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"The people who cast the votes don't decide an election; the people who COUNT the votes do." -- Joseph Stalin
Showing posts with label legalize. Show all posts
Showing posts with label legalize. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Oregon Legalizes Industrial Hemp


Hemp Farming in America

Sanity is gradually returning to the United States as the State of Oregon became the sixth state to legalize industrial hemp.

Oregon’s House of Representatives voted Monday night to legalize the cultivation of hemp, becoming the sixth state to do so just this year.

Oregon’s Senate voted 27 to 2 in favor of the new law last week. Monday’s 46 to 11 House vote means that the measure will become law, barring an unlikely veto by Governor Ted Kulongoski.

The move is part of a rapidly growing nationwide trend to liberalize laws relating to marijuana. Hemp is a botanical cousin of marijuana, traditionally used to make clothing, rope and other durable fiber goods.

“Hemp is a versatile, environmentally-friendly crop that has not been grown in the U.S. for over fifty years because of a misguided and politicized interpretation of the nation’s drug laws by the Drug Enforcement Administration,” Vote Hemp President Eric Steenstra said in a statement.

“While a new bill in Congress, HR 1866, is a welcome step, the hemp industry is hopeful that President Obama’s administration will recognize hemp’s myriad benefits to farmers, businesses and the environment.”

According to Vote Hemp, this year Maine, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota and Vermont and ”all passed resolutions or memorials urging Congress to allow states to regulate hemp farming.”

California is at the forefront of the marijuana debate, with a movement growing to decriminalize marijuana for personal use in the state by 2010.

But in Oregon’s debate, politicians were careful to distinguish between hemp and weed, and to highlight the fact that the new law would allow farmers to cultivate hemp, not grow marijuana.

Some members of Oregon’s legislature displayed t-shirts reading “Senate Bill 676 is about rope, not dope.”

SOURCE: RAW STORY


Farming Hemp in the United States

In 1938, Popular Mechanics Magazine declared that Hemp was the next billion dollar industry and a boon for farmers across America. However, the corporate influence of men like Hearst and DuPont stepped in. The Marijuana Tax Act is passed and forbids hemp farming in the US. Dupont files a patent for nylon.

In 1991, Willie Nelson issued a plea to America to come to its senses and legalize Industrial Hemp, a product that was mandatory for the farmers of the Colonies, and for which the United States Government made a movie entitled, "Hemp for Victory". Why is it illegal? To protect the financial corporate interests of the textile, petrochemical, and lumber (paper) industries. How long will America stand for corporate America sticking it to the little guy?



Hemp, Natures Perfect Plant

Industrial hemp is an incredible resource. Hemp is harvested for its fibers for hemp clothing and seeds for hemp oil. With a relatively short growth cycle of 100-120 days, it is an efficient and economical crop for farmers to grow, however, industrial hemp cannot be commercially grown in the United States because it is erroneously confounded with marijuana. In fact, industrial hemp and marijuana are different breeds of Cannabis sativa. Smoking large amounts of hemp flowers can produce a headache but not a high!




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Monday, April 20, 2009

April 20 is National Pot Smoking Day



April 20th, or 4/20, is "National Pot Smoking Day," an unofficial holiday for marijuana celebrations and legalization advocates. Events scheduled around the country Monday celebrate marijuana and the legalization movement. In New York City, High Times magazine will hold a secret and sold out event and in San Francisco crowds are expected to celebrate at parks near the Golden Gate Bridge.

But at Boulder, Colo. students and activists are expected to celebrate what is being called the biggest 4/20 event in the world according to NORML, the National Association for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Speakers and a forum are being held at University of Colorado, with a 4:20 toking up in the center quad of the school. University officials are not condoning the event and sent out an email to students asking them not to participate in the events, saying it debases the reputation of the school.

