Legal hemp???

[werecat]

I was just outside here at the pit and the artists and piercers were talking about a hemp seed that High Times magazine sells that is legal to grow because it doesn't have THC (or must be so low as to be a mute point). Has any one else heard of this? I'm going to have my Dad check at the local police station next week, but this would be awesome as far as I was conserned! I would love to grow some next year as a cover crop after everything is harvested and just till it under in the spring. From what I understand it is amazing as a green manure and the roots go down something like 20" to break up clay soil and so on. As long as I don't have any intention of selling it as a drug (which of course I personally don't. I think if all you can think of to do with hemp is smoke it, you're just stupid!) then it is fine to grow. I will keep people posted as to what I find out, but if this is true I'm all for saving up to get some seed.

[Lavandula Girl]

I've read that it's not just a great cover crop, but has been an effective control for bindweed in some trials.... now THAT would be a feat!

[werecat]

I've read that it's not just a great cover crop, but has been an effective control for bindweed in some trials.... now THAT would be a feat!
I sent an email to high times and I was just told by the shop owner that U of I (I think that was the college) is growing a crop of the THC free hemp in trials and for research. Dang, I would really love to use hemp as a cover and green manure. So much funding wasted fighting over a simple plant that can do so much good simply cause some people prefer to smoke themselves stupid. The amount of money that the government could make from taxing the living tar out of sales rather man power trying to stop. *sigh* Yeah, can you tell Im all for legalizing the stuff. I don't even smoke it I just want to use it to help my garden believe it or not.

[redbrick]

Werecat, you're not the only one who thinks along that line. Just think, the money saved and made from "Blunt Tax" and police manpower could just about fund the war on the major drugs, I bet!

But what do we know? We're just citizens! (Smell that? That's sarcasm!)

[werecat]

Werecat, you're not the only one who thinks along that line. Just think, the money saved and made from "Blunt Tax" and police manpower could just about fund the war on the major drugs, I bet!

But what do we know? We're just citizens! (Smell that? That's sarcasm!)
I can find references to the thc free seed all over the place, but nothing as far as a site selling the seed or any information on how the states look at that particular strain and the legalities of it. It is all just so foolish. My nephew nearly got a detention over the lies they tried to feed him in the DARE program at his school. One of the questions was does Hemp have any benificial value and he answered "YES". He knows that it is used for gloucoma (sp) patients and to help with the neasua from chemotherapy. He knows that I use hemp oil in the tattoo balm I make and so on. The school wanted to give him a detention over it! My sister went in and ripped poop on them but good! Of course this is the same school that wanted to report him as having a tattoo at 13. He did. I painted on him myself and the dorks thought it was real. Sigh!

[Cliff Timmons]

I thought all you hippies died off? <grin>

I'll be hideing my redneck butt over here in the corner.

[winter_unfazed]

The "legal" hemp is not legal everywhere...only in 12 states, and in Canada.

[werecat]

The "legal" hemp is not legal everywhere...only in 12 states, and in Canada.
ok, then which 12 states? Is Illinois one of them?

[redbrick]

I thought all you hippies died off? <grin>




Cliff, don't you know? Old hippies never die, they just (wait for the punchline...) go to "pot"! :D Sorry, I couldn't help myself!

[werecat]

Cliff, don't you know? Old hippies never die, they just (wait for the punchline...) go to "pot"! :D Sorry, I couldn't help myself!
LoL! I quit smoking the stuff aabout 15 years ago. Be tons less stressed if I did still smoke. LOL

[winter_unfazed]

Yes, I do believe Illinois is one of them. I know California is, and I think Kentucky, Oregon and Washington too. I don't remember the rest.

[stonysoil]

if hemp was legal to grow.. it would be great boost for economy.. its an excellent fiber cropmthat would save may of the forests.. also can be used in biomass production as a source for alternative fuels.. but then again that would take away some money formm the cprporations like halburton

[Cliff Timmons]

Yeah, if we only grew pot, our problems would be over,........

I'm gonna go and paint some flowers on my truck now. <grin>

[johno]

Did ya' know that if it weren't for the oil companies that truck could be manufactured from hemp, lubricated by hemp, and run on hemp?

[boston]

We have a plant that grows wild around here that looks like hemp. I dont think it gets as big as the other.

