Are
we the real dopes? Is the ban on Hemp more corporate trickery?
"A
corporation's first purpose is to make money for
its stockholders, not to serve the needs of consumers.
The BP-Gulf Coast oil disaster is just one example of what can
happen as a result of a corporation's obsession with profits and
their indifference and insensitivity to peoples' needs." --
Hari Singh
Read
on for important historical background.
From
'The Marijuana Trick'
by Doug Yurchey
And
I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be
no more consumed with hunger in the land. -- Ezekiel 34/29
Where
did the word 'marijuana' come from? In the mid 1930s, the M-word was
created to tarnish the good image and phenomenal history of the Hemp
plant ... as you will read. The facts cited here, with references,
are generally verifiable in the Encyclopaedia Britannica which was
printed on Hemp paper for 150 years.
All schoolbooks were made from Hemp or flax paper until the 1880s;
Hemp Paper Reconsidered, Jack Frazier, 1974.
It was LEGAL TO PAY TAXES WITH HEMP in America from 1631 until the
early 1800s; LA Times, Aug. 12, 1981.
REFUSING TO GROW HEMP in America during the 17th and 18th Centuries
WAS AGAINST THE LAW! You could be jailed in Virginia for refusing
to grow Hemp from 1763 to 1769; Hemp in Colonial Virginia, G.
M. Herdon.
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other Founding Fathers GREW
HEMP. Jefferson smuggled Hemp seeds from China to France, then to
America; Washington and Jefferson Diaries.
Benjamin Franklin owned one of the first paper mills in America and
it processed Hemp. Also, the War of 1812 was fought over Hemp. Napoleon
wanted to cut off Moscow's export to England; Emperor Wears No
Clothes, Jack Herer.
For thousands of years, 90% of all ships' sails and rope were made
from Hemp. The word 'canvas' is Dutch for Hemp; Webster's New
World Dictionary.
80% of all textiles, fabrics, clothes, linen, drapes, bed sheets,
etc., were made from Hemp until the 1820s with the introduction of
the cotton gin.
The first Bibles, maps, charts, Betsy Ross's flag, the first drafts
of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were made
from Hemp; U.S. Government Archives.
The first crop grown in many states was Hemp. 1850 was a peak year
for Kentucky producing 40,000 tons. Hemp was the largest cash crop
until the 20th Century; Kentucky State Archives.
Oldest known records of Hemp farming go back 5000 years in China,
although Hemp industrialization probably goes back to ancient Egypt.
Rembrandt's, Gainsborough’s, Van Gogh’s as well as most
early canvas paintings were principally painted on Hemp linen.
In 1916, the U.S. Government predicted that by the 1940s all paper
would come from Hemp and that no more trees need to be cut down. Government
studies report that 1 acre of Hemp equals 4.1 acres of trees. Plans
were in the works to implement such programs; U.S. Department
of Agriculture.
Quality paints and varnishes were made from Hemp seed oil until 1937.
58,000 tons of Hemp seeds were used in America for paint products
in 1935; Sherman Williams Paint Co. testimony before Congress
against the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act.
Henry Ford's first Model-T was built to run on Hemp gasoline and the
CAR ITSELF WAS CONTRUCTED FROM HEMP! On his large estate, Ford was
photographed among his Hemp fields. The car, 'grown from the soil,'
had Hemp plastic panels whose impact strength was 10 times stronger
than steel; Popular Mechanics, 1941.
Cannabinoids, the active components of Cannabis sativa L., act in the body by mimicking endogenous substances--the endocannabinoids--that activate specific cell surface receptors. Cannabinoids exert various palliative effects in cancer patients. In addition, cannabinoids inhibit the growth of different types of tumor cells, including glioma cells, in laboratory animals. They do so by modulating key cell signaling pathways, mostly the endoplasmic reticulum stress response, thereby inducing antitumoral actions such as the apoptotic death of tumor cells and the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis. Of interest, cannabinoids seem to be selective antitumoral compounds, as they kill glioma cells, but not their non-transformed astroglial counterparts. On the basis of these preclinical findings, a pilot clinical study of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme has been recently run. The good safety profile of THC, together with its possible growth-inhibiting action on tumor cells, justifies the setting up of future trials aimed at evaluating the potential antitumoral activity of cannabinoids. Source:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17952650
Hemp called
'Billion Dollar Crop.' It was the first time a cash crop had a business
potential to exceed a billion dollars; Popular Mechanics, Feb.,
1938.
Mechanical Engineering Magazine (Feb., 1938) published an article
entitled, 'The Most Profitable and Desirable Crop that Can be Grown.'