Why April 20? The common history of 4/20 points to students in 1971 at San Rafael High School in San Rafael, Calif. meeting each afternoon after school at 4:20 to smoke pot. The date April 20, 4/20, then grew out of that to become a unofficial day for marijuana. "420" also has became a term for a time to get high.
Marijuana advocates are encouraged that the discussion of legalization is becoming more widespread.

We applaud their efforts and encourage President Obama to move away from his politically correct position and to legalize this vital plant that has meant so much to this planet for many thousands of years.


CLICK TO READ
FULL STORY



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Monday, April 6, 2009

Ron Paul and Barney Frank: Legalize Industrial Hemp Now

True American Heroes

Bring back industrial hemp

Eighty years ago, using a dizzying barrage of propaganda and racist dirty tricks, the chemical company DuPont with the help of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst succeeded in having the cultivation and possession of hemp criminalized. The reality is that industrial grade hemp cannot be used to get high, and it's one of the most useful plants in human history. Hemp is one of the most diverse plants on the planet, and could literally supply most of humankind's needs for fuel, food, clothing, building products, and medicine. It would provide a multi-billion dollar industry for American farmers in this dire time of economic need.

Two US Congressmen, Barney Frank and Ron Paul, have introduced the Industrial Hemp Farming Act to change this sorry state of affairs. Eight other Congressmen from both parties have co-sponsored it.

Currently, about 99% of marijuana that is being eradicated by the "heroic" efforts of the DEA and other publicly funded layabouts is "ditchweed," completely unsmokable biological material descended from hemp plants that used to provide America and the world with cloth, fiber, paper, industrial lubricants, and even food (the seeds are as nutritious as milk.)

Then, in 1943, the United States Department of Agriculture produced this 13 minute video entitled "Hemp for Victory" in the national interest to protect our efforts in WW2 urging American farmers to grow this valuable plant that was MANDATORY for the early colonial farmers to grow.

Perhaps sanity will FINALLY prevail in this country.




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Friday, March 27, 2009

A Response to Obama on Legalizing Marijuana

Webb Will Fight to End Insane Drug Policy

Mr. Obama's joking response to a serious question posed by thousands of his supporters was discomforting enough for us to post yesterday's remarks which we entitled, THE PRESIDENT MADE A BIG MISTAKE. His comments and attitude has spurred other reactions as well. Here is one:

"
Despite the president's flippant comments today, the grievous harms of marijuana prohibition are no laughing matter," said Jack Cole, a former undercover narcotics officer and founding member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, in a statement to RAW STORY. "Certainly, the 800,000 people arrested last year on marijuana charges find nothing funny about it, nor do the millions of Americans struggling in this sluggish economy. It would be an enormous economic stimulus if we stopped wasting so much money arresting and locking people up for nonviolent drug offenses and instead brought in new tax revenue from legal sales, just as we did when ended alcohol prohibition 75 years ago during the Great Depression."

Better yet, Senator Jim Webb of Virginia was quietly preparing to introduce major legislation which has the potential to dramatically alter US drug laws. Calling the US criminal justice system "
a national disgrace," two US senators called for a top-to-bottom review with an eye on reforms aimed at reducing America's vast prison population.

Senator Webb, backed by Republican Senator Arlen Specter, introduced legislation to create a blue-ribbon panel that would con
duct an 18-month assessment and offer concrete recommendations for reform. Sen. Webb's legislation enjoys not just bipartisan support, but "quiet encouragement from President Barack Obama," reported The Virginian-Pilot.

"
America's criminal justice system has deteriorated to the point that it is a national disgrace," Webb said, noting that the United States has five percent of the world's population but 25 percent of the world's prisoners.

According to a document released by Sen. Webb's office, "
Its task will be to propose concrete, wide-ranging reforms to responsibly reduce the overall incarceration rate; improve federal and local responses to international and domestic gang violence; restructure our approach to drug policy; improve the treatment of mental illness; improve prison administration, and establish a system for reintegrating ex-offenders."