[stonysoil]

if we grew hemp which is legal to grow upstate ny.. we wouldnt need to be in the war for oil.. and our economy would be greatly boosted

[stonysoil]

correction its illegal to grow here in upstate ny.. bad typist or maybe too much hemp lol

[werecat]

Daddy spoke to the state troopers for me and they said that if the plant has any thc in it at all then it isnt legal to grow. I have printed out an article about the Santhica hemp (0.05% thc), for him to take and ask them if that is low enough to be considered thc free.

[winter_unfazed]

Saving the forest is one reason why they made it legal in Canada.

BTW if it is growing wild and looks like hemp, it could be ditchweed (feral industrial hemp). We have that around here too.

[Cliff Timmons]

It's pot folks.
Any way you twist it, you're wanting to legalize marijuana.
Let's be honest about this thread.

We can discuss whether or not we should or not, but lets not hide behind "Hemp Crops" <grin>

[redbrick]

I don't know, Cliff. If smoking it won't get you high (not enough THC) is it really pot? After all, it'd be worthless in the illicit drug trade. If I remember correctly, there are several strains of hemp, all the same Cannibis sp., yet only one has enough THC to be "marijiuana". Yeah, it's semantics, but it's pretty important semantics.

[Cliff Timmons]

Oh I agree.
Hemp used to be quite a cash crop here in Missouri.
But what is that old saying, "Follow the money."? The money I see behind this push is the same money that wants to legalize marijuana. Chipping away at the laws to make legal to smoke pot.

On legalization, I'm split. I would hate to see my kids on any kind of drugs but then I ask myself, is it the government's place to dictate to me what I can or can't ingest. I am against smoking pot or anything else that alters one's judgement.

Messed up ain't I. <grin>

Back to my original point,.... it about legalization of marijuana, not "hemp."

[werecat]

Back to my original point,.... it about legalization of marijuana, not "hemp."

Not so much for me. Yes, I admit it. I would like to be able to come home after a really major crappy day at the he!! job I hate with such a passion I want to toss my cookies the minute I wake up knowing I don't have much choice but to go to work and brew a cup of tea with just enough THC in it to take the edge off and let me relax. But I know that for every one person that would make careful use of such a situation, there are at least 20 more fools out there that would smoke their brains out to the point of retardation. Again, it's a situation of mass stupidity ruining it for the few that have their heads screwed on straight. To me, it's not really any different than alcohol. There are social drinkers, special occasion drinkers, alcoholics and tea totalers. All are different degrees in the spectrum of use and abuse. Same type of thing goes on with pot. Making it illegal certainly hasn't stopped it's use or abuse, just driven it into the underground. Yes, I would like to see pot legalized, taxed to it's eyeballs as a smoking herb and let parents teach children responsibilities in it's use same as they do with alcohol (no offence intended Tim) rather than leaving it up to an overworked and underpaid police force to enforce common sence. However I am not holding my breath over that one. I smart enough to know that isn't about to happen.

But if the reason cannabis (sp?) is illegal is the THC in it, why not take advantage of the THC free strains and make use of those? Why continue to make them illegal when they still have all the advantages of the ones that you get high from without the ability to be made use of as an illicit drug? The THC free ones can still produce more fiber than trees for paper acre for acre and can do it in 6 months. That same fiber can be used for fabric and particle boards. It fixes nigrogen in the soil better than beans do. It breaks up soil down to 20 inches as a green manure. It is the best land based oxygen exchanging plant bar none. Hemp seed oil can be used for anything from an extremely healing topical skin treatment to fuel.... I am sure these uses are nothing new to any of us. Again, if THC is the issue, why are the THC free ones even in question? It just seems to me that with the way the laws are written now, it's a bit like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

[redbrick]

I have the suspicion that the reason all hemp is illegal is because it all looks the same. Mind you, this is just me putting two and two together and hoping I didn't get the square root of pi!

Think about it, though. What's a police officer to do without some "Star Trek" device telling him that this particular grove of Cannibis has a THC level of, say 0.25%? Does he burn the papermaker's cash crop to the ground and press charges, or does he let the backstreet dealer get away with a couple grand in hash? It's a real mess, isn't it?

