungry with food and shelter. Or in a Economic downturn asking the Taxpayers to share just a little more through donations to help the homeless.

If we want to feed the fourth hungriest city in the nation it is as simple as planting the seed. We have a entire Central Valley of generation after generation of farmers. The Hemp plant requires far less water then corn and most vegetable crops, Replenishes the Soil, Requires very little , to no pesticides, and would also help reduce the nations 2nd most polluted city in America, Second only to Bakersfield Ca. Hemp in the Central Valley of California makes perfect sense in more ways the one. It puts our farmers back to work, it also feeds the hungry with the most nutritional seed for human consumption on this planet. All while cleaning the heavily polluted soil and very air we breath.

Here are some awesome Hemp facts everyone should know: ( Hempfarm.org )

For Starters:

-Farmers around the world grow hemp. Legally. And they’ve been doing so for thousands of years. View a timeline of hemp throughout history here.

-Hemp is a plant grown from a seed. It can get up to 15 to 20 or so feet tall. It is an annual, herbaceous, long fiber plant similar to flax (linen), jute and ramie. [i]

-It’s the sister plant to marijuana but it won’t get you high. However, it’s good at doing almost anything else except making you ‘high’. You’ll learn more about its versatility in this document.

-Although hemp and marijuana are both from the cannabis species, hemp contains virtually no THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.) If you smoke hemp you will likely get a headache. You will not get ‘high’. Its THC level is less than 1%, whereas marijuana may contain between 5 – 15%.[iii]

-Its seeds are pressed for oil that can be used for food (salad dressings, supplements, etc.), industrial lubrication, diesel fuel, paints, varnishes and more.

-Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis sativa L. [ii]

-Hemp is among the oldest industries on the planet, going back more than 10,000 years to the beginnings of pottery. [iv]

-The Columbia History of the World states that the oldest relic of human industry is a piece of Mesopotamian hemp fabric dating back to approximately 8,000 BC.[v]

-For more than a century, hemp was legal tender to pay American taxes.[vi]

-Over 600,000 acres of hemp grow worldwide today.[vii] Over 8,500 acres were grown in Canada in 2008.[viii]

-The 2002 figures for global hemp sales were US$250 million. US$150 million in the United States alone.[ix]

-The HIA (Hemp Industries Association) is confident that the total North American hemp food and body care market in 2008 accounted for at least $100 million in retail sales. In 2005-2008, hemp food sales have averaged 47% annual growth, making hemp one of the fastest-growing natural food categories. Source.

Legality:

-For the first 162 years of America’s existence, marijuana was totally legal and hemp was a common crop. But during the 1930s, the U.S. government and the media began spreading outrageous lies about marijuana, which led to its prohibition. (“Marijuana: The devil’s weed with roots in hell”, “Marijuana makes fiends of boys in 30 days”, “Reefer Madness”, etc.) It was banned in the USA under the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. In a blatant case of mistaken identity, industrial hemp was banned along with it.[x]

-It is said that the motivation for the hemp ban was that new processing technologies were developed that made it a potential competitor with the newly founded synthetic fiber and plastics industries. Hemp’s potential for producing paper also posed a threat to the timber and oil industries. Evidence suggests that commercial interests, having much to lose from hemp competition, helped propagate the reefer madness hysteria and used their influence to lobby for Marijuana Prohibition. It is debatable at to whether special interests conspired to destroy the hemp industry via Marijuana Prohibition, but evidence exists to raise the possibility.[Xi]

-In Canada, parliament passed Bill C-8 in May of 1997, freeing industrial hemp from the drug legislation imposed in 1938 when Canada’s Opium and Narcotics Control Act followed the United States’ lead and banned hemp production. The responsibilities to regulate the “new” crop were given to Health Canada. [xii] (The UK lifted its ban in 1993.[xiii])

-It is currently illegal to grow industrial hemp for food, oil, paper or fabric in the USA, but it is perfectly legal to export hemp to the U.S. and to process, consume and wear it there. [xv]

Versatility:

-A Popular Mechanics article from 1938 stated that over 25,000 different products could be made from hemp in oil, seed or fiber form.[xvi]

-Used for thousands of years by a wide variety of cultures, hemp is currently being used worldwide in industries such as fabric, food, bio-diesel fuel, paper, plastics, rope, building material, molded panels, car components, wallpaper, acoustic baffling and barn bedding for farm animals.[xvii]