The Virginia lawmaker noted soaring numbers o
f drug offenders in prison, and charged that four times more mentally ill people are incarcerated than are in mental health hospitals. "We are doing something drastically wrong," said Webb, whose plan also aims to improve the US response to armed gangs, especially drug-related groups, as it seeks to bring the prison population down from about 2.4 million people.

"
The high-level commission created by the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 legislation will be comprised of experts in fields including criminal justice, law enforcement, public heath, national security, prison administration, social services, prisoner reentry, and victims' rights," read a statement from Webb's office. "It will be led by a chairperson to be appointed by the President. The Majority and Minority Leaders in the House and Senate, and the Democratic and Republican Governors Associations will appoint the remaining members of the commission."

About five million people are on probation or parole.

"We are not protecting our citizens from the increasing danger of criminals who perpetrate violence and intimidation as a way of life, and we are locking up too many people who do not belong in jail," said Webb.

source:
RAW STORY



We agree with you, Senator Webb, and encourage everyone to forward our article supporting the legalization of marijuana to the White House.

Here is the link: THE PRESIDENT MAKES A BIG MISTAKE.


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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Obama Blunts Raids on Cannabis Clubs

A Real Danger to the Community

In what an ever-increasing number of Americans hope is just the first step on the way to legalization of marijuana, especially in light of the recent results of Hemp Oil with THC
curing cancer, Barack Obama has officially called off the dogs.  There will be no more raids on cannabis clubs that dispense medicinal marijuana.  

In a little-noticed remark Wednesday, Obama Attorney General Eric Holder said that the Justice Department will no longer raid medical marijuana dispensaries established under state laws but technically prohibited by the federal government.  The decision marks a shift from the Bush Administration, which was more draconian in its approach to hunting those who sought to dispense marijuana for medical purposes. 

Numerous states have decriminalized marijuana in recent years, and new fiscal pressures are turning more states toward being more lenient toward first-time drug offenders as the cost of keeping drug users in jail becomes untenable for state budgets.  The remark was caught by The Huffington Post's 
Ryan Grimm.

The Drug Enforcement Administration continued to carry out such raids after Obama's inauguration, Grimm says, despite an Obama campaign promise to cease the practice. But asked at a press conference Wednesday, Holder said it wouldn't be the Administration's policy going forward.

"No" it won't be Obama policy, Holder said. "What the president said during the campaign, you'll be surprised to know, will be consistent with what we'll be doing in law enforcement. He was my boss during the campaign. He is formally and technically and by law my boss now. What he said during the campaign is now American policy."

During the campaign, Obama told an Oregon newspaper that he agreed with the idea of medical marijuana. "
I think the basic concept of using medical marijuana for the same purposes and with the same controls as other drugs prescribed by doctors, I think that's entirely appropriate," said Obama.

Filed by John Byrne and David Edwards
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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

California Congressman Introduces Bill to Legalize Pot


If California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has his way, the Golden State might become known as the Green State to pot smokers around the country. During a press conference Monday morning in San Francisco, Ammiano introduced "The Marijuana Control, regulation and education act." The far-reaching bill would go well beyond decriminalization of marijuana to actually legalize the cultivation, sale, purchase and possession of the plant.

With the state in the midst of an historic economic crisis, the move towards regulating and taxing marijuana is simply common sense," Ammiano said. "This legislation would generate much needed revenue for the state, restrict access to only those over 21, end the environmental damage to our public lands from illicit crops, and improve public safety by redirecting law enforcement efforts to more serious crimes."

Ammiano and a group of speakers during the press conference described the bill as "a simple matter of fiscal common sense," according to the San Francisco Weekly.

The bill would remove "all penalties under California law for the cultivation, transportation, sale, purchase, possession, and use of marijuana, natural THC and paraphernalia by persons over the age of 21"; would "prohibit local and state law enforcement officials from enforcing federal marijuana laws"; and would create a $50 state fee for each ounce of marijuana sold, beyond whatever pot will cost once it becomes legal, the newspaper reported.