BTW, (urban legend alert) I have heard from more than a few sources that the largest producer of Cannibis in the USA is (drum roll please)...the US Navy! Supposedly, they have quite the plantation going in either Kentucky or Tennesee, I don't remember which. The Navy is quite the stickler for tradition, and Hemp does make the best natural fiber rope, after all.

Oh, and Cliff, I do agree with you about mind-altering substances being available to our children. Of course, I do have to point out that we had more trouble with alcohol-related crime during the Prohibition than during any other time. I still wonder if we wouldn't be better off legalizing the stuff (marijiuana) and taxing the tar out of it.

And if anybody is wondering, while I know what it is to be drunk, I have no idea what it is to be high. Here's a contradiction for ya: maybe if it were legal, I would've tried it? Jeez, like I've got any answers!

[zebraman]

Hey Guys;J.Paul Getty is the person responsible for outlawing Cannibus Sativa.And he did this to also outlaw Hemp which he rightly knew would have taken a Giant bite out of his paper pulp buiseness.He is known for his newspaper but the bulk of his wealth came from manufacturing paper pulp for newspaper.-

[werecat]

I have the suspicion that the reason all hemp is illegal is because it all looks the same. Mind you, this is just me putting two and two together and hoping I didn't get the square root of pi!

Think about it, though. What's a police officer to do without some "Star Trek" device telling him that this particular grove of Cannibis has a THC level of, say 0.25%? Does he burn the papermaker's cash crop to the ground and press charges, or does he let the backstreet dealer get away with a couple grand in hash? It's a real mess, isn't it?

BTW, (urban legend alert) I have heard from more than a few sources that the largest producer of Cannibis in the USA is (drum roll please)...the US Navy! Supposedly, they have quite the plantation going in either Kentucky or Tennesee, I don't remember which. The Navy is quite the stickler for tradition, and Hemp does make the best natural fiber rope, after all.

Oh, and Cliff, I do agree with you about mind-altering substances being available to our children. Of course, I do have to point out that we had more trouble with alcohol-related crime during the Prohibition than during any other time. I still wonder if we wouldn't be better off legalizing the stuff (marijiuana) and taxing the tar out of it.

And if anybody is wondering, while I know what it is to be drunk, I have no idea what it is to be high. Here's a contradiction for ya: maybe if it were legal, I would've tried it? Jeez, like I've got any answers!
I will freely admit I have tried it. But I dealt with it the same as I did and do alcohol. When I first moved out on my own, I would pick up a bottle of wint occasionally and have a glass when I got home from work. When it got to the point I was looking at the wine and a gallon of milk and trying to choose, that's it, I was done for a while. When it got to the point I was enjoying the high more than that company of the friend that was sharing it with me, nope. that was it, done. that was something like 15 years ago... *shrug* like I said, use and abuse. If it was legal, I might still occasionally enjoy a bit just like I still ocassionally enjoy a nice glass of wine. I just have too much to lose now.

[werecat]

Hey Guys;J.Paul Getty is the person responsible for outlawing Cannibus Sativa.And he did this to also outlaw Hemp which he rightly knew would have taken a Giant bite out of his paper pulp buiseness.He is known for his newspaper but the bulk of his wealth came from manufacturing paper pulp for newspaper.-I'm familiar with that line too. My He!! job is working for one of the largest paper mills around in thier office supply business (actually I think it has been seperated now, but I'm not sure). Someone I work with told me I shouldnt be pro legalization cause I work for a paper mill. *rude noise* just seems to me if they legalize it a smart person or business would begin growing hemp and leave the trees alone. Wouldnt it be less expensive to make paper from hemp rather than have to wait for a tree to grow to a useable size??? *shrug* Big Corporate business never made much sence to me anyway.

[flowerpower]

Here in NY, I can legally grow Breadseed (Opium ) Poppy as an ornamental flower. I can grow Foxglove from which digitalis is made. But rope hemp is illegal. Kind of stupid.

[Cliff Timmons]

Here in NY, I can legally grow Breadseed (Opium ) Poppy as an ornamental flower. I can grow Foxglove from which digitalis is made. But rope hemp is illegal. Kind of stupid.

I hear you. I think everyone in here that owns property could say that they have stuf growing there that will send you for a loop. Between little plants, mushrooms and tree barks we could all fly to the top of the county water tower and howl at the moon.