-125 years ago, 70 to 90 percent of all rope, twine, cordage, ship sails, canvas, fiber, cloth, etc., was made out of hemp fiber. It was replaced by DuPont’s then newly discovered petrochemical fiber (nylon) beginning in 1937. [xviii]

Farming:

-The hemp plant is highly resistant to most insect and disease, largely eliminating the need for most (or all) pesticides and herbicides.[xix]

-No herbicides have been approved for industrial hemp. Early planting, as soon as the soil is warm enough, is a recommended weed control strategy.[xx]

-A normal stand of 200 to 300 plants per square meter shades out weeds, leaving the fields weed-free at harvest and covered in leaves that improve the soil in a self-mulching eco-system.[xxi]

-Industrial hemp can be grown on a wide variety of soil types, but tends to grow best on land that produces high yields of corn.[xxii]

-Hemp prefers a mild climate, humid atmosphere, and a rainfall of at least 25-30 inches per year. [xxiii]

-A hemp field produces a very large bulk of plant material in a short period of time. (Stalks can reach 15 feet tall in 70-90 growing days)[xxiv] [xxv]

-Yields can reach between 3 to 7 tons of dry hemp fibre stalk per acre.[xxvi]

-HEMP IS THE NUMBER ONE biomass producer on planet earth: 10 tons per acre in approximately four months. It is a woody plant containing 77% cellulose. Wood produces 60% cellulose.[xxvii]

-Low abrasion means low impact on farm equipment and workers hands. [xxviii]

-Hemp was one of Canada’s first agricultural exports when the fiber was sold to Britain and France for use in their navies. It was common practice for tracts of land to be issued to settlers in Canada on the provision that they grow hemp.[xxix]

-During World War II the U.S. government relaxed the anti-hemp laws and spurred mid-western farmers to grow over a million acres of the plant for the war effort. “Hemp For Victory” was the name of the informational film made by U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1942.[xxx] Decades later they denied they ever made the film. This was disapproved by researchers in 1989 when they found evidence of it at the Library of Congress.[xxxi]

-Of all the hemp grown in Canada, almost all of it was for seed, oil and construction material. Little went to the fabric industry. Most fabric is imported from China and Europe. [xxxii] See Canadian farming acreage stats here.

Fibers, Fabric & Clothing:

-The agriculture world’s longest and most durable natural fibers are hemp’s ‘bast’ fibers, contained in the bark of the plant’s stalk. [xxxiii]

-Cinema Space, in Montreal, is Canada’s first cinema to use hemp fabric to cover its seats.

-In 1853, the first pair of Levi’s jeans was made. Due to a fire in the Levis archives (San Francisco’s Great Earthquake and Fire – 1906 ) it can no longer be proven, but many believe the first pair of Levis were made from hemp.

-The word canvas (traditionally made from hemp) comes from cannabis (Latin). This word comes from kaneh-bosem, Hebrew for ‘aromatic cane’. [xxxv]

-Un-dyed hemp fabric will not rot and won’t fade in sunlight.[xxxvi] [xxxvii]

-Hemp is anti-microbial, anti-mildew, naturally UV resistant and readily takes on eco-safe plant-based dyes. [xxxviii]

-Frequently blended with cotton, silk, tencel, bamboo, spandex and other fibers to make a wide variety of fabrics with various attractive properties. It is also an efficient insulator keeping you warm in winter and cool in summer.[xxxix]

-A 2000 year-old hemp-rope toupé was found in Sichuan, China. Source.

-It is said that a parachute rigging made of hemp saved the life of George Bush Sr. when the young bomber pilot bailed out of his burning plane.[xl]

-Hemp softens with each washing, without fiber degradation.[xli] As the saying goes: “Hemp doesn’t wear out, it wears in.”[xlii]

Compared to Cotton:

-Environmentally, hemp is a safer crop to grow than cotton. Cotton is a soil-damaging crop and needs a great deal of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.[xliii]

-Cotton crops in the USA occupy 1% of the country’s farmland but use 50% of all pesticides. [xliv] “The pesticides used on cotton, whether in the U.S. or oversees, are some of the most hazardous available today,” says Doug Murray, Ph.D., a professor of sociology at Colorado State University who has studied pesticide use on cotton overseas. Source.