"
Marijuana arrests actually increased 18 percent in California in 2007 while all other arrests for controlled substances fell," Steve Gutwillig, California's director of Drug Policy Alliance, said during the press conference. "This costs the state a billion dollars a year and taxpayers are footing the bill. Meanwhile, black marketers are laughing all the way to the bank."

Ammiano's bold legislation comes on the heels of a recent statement by three former Latin American presidents, who called for legalization of marijuana and described the U.S. "War on Drugs" as a failure. Former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria said there was no meaningful debate over drugs policy in the United States, despite a broad consensus that current policies had failed.

Last year, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced a bill on Capitol Hill to decriminalize marijuana, which he called the "Make Room for the Serious Criminals Bill" on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. More than 10 U.S. states have decriminalized the possession of small amounts of the plant; Massachusetts did so last month. Oregon was the first to do so, in 1973.

Speaking Monday at the San Francisco press conference, a retired Orange County judge said "
the most harmful thing about marijuana today is prison ." Judge James P. Gray, who recently retired from his 25-year post and has run for Congress as a Republican, said prohibition of pot "clog[s] the court system."

"
The stronger we get on marijuana, the softer we get with regard to all other prosecutions because we have only so many resources," Gray said. "And we at this moment, have thousands of people in state prison right this minute who did nothing but smoke marijuana."

According to recent polls,
41 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana. That's a higher approval rating than that currently enjoyed by Rush Limbaugh, former President George W. Bush and Republican congressional leaders, according to PollingReport.com.

From Raw Story





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Saturday, February 21, 2009

Ron Paul: America Must End War on Drugs



Perhaps he has been reading The Candid Blogger. First Barney Frank introduces a bill to decriminalize marijuana and now Congressman Ron Paul steps up AGAIN. He has been a constant opponent of the War on Drugs and its disastrous effects on the American people. It is time. Here is the article:

"Congressman Ron Paul is the most conservative, grandfatherly man to ever be admired by America's marijuana enthusiasts. On Friday night's episode of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, he reminded those who may have been suffering an impaired short-term memory at that late hour why, exactly, they should like him.

Speaking live from Clute, Texas, the libertarian-leaning Republican did what few other members of Congress will and openly called for the United States' War on Drugs to be abolished.

"What about when FDR came to office in '33," asked Maher. "One of the first things he did was repeal prohibition. He said we can't afford this anymore. Well, we have prohibition in this country. ... When he was making radical changes he said look, we're serious now. We're going to make serious changes and people like liquor."

"Well, in this country, people like pot," said Maher to a wave of cheers and applause. "If we ended that prohibition, that would be a giant pooling of money."

"I don't like pot," said the congressman. "But I hate the drug war, so I would repeal all of prohibition. But, I wouldn't even bother taxing it. People have the right in a free country to make important decisions on their own lives. If they want to make mistakes, they can. They just can't come crawling to the government to get bailed out or taken care of if they get sick."
"I believe in freedom of choice in all that we do, as long as the individual never hurts anybody else. So that means I would get rid of all the federal laws. I would dispose with the drug war. We're spending tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars on this, then we march into places like California, override state law, arrest sick people and put them in prison."

"It makes no sense whatsoever," he insisted.

"Amen, stoner," joked Maher.

Filed by David Edwards and Stephen C. Webster
From Raw Story: http://rawstory.com//printstory.php?story=14476



This video is from HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, broadcast Feb. 20, 2009.






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Thursday, February 19, 2009

The War on Drugs - a Bush Family Production

The World's #1 Drug Dealer of All Time

From 1976 to 1979, Papa Bush directed the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In 1979 he made his first try to become President of the United States. He lost the Republican Party nomination to Ronald Reagan who asked Bush to be his Vice-President. Bush became Vice- President in 1980 and headed the National Security Council's "Crisis Management Team". Mr. Bush was busy during his term as Vice-President becoming the largest crack cocaine dealer in the World.  