It stated that if Hemp was cultivated using 20th Century technology,
it would be the single largest agricultural crop in the U.S. and the
rest of the world.
The following information comes directly from the United States Department
of Agriculture's 1942, 14-minute film encouraging and instructing
'patriotic American farmers' to grow 350,000 acres of Hemp each year
for the war effort:
... (When) Grecian temples were new, Hemp was already old in the service
of mankind. For thousands of years, even then, this plant had been
grown for cordage and cloth in China and elsewhere in the East. For
centuries prior to about 1850, all the ships that sailed the western
seas were rigged with Hempen rope and sails. For the sailor, no less
than the hangman, Hemp was indispensable ...
... Now with Philippine and East Indian sources of Hemp in the hands
of the Japanese
...
American Hemp must meet the needs of our Army and Navy as well as
of our industries ...
... The Navy's rapidly dwindling reserves. When that is gone, American
Hemp will go on duty again; Hemp for mooring ships; Hemp for tow lines;
Hemp for tackle and gear; Hemp for countless naval uses both on ship
and shore. Just as in the days when Old Ironsides sailed the seas
victorious with her Hempen shrouds and Hempen sails. Hemp for victory!'
Certified proof from the Library of Congress; found by the research
of Jack Herer, refuting claims of other government agencies that the
1942 USDA film, 'Hemp for Victory,' did not exist.
Hemp cultivation and production do not harm the environment. The USDA
Bulletin #404 concluded that Hemp produces 4 times as much pulp as
wood with at least 4 to 7 times less pollution.
From Popular Mechanics, Feb., 1938: 'It has a short growing season
... It can be grown in any state ... The long roots penetrate and
break the soil to leave it in perfect condition for the next year's
crop. The dense shock of leaves, 8 to 12 feet above the ground, chokes
out weeds.
... Hemp, this new crop can add immeasurably to American agriculture
and industry.'
In the 1930s, innovations in farm machinery would have caused an industrial
revolution when applied to Hemp. This single resource could have created
millions of new jobs generating thousands of quality products. Hemp,
if not made illegal, would have brought America out of the Great Depression.
William Randolph Hearst (Citizen Kane) and the Hearst Paper Manufacturing
Division of Kimberly Clark owned vast acreage of timberlands. The
Hearst Company supplied most paper products. Patty Hearst's grandfather,
a destroyer of nature for his own personal profit, stood to lose billions
because of Hemp.
In 1937, Dupont patented the processes to make plastics from oil and
coal. Dupont's Annual Report urged stockholders to invest in its new
petrochemical division. Synthetics such as plastics, cellophane, celluloid,
methanol, nylon, rayon, Dacron, etc., could now be made from oil.
Natural hemp industrialization would have ruined over 80% of Dupont's
business.
THE TRICKS
Andrew Mellon became Hoover's Secretary of the Treasury and Dupont's
primary investor. He appointed his future nephew-in-law, Harry J.
Anslinger, to head the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.
Secret meetings were held by these financial tycoons. Hemp was declared
dangerous and a threat to their billion dollar enterprises. For their
dynasties to remain intact, Hemp had to go. These men took an obscure
Mexican slang word, 'Marihuana,' and pushed it into the consciousness
of America.
MEDIA
MANIPULATION
A
media blitz of 'yellow journalism' raged in the late 1920s and 1930s.
Hearst's newspapers ran stories emphasizing the horrors of Marihuana.
The menace of Marihuana made headlines. Readers learned that it was
responsible for everything from car accidents to loose morality.
Films like 'Reefer Madness' (1936), 'Marihuana: Assassin of Youth'
(1935) and 'Marihuana: The Devil's Weed' (1936) were propaganda designed
by these industrialists to create an enemy. Their purpose was to gain
public support so that anti-Marihuana laws could be passed.
Examine the following quotes from 'The Burning Question' aka 'REEFER MADNESS':
a violent
narcotic.
acts of
shocking violence.
incurable
insanity.
soul-destroying
effects.
under the
influence of the drug he killed his entire family with an axe.
more vicious,
more deadly even than these soul-destroying drugs (heroin, cocaine)
is the menace of Marihuana!
'Reefer Madness' did not end with the usual 'The End.' The film concluded
with these words plastered on the screen: "TELL YOUR CHILDREN."
In the 1930s, people were very naive; even to the point of ignorance.
The masses were like sheep waiting to be led by the few in power.
They did not challenge authority. If the news was in print or on the
radio, they believed it had to be true. They told their children and
their children grew up to be the parents of the Baby-Boomers.