I don't take that stuff for the same reasons I don't drink. And it has nothing to do with any laws. <grin>

[stonysoil]

i think the reason that induistrial hemp is not legalized is soley for the reason that oil companies would suffer if we found ohter alternative fuel sources,, industrial hemp does not contain the thc content to make it usable for recreational uses..

[Lavandula Girl]

Great! If that's the case, we may all soon be growing illegal corn! Guess I'll have to move my Painted Mountain Sweet up into the actual mountains next year, to hide it from the feds! Heh heh heh.....

[winter_unfazed]

Marijuana is the general word, in Spanish. There are three more specific common names for different types. (We do not have this in English.)

Can~amo means the industrial kind that will not get you high at all.

Potiguana, in the proper usage of the word, means low-THC types that have just enough THC to use medically, but not strong enough to get a "good" high in the recreational drug world.

Grifa is the BAD STUFF. The stuff that high school kids get in trouble for; the stuff that you smell in cheap motels; the stuff that President Clinton smoked (but did not inhale).

So when you say "legalizing marijuana", it makes it sound like we are trying to legalize GRIFA, when all we are talking about is CAN~AMO. Outlawing a plant because it is related to a bad one is nothing more than guilt-by-association.

[flowerpower]

Cannabis that is used medicinally would have very high amts of THC. They are hybridized strains. This is not the stuff you can buy on the street corner.

The USDA has recalled how many of its ''approved" drugs because of their side effects-stroke, heart attack etc? But they will not legalize marijuana for medical purposes. Why, because it is so dangerous?

[winter_unfazed]

Because they are afraid that it will get onto the streets. There are already hybridized potent strains occasionally found on the black market: 'Michoacan Gold', 'Colombian Gold', 'Berkeley', and 'Maui Electric' are some of the worst. They were developed by professional plant breeders hired by the narcotraficantes (with the exception of 'Berkeley', which was developed secretly by students at Berkeley's botany lab) .

Most of the "ordinary" recreational stuff is 'Humboldt'. However, you may be surprised to find that much of the dope around today is no longer Humboldt, but the strong strains listed above. A joint of Berkeley grifa can cause 16 times the damage of a cigarette to your lungs. It is also linked to infertility in both men and women.

[werecat]

Because they are afraid that it will get onto the streets. There are already hybridized potent strains occasionally found on the black market: 'Michoacan Gold', 'Colombian Gold', 'Berkeley', and 'Maui Electric' are some of the worst. They were developed by professional plant breeders hired by the narcotraficantes (with the exception of 'Berkeley', which was developed secretly by students at Berkeley's botany lab) .

Most of the "ordinary" recreational stuff is 'Humboldt'. However, you may be surprised to find that much of the dope around today is no longer Humboldt, but the strong strains listed above. A joint of Berkeley grifa can cause 16 times the damage of a cigarette to your lungs. It is also linked to infertility in both men and women.
Yes, but making it illegal hasnt stopped it at all. It would be easier for me to buy a quarter than it is for me to beg an extra migrane med dose to get me through till my next dr apt and my migrane meds are non narcotic and I have a history of taking them for the last 9 years. All making it illegal did was make it incredibly expensive (non taxed), completely unregulated and also bar the good / harmless stuff from being used for the great things it can be used for.

[stonysoil]

i have a friend that was growing 3 plants on his property last yr.. somehow they found i it by scouting the area with helicopters .. hi splace ios in the middle of nowhere.. .. since then his life has really changed ... hes lost his job.. loosing his house..lawyers fees that are unbelievable.. he only wanyted some pot to help with his depression issues.. never even had a speeding ticket before.. so i find it difficult to see the justice in this

[Cliff Timmons]

My job here is finished. <grin>

[Sandbar]

... I still wonder if we wouldn't be better off legalizing the stuff (marijiuana) and taxing the tar out of it. ...
How would you tax something that can be grown in your back yard and the seeds saved for the next year?

[Cliff Timmons]

i have a friend that was growing 3 plants on his property last yr.. somehow they found i it by scouting the area with helicopters .. hi splace ios in the middle of nowhere.. .. since then his life has really changed ... hes lost his job.. loosing his house..lawyers fees that are unbelievable.. he only wanyted some pot to help with his depression issues.. never even had a speeding ticket before.. so i find it difficult to see the justice in this
I just wished someone would have told him it was against the law before all of this happened.