After becoming the World's #1 Drug Dealer during his term in office as Vice-President, in 1988, George Bush was elected President. The San Jose Mercury News in August, 1996, in an expose by reporter Gary Webb based on court records described how the Nicaraguan Contras with the backing of the Reagan-Bush administration, flooded the streets of Los Angeles with crack cocaine during 1983-87, supplying gangs like the Crips and Bloods.  The Executive Intelligence Review (EIR) reported on September 20, 1996 that this was done while George Bush was overseeing the entire operation along with Oliver North (of Iran-Contra fame). As a direct result, there were 100,000 to 200,000 people imprisoned in America on drug charges.

An article, "CIA Genl. Counsel: Contra Drug Records May Not Exist" published in The New Federalist on September 30, 1996 reports that Jeff Smith, General Counsel of the CIA has "acknowledged--for the first time-- that records of such activities may not exist, for the reason that U.S. government officials may have been involved in privatized, 'off-line' secret operations."
The article goes on to say that the activities of Oliver North, Richard Secord, Felix Rodriguez, and others, were all supervised by George Bush and that the operation was actually run outside the "official" CIA through private networks and contractors. Apparently, such covert operations are permitted under the 1981 Executive Order 12333, and under National Security Decision Directives 2, 3, and others.

At a Washington, D.C. press conference on Sept. 19, 1996, EIR Washington bureau chief Bill Jones, Law Editor Edward Spannuas, Counterintelligence Editor Jeffery Steinberg, and EIR analyst Gail Billington, released a 120-page special multi-client report, '
Would a President Bob Dole Prosecute Drug Super-Kingpin George Bush?' which documents the role of the former Vice President and President, in overseeing the biggest cocaine-smuggling operations of the 1980s. Steinberg reviewed many of Reagan Presidential Executive Orders and National Security Decision Directives, many now declassified, that placed Vice President Bush -- not the CIA -- directly in charge of the Contra operation. Although active and former CIA personnel were involved in the Contra supply operations, Steinberg documented that it was senior Bush aides, including ex-CIA official Donald Gregg, ex-CIA officer Felix Rodriguez, and Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North, who administered the secret program and who had first-hand knowledge of the illegal drug trafficking by Contra pilots.

'
The evidence is overwhelming,' Steinberg concluded, 'that the Contras were flooding the United States with illegal drugs, to finance the war in Central America; and that Vice President George Bush sat on top.''   And who was his right-hand man? Dick Cheney! Scary, isn't it?

During his term of office he granted 6 pardons to former officials in Watergate scandals. Bush officially began his "
War on Drugs" on September 5, 1989, just two years after supplying street gangs in the United States with millions of dollars in crack cocaine. He outlined the Federal Government's strategy for eliminating drug use when he gave the first prime time address of his presidency. His budget asked for $7.9 billion from Congress, a $2.2 billion increase from the previous budget. Of that, 70% would go to law enforcement, which included $1.6 billion for jails. However, only 30% went to prevention, education, and treatment.

Bush chose to wage his war by primarily focusing on demand in the United States, which meant arresting the drug user (not the trafficker) rather than focusing on prevention, education and treatment, or interdiction (trying to reduce the supply of drugs). Since the federal government has very limited police power, Bush decided to wage this war through by coercing the states. States that did not comply with the Bush plan would be penalized with a reduction in funding from the federal government.  

A bill was passed in December, 1990 that coerced the states into suspending the driver's licenses and revoking government permits and benefits including college loans of those who were convicted of drug crimes. If the states did not enact the legislation mandated by this federal bill, there would be a significant reduction of federal aid to their highways, beginning in 1993. This is America? No. It is Papa George Bush’s view of America – not unlike a dictatorship.  By coercing the states into doing the brunt of the fighting, without providing them with adequate funds, the federal government was forcing them to spend more money out of their own budgets to fight Bush's “War on Drugs” – a “war” he had created himself by supplying the drugs!