On April 14, 1937, the Prohibitive Marihuana Tax Law or the bill that
outlawed Hemp was directly brought to the House Ways and Means Committee.
This committee is the only one that can introduce a bill to the House
floor without it being debated by other committees. The Chairman of
the Ways and Means, Robert Doughton, was a Dupont supporter. He insured
that the bill would pass Congress.
Dr. James Woodward, a physician and attorney, testified too late on
behalf of the American Medical Association. He told the committee
that the reason the AMA had not denounced the Marihuana Tax Law sooner
was that the Association had just discovered that Marihuana was/is
Hemp.
Few people, at the time, realized that the deadly menace they had
been reading about on Hearst's front pages was in fact passive Hemp.
The AMA understood Hemp to be a MEDICINE found in numerous healing
products sold over the last hundred years.
In September of 1937, Hemp became illegal. The most useful crop known
became a drug and our planet has been suffering ever since.
Congress banned Hemp because it was said to be the most violence-causing
drug known. Anslinger, head of the Drug Commission for 31 years, promoted
the idea that Marihuana made users act extremely violent. In the 1950s,
under the Communist threat of McCarthyism, Anslinger now said the
exact opposite. Marijuana will pacify you so much that soldiers would
not want to fight.
Today, our planet is in desperate trouble. Earth is suffocating as
large tracts of rain forests disappear. Pollution, poisons and chemicals
are killing people. These great problems could be reversed if we industrialized
Hemp. Natural biomass could provide all of the planet's energy needs
that are currently supplied by fossil fuels. We have consumed 80%
of our oil and gas reserves. We need a renewable resource. Hemp could
be the solution to soaring gas prices.
THE WONDER PLANT
Hemp has a higher quality fiber than wood fiber. Far fewer caustic
chemicals are required to make paper from Hemp than from trees. Hemp
paper does not turn yellow and is very durable. The plant grows quickly
to maturity in a season where trees take a lifetime.
ALL PLASTIC PRODUCTS SHOULD BE MADE FROM HEMP SEED OIL. Hempen plastics
are biodegradable! Over time, they would break down and not harm the
environment. Oil-based plastics, the ones we are very familiar with,
help ruin nature; they do not break down and will do great harm in
the future. The process to produce the vast array of natural (Hempen)
plastics will not ruin the rivers as Dupont and other petrochemical
companies have done. Ecology does not fit in with the plans of the
Oil Industry and the political machine. Hemp products are safe and
natural.
MEDICINES SHOULD BE MADE FROM HEMP. We should go back to the days
when the AMA supported Hemp cures. 'Medical Marijuana' is given out
legally to only a handful of people while the rest of us are forced
into a system that relies on chemicals. Hemp is only healthy for the
human body.
WORLD HUNGER COULD END. A large variety of food products can be generated
from Hemp. The seeds contain one of the highest sources of protein
in nature. ALSO: They have two essential fatty acids that clean your
body of cholesterol. These essential fatty acids are not found anywhere
else in nature! Consuming Hemp seeds is the best thing you could do
for your body. Eat uncooked Hemp seeds.
CLOTHES SHOULD BE MADE FROM HEMP. Hemp clothing is extremely strong
and durable over time. You could hand clothing, made from Hemp, down
to your grandchildren. Today, there are American companies that make
Hemp clothing; usually 50% Hemp. Hemp fabrics should be everywhere.
Instead, they are almost underground. Kentucky, once the top Hemp
producing state, made it ILLEGAL TO WEAR Hemp clothing! Can you imagine
being thrown into jail for wearing quality jeans? --
Blog comment from Knute9.
"The
War on Marijuana has be going on now for over 70 years. More people
have smoked marijuana today, by percentage, than in 1937. Presently
the usage of marijuana is about the same as cigarettes among teenagers.
Is that called success? Results are what matter. In the Netherlands,
where it’s legal, they have a far lower use of marijuana among
teenagers. They have a sensible approach that works.
Is marijuana
a grave danger to society? Every year there is several hundred-overdose
deaths from alcohol. How many people died overdosing on marijuana?
Zero. Alcohol is well known to cause violent or aggressive behavior,
marijuana does not. We must ask why our government is intentionally
ignoring the facts?
Currently the only thing wasted is tax money.
We are paying far more taxes today because the prohibition of marijuana.
70 years of wasted money on enforcement, judicial, and prison systems.
Should the police and the courts continue to waste their resources
on simple pot possession and use charges, while putting aside efforts
on more serious crimes?
Our country’s marijuana policy has been
a failure from start to finish, and we've spent a lot of money going
backwards. Also we lost all the tax monies by not taxing it. Talk
about waste in government. The tax monies would be better spent on
education and PR campaigns.