[redbrick]

Well, Sandbar, they do it with tobacco, right?

[Sandbar]

Well, Sandbar, they do it with tobacco, right?
Do you mean on commercial farms? I've never grown tobacco, so I don't know if the tax is collected at the point it leaves the farm and goes to the tobacco product manufacturers or whether the tax is collected when the final product is sold in a retail store.

I guess what I'm thinking is that every Tom, Dick and Harry could grow marijuana their garden just like they'd grow tomatoes. Then they'd have access to another harmful narcotic and it would be outside the "tax system."

And, RedBrick, if I offended you, please accept my sincere apologies. I guess I saw what I thought was a loop hole in the tax system you were proposing.

BTW, IMHO, "taxes" are rarely the answer ... I guess because I'm so sick of paying them ... I just flat hate taxes and the burden it is on our economy. :(

[johno]

"harmful narcotic"?

The government has had studies made on this substance which show it to be completely harmless - long term studies. Yet they ignore these studies (paid for with taxpayers money) because they make too much money keeping it illegal. No, I don't keep a list of sources, but the last study was reported about on aol news a few months ago.

It's not just law enforcement seizures and court costs that bring in the cash, either. Lobbyists grease the palms of our lawmakers, too. The oil industry would have big competition if hemp (not marijuana) were legal because many of the things made from petroleum can also be made from hemp oil, a renewable resource.

[redbrick]

Sandbar, don't worry, you didn't offend me in the least! Believe me, it takes a lot more than a conversation like this to get me fired up!

As to the tobacco industry, I think it works like this: The farmer will apply for a growers' permit because they will be dealing with a controlled substance. If I'm not mistaken, when the permit arrives the farmer enters into a price-controlled contract with the federal government and a tobacco company for the transaction of that season's harvest. I'm pretty sure that all taxation occurs between final product manufacture and final consumer purchase.

About the time I quit smoking, about seven years ago, I heard a statistic that was rather interesting if it was accurate. Supposedly, that $2.50 pack of smokes really cost (profits included) about 75 cents, with the difference tied up in state and federal taxes.

I do know that, with a little legwork, you can track down tobacco seed for personal culture and use, but that the end quality is usually far inferior to what you can buy at any mini-mart. It would seem to follow that a legalized marijuana industry would also be able to produce a higher quality product than the average "head" could grow in his backyard.

BTW, these are just pure speculation and guesswork. the last time I tried to put two and two together, I think I got the square root of pi, LOL!

[Sandbar]

"harmful narcotic"?
I guess "harmful" is a personal opinion. And, I've never heard of marijuana being tested and found to be "completely harmless". A quick Google of "marijuana side-affects" pulled up plenty of sites with less than a "harmless" opinion of marijuana.

I smoked marijuana in college ... way before I became a Christian at the age of 33. I remember reading an article in Reader's Digest (so it HAD to be true!) that listed side-affects of the drug. I seemed to have them all. Stopped using it immediately.

I'd be interested in that government study, if you can find the source, again.

[Cliff Timmons]

See?
This whole conversation is rooted in, "Dude, I wanna toke up." ism. <grin>

[chubbyduckie]

I hear you. I think everyone in here that owns property could say that they have stuf growing there that will send you for a loop. Between little plants, mushrooms and tree barks we could all fly to the top of the county water tower and howl at the moon.

I don't take that stuff for the same reasons I don't drink. And it has nothing to do with any laws. <grin>

Somehow I missed some of this thread. Hey Cliff, what kind of tree bark do you speak of here?? hee, hee......

We used to have a friend who grew this huge pot plant behind his storage shed - in town. When he showed it to me, it was towering over the shed; but the cops never did see it. Guess that's real luck, eh?!

[flowerpower]

"harmful narcotic" ? My friend's 13 yr old son is on WAY stronger meds for his ADD and his depression. Does it really surprise anyone that some of us have smoked pot? Geez, I was a teenager in NYC during the 80's. And I hung out with the rock and roll crowd. I have seen alot worse things than people toking up.