Bush used forfeiture, or confiscation of property that "
the government believed to be drug related". This law was used to confiscate cars, currency and land. The seized property is then auctioned off to raise money for both the state and federal governments. Forfeiture doesn't even require a trial, let alone a conviction. It's Good Old Russia right here in America and nobody is saying anything!  

Forfeiture laws operate under assumed guilt. In 1989, the United States government took in over $1 billion due to forfeiture. Jails soon became overcrowded. Drug arrests rose almost 69%. By 1992 there were more people in federal jails for drug charges than there were for all crimes in 1980, causing Chief Justice of the Supreme Court William Rehnquist to complain that there were too many arrests. Despite the $1.6 billion that had gone to build new federal prisons, there was a logjam due to Bush's focus on the drug user; twice as many people were arrested for possession than for selling. This overcrowding meant that sentences had to be shortened, usually of violent offenders since drug offenders received mandatory sentences.

The drug war was a dismal failure in its dealings with the poor and it was planned that way. Bush glutted the streets of America with drugs. Then he started his "War on Drugs", not on the traffickers, but on the users, the same users that for whom he had provided the drugs. He made sure people were put in jail with mandatory sentencing, deprived them of personal property through forfeiture, and labeled them a "drug user" by society. Thanks to Bush many corporations and businesses in American rob our citizens of their basic right to privacy by requiring drug testing before employment. Worst of all, he made the States pay for it. It is the way they divide and conquer the American people.

No effort was made to rehabilitate or treat those convicted of drug related crimes. If Bush actually wanted to reduce demand, he would have placed more emphasis on treatment. Bush ignored treatment, education and research. Congress felt that his initial budget for treatment was so inadequate that it added $1.1 billion for treatment, prevention, and education. By 1992, the amount for treatment alone had grown to $1.9 billion. Not enough was known about drug abuse and addiction to treat it. This is the father of the man who claims to be a  “compassionate Conservative”, an oxymoron is there ever was one.

Papa Bush's War on Drugs was a racist attack on the poor who by 1992 used more cocaine, heroin, and crack than when the War on Drugs began. One million people still smoked crack by the end of the Bush administration. The crime rate actually increased during the war on drugs. After a year of fighting drugs in Washington, D.C., his drug czar admitted failure. Drug use did not decline, and the homicide rate remained steady.  

The fact is that addiction to tobacco, alcohol, drugs of any kind is a health problem, not a police problem or a government problem. Keeping someone in a prison costs at least $25,000 to $50,000 annually; inpatient treatment for addiction costs only about $12,000. Bush said there are 4 million drug addicts in America. If we placed all of them into inpatient services it would cost $48 billion annually. Put them in jail and spend $100 billion. Since not all addicts require inpatient treatment it would probably cost less than $10 billion, which could be spent on job training and education. Incarceration is neither cost-efficient nor cost-effective.

As a result, organizations such as the
Society for Return to Honor have been formed to assist those in transition from prison back into society.  Where would we be now if we had had an administration committed to the improvement of society and the protection of all of its citizens?  

There is now PROOF that the THC in marijuana kills cancer cells.  An entire town in Nova Scotia proved it.  It's time to decriminalize drugs completely and set up a system of taxation, treatment and distribution to benefit everyone.  If hemp were legalized today, our economic problems would end tomorrow.  Here is the video that proves this contention:  HEMP OIL WITH THC CURES CANCER.

Let's end the War on Drugs and begin the war on governments that withhold medicine from its people.


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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Change.gov Voters have Spoken


#1 Priority: Legalize Marijuana

Voting on change.org’s “Ideas for Change in America” came to a close today with “Legalize the Medical and Recreational Use of Marijuana” coming in as the most popular idea. The top ten ideas will be presented to President-elect Obama during a press conference on Friday.

Change.gov, Obama’s official transition Web site, has twice opened up voting in a similar feature called “Open for Questions.” Each time, a question about marijuana policy reached the top ten. And each time, the transition team brushed off the question by simply stating that “President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.” It will be interesting to see how he responds this time, as the question includes medical marijuana, something Obama has been fairly supportive of in the past.