-1 acre of hemp will produce as much as 2-3 acres of cotton.[xlv]

-Hemp is 4 times warmer than cotton, 4 times more water absorbent, has 3 times the tensile strength of cotton. It is also many times more durable and is flame retardant.[xlvi]

-Many high fashion clothing manufacturers have produced clothes and footwear made with hemp. Some of these include: Nike, Converse, Armani, Patagonia, Polo Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta and many more.[xlvii]

-Hemp fabrics were once far more expensive than cotton and other fabrics due to limited supply, but increased demand and availability in recent years have lowered the price considerably. [xlviii]

-Hemp breathes well and wicks moisture away from the body better than cotton. [xlix]

-HT Naturals (Canada’s largest hemp t-shirt supplier) asserts that selecting their hemp/cotton blended t-shirt over an all-cotton t-shirt saves the environment 744 gallons of water. This company has recently partnered with Canada’s National Research Council to create Crailar an enzyme that will make hemp fibers as soft as cotton.[l]

Paper:

-Hemp paper can be made from both the outer fibers of the hemp stalk (bast fibers) as well as the inner core (or ‘hurd’ fibers) of the stalk.[li]

-One acre of hemp (grown in a single season) yields as much paper as up to 4 acres of trees (which take many more years to grow). [lii]

-Hemp paper is stronger, acid free, has a longer shelf life and costs less than half as much to process as tree paper. [liii]

-Hemp paper can be recycled 10 times whereas wood-based paper can only be recycled twice without losing integrity and requiring additional virgin fiber content.[liv]

-China, the world’s first paper maker, used hemp to make paper 1,900 years ago. [lv]

-Both the Gutenberg Bible (15th C.) and the King James Bible (17th C.) were printed on hemp-based papers. [lvi]


-In 1776, Thomas Jefferson, a hemp farmer, wrote the first two drafts of the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper.[lvii]

-Since deforestation is a serious environmental concern, hemp can offer a significant contribution to the world’s environment as well as its economy.[lviii]

Building Materials and Plastics:

-The core of the hemp stalk is used to produce fiberboard, insulation, carpet, fiberglass substitute, cement blocks, concrete, stucco and mortar.[lix]

-Hemp oil extracted from hemp seeds is used in the production of plastics, oil paints, varnishes, inks, solvents, lubricants, putty and coatings.[lx]

-In an effort to initiate industrial hemp production, a Native farmer named Alex White Plume on his reservation in South Dakota built a house entirely out of what he calls “Hempcrete” bricks. [lxi]

-In 1941, Popular Mechanics ran a story featuring a photograph of Henry Ford standing next to the car he “grew from the soil”. The hemp-ethanol fueled and hemp-resin bodied vehicle was a dream of his but many bills proposing a national agricultural based fuel energy program were killed by smear campaigns launched by vested petroleum interests. One claim put forth was that the U.S. government’s plans “robbed taxpayers to make farmers rich”. [lxii]

Environment:

-Hemp planting reduces deforestation and improves the soil upon which it is grown.[lxiii]

-All products made solely from hemp fiber are biodegradable, compostable and recyclable. As such, they are easy on landfills.[lxiv]

-A lightweight product: for greater fuel efficiency in transport, ease of handling, increased payload capacity.

-Hemp advocates say it is possible to leave the forests alone and go back to making paper from hemp, but is that really feasible? Technically, yes. Once plant cellulose is turned into pulp, machines cannot tell the difference between it and wood pulp.[lxv]

-A worker-friendly, non-toxic material

Food and Nutrition:

-Of the 3 million plus edible plants that grow on Earth, no other plant source can compare with the nutritional value of hempseeds. [lxvi]

-Hemp is edible as whole seeds, hulled seed (the hemp ‘nut’ or ‘heart’), protein powder, or as oil extracted from seeds.

-It is used in salad dressings, protein bars, breads, cakes, soups, beer, butters, shakes, milk, breakfast cereals and many more food products and recipes.

-Hemp plants produce seeds that contain between 25-35% oil by weight. This non-trans-fatty-acid oil is high in a perfect balance of essential fatty acids (EFAs: Omega-3, 6, 9) considered to be necessary to maintain health. [lxviii] Hemp’s EFA profile provides a healthy alternative to fish, often high in mercury and other toxins.