I had a friend who recenlty died after having cancer for 6 yrs. He was only 45. The end was really bad for him. The drs had no problem giving him Morphine to "help". It helped the pain but made him totally incoherent.And he did not like the weird visions he was having. He did not want to be like that. When he called and asked me to get him pot, what should I have said? "No, it's illegal." We were friends for 25 yrs. And after he smoked it, he stopped coughing for about an hr. He was able to sit and chat with us about old times. I will say it was worth the ''risk'' in this case.

[Cliff Timmons]

That just confirms my thought.

I'm not saying I'm for it or against it,.... just that, pardon the pun,.... this topic is just smoke and mirrors.<grin>

[johno]

I guess "harmful" is a personal opinion. And, I've never heard of marijuana being tested and found to be "completely harmless". A quick Google of "marijuana side-affects" pulled up plenty of sites with less than a "harmless" opinion of marijuana.

I smoked marijuana in college ... way before I became a Christian at the age of 33. I remember reading an article in Reader's Digest (so it HAD to be true!) that listed side-affects of the drug. I seemed to have them all. Stopped using it immediately.

I'd be interested in that government study, if you can find the source, again.


Here are links to some news articles:
http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/marijuana-may-stave-off-alzheimers-study/20061005162409990004?cid=2194
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12943013/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/06/030630112652.htm

[Sandbar]

Johno, thanks for the links.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12943013/
A few quotes from this article:

"The results should not be taken as a blank check to smoke pot, which has been associated with problems like cognitive impairment and chronic bronchitis, ..."

"Previous studies showed marijuana tar contained about 50 percent more of the chemicals linked to lung cancer, compared with tobacco tar, ..."

"... a cancer-marijuana link could emerge as baby boomers age.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/06/030630112652.htm
From the third article:

"... heavy marijuana users often abuse other drugs, such as alcohol and amphetamines, which also might have long-term neurological effects."

Marijuana is often a stepping stone to other, more serious drug use.

What's disconcerting is that the drug is known to affect judgement (just like alcohol) and it's dangerous just on that point alone. Studies continue to offer conflicting views on this issue, so it seems that there will never be a consensus.

Where there's smoke, there's fire. If there's enough smoke and you can't see the fire ... you still have a problem.

[johno]

I sent an email to high times and I was just told by the shop owner that U of I (I think that was the college) is growing a crop of the THC free hemp in trials and for research. Dang, I would really love to use hemp as a cover and green manure. So much funding wasted fighting over a simple plant that can do so much good simply cause some people prefer to smoke themselves stupid. The amount of money that the government could make from taxing the living tar out of sales rather man power trying to stop. *sigh* Yeah, can you tell Im all for legalizing the stuff. I don't even smoke it I just want to use it to help my garden believe it or not.


I think this is where we started diverging from the point. What about non-drug hemp? Why is it illegal? What are all of its uses? In what cases might it be legal to grow? I think there is such a thing as a permit for hemp plantations - does anyone know for sure?

[Sandbar]

Is it easy to distinguish between marijuana and the low-octane hemp plant?

I've long heard about it's many non-drug uses, and had always wondered if the non-THC version looked so similar to marijuana that they just banned the whole group because of an enforcement problem. Kind of like using a 12 guage shotgun to hunt squirrels, I know, but, effective nontheless.

[CRAZY1]

Well all i can tel you for sure is the navy still uses hemp lines on their vesels. the bounus to hemp is that it's able to withstand the water and remain at its same tensile strenghth and never stretch. This plant, not DRUG, is used by our government, and has NO THC value. Heck folks the first American flag was sown together with hemp.

[Sandbar]

THAT's why they banned the plant! All 'dem colonists wuz smokin' da flag! :D

[redbrick]

Huh, maybe THAT'S why it's illegal to burn the flag! :cool:

[flowerpower]

Is it easy to distinguish between marijuana and the low-octane hemp plant?

I found that this site had some very good information on hemp and its traditional uses. They sell clothes. It's not drug site.

http://www.hemptraders.com/


Here is what they say:

Myth: Hemp fields would be used to hide marijuana plants.

Reality: Hemp is grown quite differently from marijuana. Moreover, it is harvested at a different time than marijuana. Finally, cross-pollination between hemp plants and marijuana plants would significantly reduce the potency of the marijuana plant.