As of 5:00 p.m. today, the marijuana policy question had received 19,530 votes – 4,500 more than “Appoint Secretary of Peace in Department of Peace and Non-Violence,” which came in second on the list. In addition, change.gov has opened voting in a new online forum called the “Citizen’s Briefing Book.” “Ending Marijuana Prohibition” is currently the most popular idea.

source: MPP BLOG




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GARY MIALOCQ & ASSOCIATES
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The Government's Unjust War on Marijuana





IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE.
Legalize Hemp and decriminalize Marijuana. Let's have some common sense.





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Friday, January 2, 2009

A Plea from Willie Nelson for the Family Farmers of America

NOW IS THE TIME! THE PLANET NEEDS HELP!


In 1991, Willie Nelson issued a plea to America to come to its senses and legalize Industrial Hemp, a product that was mandatory for the farmers of the Colonies, and for which the United States Government made a movie entitled, "Hemp for Victory". Why is it illegal? To protect the financial corporate interests of the textile, petrochemical, and lumber (paper) industries. How long will America stand for corporate America sticking it to the little guy?

I would like to see this younger generation, the same one that elected Barack Obama, to get off its collective apathetic duff and turn its incredible talent to the legalization of hemp in this country for food, fuel, paper, etc. This will create a whole new industry and many jobs at a time when we need boosts of all kinds. At the same time, decriminalization of marijuana would release the over 750,000 people who are imprisoned each year for mere possession of this food of the Gods. The only thing criminal is keeping those people in jail any longer. Let's return them to their jobs and families and let them live on their own, freeing the taxpayers from the additional burden. IT HAS BEEN 18 YEARS . . . WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

Why Is Hemp So Important?

Hemp Nutritional Information

The Nutritional Composition of a Hemp Seed is Exceptional

Whole hemp seeds contain approximately 25% protein, 31% fat (in the form of a nutritious oil), and 34% carbohydrates, in addition to an interesting array of vitamins and minerals.

Hemp Seed Protein

Proteins serve a variety of functions in the human body such as acting as enzymes, antibodies, and the structural components of tissues, hormones and blood protein. The main function of dietary protein is to supply amino acids for the growth and maintenance of body tissue. Digestion disassembles proteins into their basic building blocks - the amino acids.

Hemp protein contains all 20 known amino acids including the 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) our bodies cannot produce. Proteins are considered complete when they contain all 9 essential amino acids in a sufficient quantity and ratio to meet the body's needs. Hemp seeds contain an adequate supply of these high quality proteins (EAAs) for a well balanced diet.

Hemp protein is free of the tryspin inhibitors which block protein absorption andfree of oligosaccharides found in soy, which cause stomach upset and gas.

Approximately 65% of the protein in hemp seeds is made up of the globulin protein Edestin and is found only in hemp seed. Edestin aids digestion, is relatively phosphorus-free and considered the backbone of the cell's DNA. The other one third of hemp seed protein is Albumin, another high quality globulin protein similar to that found in egg whites.

Hemp Seed Oil

The oil contained in the hemp seed is 75-80% polyunsaturated fatty acids (the good fats) and only 9-11% of the lesser desired saturated fatty acids. Hemp seed oil is reputed to be the most unsaturated oil derived from the plant kingdom. The essential fatty acids (EFAs) contained in hemp seed oil are required in our diet more than any other vitamin, yet our bodies do not naturally produce them. They must be obtained from external sources in the food we eat. EFAs are involved with producing life's energy throughout the human body and without them, life is not possible. In general, North Americans have a high dietary deficiency in EFAs due to our high intake of animal fats versus plant fats, caused by our high consumption of processed foods and meats versus natural organic foods.

Hemp seed oil has been dubbed "Nature's most perfectly balanced oil", due to the fact that it contains the perfectly balanced 3:1 ratio of Omega 6 (linoleic/ LA) to Omega 3 (alpha-linolenic/ LNA) essential fatty acids, determined to be the optimum requirement for long-term healthy human nutrition. In addition, it also contains smaller amounts of 3 other polyunsaturated fatty acids in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), oleic acid and stearidonic acid. This EFA combination is unique among edible oil seeds.