-Hemp’s overall protein content of 35% is comparable to soybeans and is higher than that found in nuts, other seeds, meats, dairy products and fish or poultry. Hemp protein contains all of the essential amino acids in more nutritionally significant amounts and at a ratio closer to “complete” sources of protein (like meat, milk and eggs) than all other seeds except soy. [lxix]

-65% of the proteins in hemp are “edestin,” which are easily digestible and act as pre-cursors to such vital body components as hormones, hemoglobin, enzymes and antibodies. Hemp’s edestin structure is the highest in the plant kingdom, making it more digestible than soy and many other plant foods. [lxx]

-Hemp also contains a healthy 35% of dietary fiber, the highest of all commercial flour grains, and it is high in the natural antioxidants Vitamin E, Vitamin C and chlorophyll.[lxxi]

-The hardiness and nutritional benefits of hemp could help address many of the world’s starvation problems.[lxxii]

-Hemp should not be cooked at temperatures over 350F because at this emperature the fats are in danger of becoming “trans” and thus unhealthy. Source.

-NOT including Whole Foods Markets sales, hemp food sales in North America grew by 39% over the previous year (from August 2006 to August 2007), or by $2.1 million, to a total of $7.7 million. Based on this, it is estimated that the total retail value of hemp foods sold in this period in North America grew from $14 million (in 2006) to approximately $20 million in 2007. Source.

-View a detailed scientific breakdown of the hemp seed here.

Bio-Diesel Fuel:

-Industrial hemp would be a viable bio-diesel fuel if hemp were legal to cultivate in the United States.

-In 2001, the “Hemp Car”, a converted 1980s diesel Mercedes station wagon drove a 13,000 mile 50 city tour of North America. It was powered by solely by 600 gallons of hemp bio-diesel fuel made from the stalk of the hemp plant.[lxxiii]

-The exhaust emissions of carbon monoxide from bio-diesel are 47% lower than carbon monoxide emissions from diesel.[lxxiv]

-Bio-diesel reduces the health risks associated with petroleum diesel. Bio-diesel emissions showed decreased levels of PAH and nitrited PAH compounds, which have been, identified as potential cancer causing compounds.[lxxv]

-In a period of 28 days, pure bio-diesel degrades 85 to 88 percent in water.[lxxvi]

-Any CO2 released from burning hemp as fuel matches the CO2 the plant had beneficially taken from the environment wile growing, creating what is called a closed carbon cycle that could slow down the effects of global warming[lxxvii]

Body Care Products:

-Thanks to its nourishing oil, hemp is booming in the personal hygiene industry with hemp found in soaps, shampoos, lotions, lip balms, bath oils, personal lubricants and more.

-Due to the large hemp body care line sold by The Body Shop, as well as the fact that many unreported leading mass-market brands of sun tan lotion and sunscreen products include hemp oil, the HIA (Hemp Industries Association) estimates the total retail value of North American hemp body care sales to be at least $50 million. Source.

-Cosmetics manufacturers, such as Revlon, include hemp oil in makeup, lotion and shampoo. In Europe they’re using hemp in household cleaners as a natural alternative to harsher chemicals.[lxxix]

Hemp Around The World:

Chinese: Ma 大麻

Czech: Konopí

Dutch: Hennep

Esperanto: Kanabo

French: Chanvre

German: Hanf

Greek: κάνναβη

Hebrew: Kanabos

Italian: canapa

Japanese: Taima 麻

Korean: 대마

Romanian: Cinepa

Russian: пенька

Slovak: Konope

Spanish: Cáñamo

Yiddish: Hanef

“Make the most of Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere.”

-George Washington, 1794

It is not all about getting high, It is not about the money, It’s about a simple non toxic plant that has been prohibited by our government, who was duped by the lobbyist of there times. Most of the claims made in those days were so racist you would be afraid to say them in public these days in fear of hurting ones feelings. They scared the American public with propaganda and lies , they were conned into thinking it was something very Evil and destructive, things like ” Black men under the use of marihuana would want to look at a white women twice ” or smoking that Mexican loco weed will send you into uncontrollable murderous rages of psychedelic mayhem. Reefer Madness at its finest, they were lies then, and there even worse lies now! So Central Valley, its up to us now to carry the torch into a Cleaner, Renewable ,more nutritional food to eat and cleaner air to breath. Putting farmers back to work, creating and stimulating our economy with the worlds single greatest renewable resource known to man, Cannabis Hemp. We can do this, you cant have a tree that bears fruit without a seed, so lets plant that seed and grow it together.

BY: Dustin F. Lowery

March 2, 2011 | Categories: Cannabis, Hemp, Marijuana, Medical Marijuana, Pot, Uncategorized, Weed | Tags: cannabis, central valley, Fresno, hemp, herb, marijuana, medical marijuana, plants, prohibition, weed | Leave A Comment »