It is well known that Al Capone was a
big supporter of the prohibition of alcohol. Why? There's a lot more
profit to be made in the untaxed market. There's so much profit that
Capone bribed numerous politicians and law enforcement officials.
When the prohibition of alcohol was lifted, the crime actually dropped.
It brought the end of organized crime fighting for control of the
alcohol market. That’s called success! The strategy right now
is to ensure that marijuana is not taxed or sales regulated.
Presently
the drug cartels are controlling the production and sale of marijuana,
not our government. Do you think a drug dealer going to ask a kid
for ID? There is a drug war happening south of the border that is
undermining the Mexican government. Half the revenue of the drug cartels
comes from the production and sale of marijuana. By legalizing marijuana
would effectively remove 50 percent of the cartels monies. And any
business, legal or illegal, which loses half their revenue, faces
a great chance of complete collapse.
Our government is running up
deficits, spending billions yearly fighting marijuana, and losing
billions by not taxing marijuana. There are some who think that the
Government should have final say regarding our health, others think
the Government should increase more spending to fight marijuana. We
need to have this issue debated, and have the all candidates state
their stance regarding the current disastrous marijuana policy.
Sadly
many candidates chase the special interest monies, and Lobbyists don’t
always lobby for what is best for the country. Most people think of
marijuana as a drug business, but actually it has far greater economic
potentials. The hemp plant (marijuana) has many viable commercial
and industrial uses (energy, material, medical, etc.).
Did you know
that our founding fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew
hemp, and that the Declaration of Independence is written on hemp
paper? And for the record, the last four Presidents of the United
States of America smoked marijuana at one time.
Finally, how
do I really know why marijuana should be legal? The Bible tells me
so, Genesis 1:28-30. It's now the time to end the prohibition of marijuana.
Legalize it, Regulate it, Tax it." --
"Hemp
can be very helpful to mankind.
Hemp is illegal because billionaires want to remain billionaires!"
"Due
to the power and corrupting influence of big
pharma, the teaching
of nutritional science and the use of vitamin and herbal supplements
is
not taught to any significant extent in our medical schools. The obvious
reason is that less use of their prescription drugs would be the result."
ON THE OTHER HAND
A concerned parent wrote the following after visiting this page.
"I agree with the manufacturing parts and the agricultural advantages, BUT - - I have personally witnessed several individuals who have been regular users of marijuana completely waste their lives. They have ALL lost their ambition! They have become extremely complacent about life, work, anything that can make life successful.
None of them own their own homes, all have had good jobs at one time but lost them because they became "casual" about even showing up and their job performance declined severely, and they just didn't "give a darn" anymore. Some of them have children that have suffered because of their parents lack of ambition. All of them are receiving government subsidies of one form or another (food stamps, subsidized housing, etc.)
I personally do not know anyone on medical marijuana that actually needs it for a true medical condition. (Two of the above people however, do have medical certificates and they are healthier than I am!) I'm sure that it does have a medical use as well as for all of the above agriculture and manufacturing uses, but how do you again introduce it without creating the same problem we have with alcohol and that already exists with the current illegal use of the "drug"? It truly poses a dilemma.
I am currently a full time "Mommy" at the age of 70 because my foster child's parents can't stay off the drug and they can't function on it. They've both had serious injury accidents while driving under the influence of it and are both lucky to be alive at this point. Too bad they are missing the most important years of their daughter's life.
Thanks for sharing." --
My reply:
Thank you for your feedback.
I have made the same observations as a drug-abuse counselor. The key word is 'abuse'; abuse by the establishment in treating marijuana use as a crime; and marijuana-users treating it as harmless.
This is the reason I taught Kundalini Yoga for so many years, especially in our prison system. Practitioners get high on life, i.e., they get high on themselves sans substance abuse, and at the same time they practice self-control, which strengthens their character, a win-win for us all.
*Consultation
with a health care professional should occur before applying
adjustments or treatments to the body, consuming medications
or nutritional supplements and before dieting, fasting or exercising.
None of these activities are herein presented as substitutes
for competent medical treatment. See
Disclaimer.
EqualsHappiness.com
All schoolbooks were made from Hemp or flax paper until the 1880s;
Hemp Paper Reconsidered, Jack Frazier, 1974.
a violent
narcotic.
*Consultation
with a health care professional should occur before applying
adjustments or treatments to the body, consuming medications
or nutritional supplements and before dieting, fasting or exercising.
None of these activities are herein presented as substitutes
for competent medical treatment.