Extensive studies have demonstrated that many common illnesses are related to deficiencies or imbalances of specific fatty acids in the body. Symptoms are often related to a lack of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids and their derivatives, the postaglandins. Most people eating a healthful diet, one that includes a balanced ratio of essential fatty acids, also have healthy skin and a strong immune system. Yet some individuals may experience shortages in specific fatty acids or their metabolites due to dysfunctional enzyme systems or other inhibitions in their metabolic pathways caused by genetic, immune-system-related, or even environmental factors. It has been proven in several clinical studies that dietary supplementation with EFAs or their metabolites (such as GLA) will often prevent or even cure these illnesses. Since hemp seed oil contains both EFAs in a desirable balance while also providing two of the EFA metabolites, it is a good resource for the prevention and treatment of certain illnesses.

Hemp seed oil also provides an adequate supply of antioxidants (Vitamin E), carotenephytosterols, phospholipids and a number of minerals including calcium, magnesium, sulfur, potassium, phosphorus, along with modest amounts of ironzinc. Hemp seed oil also provides a good source of chlorophyll.

The daily recommended allowance of hemp seed oil is 14-28 ml (1 to 2 tablespoons). This allowance provides between 8 and 16 grams of Omega 6 (LA) and between 3 and 6 grams of Omega 3 (LNA). (precursor to Vitamin A), and lastly, unlike other Omega-rich alternatives (flax, evening primrose, borage or fish oils) that are sold mainly as a vitamin supplement, hemp seed, hemp oil and hulled hemp seed all have a flavorful "nutty" taste that will create consumer demand and can easily be added into most any recipe to obtain a balanced diet!

Benefits of Consuming Hemp Seed and Oil

  • Excellent source of essential fatty acids including Omega 3, 6 and GLA
  • Lower blood LDL cholesterol levels
  • Lower blood pressure
  • Improve cardiovascular circulation & function
  • Improve organ function
  • Improve immunity levels
  • Increased energy levels & metabolic rate
  • Reduce symptoms of PMS & menstrual cramps
  • Reduce inflammation and the symptoms of arthritis
  • Improve recovery of muscles after exercise
  • Reduce & treat dry skin and hair conditions
  • Reduction of many degenerative diseases through preventative measures
  • Hemp products are GMO-Free, Gluten-free, Herbicide & Pesticide free, peanut free, Vegetarian approved, Kosher certified, No THC and Tryspin inhibitor free
  • Hemp products have a wonderful nutty flavor that can easily be incorporated into your diet while providing a powerful daily supplement.

These are just the benefits derived from legalizing industrial hemp for food. It is just as outstanding as a paper, textile, biofuel, etc.

Hemp History: The first and second drafts of the constitution were written on Hemp paper as were all books and bibles. Betsy Ross made our American Flag, Old Glory, from cannabis fibers. Canvas is the Dutch pronunciation of the Greek Word Cannabis. Cannabis covered wagons went west. Cannabis outfitted ships... the sails, ropes, paints and varnishes, sealents, lamp oils and 50,000 other clean products. Henry Ford ran 40,000 vehicles on hemp fuel from only 10,000 acres. The emissions are what you exhale, and next year’s crop is reconverting it back to oxygen. That’s a natural cycle fuel! Best of all... the money stays home.

California's #1 Crop



NOW IS THE TIME.


Video source: Willie Nelson called me one day and asked if he could appear as a guest in our Time 4 Hemp Studios. To discuss how hemp can help the family farm. On 6/6/91 we taped live. I later went on the 91'hemp tour and we were able to get all ten shows into 99 cities in 44 states. Check out my other hemp related videos and music at www.digitalHemp.com/ Time 4 Hemp cable access ©1991michaelm producer 13.2mb 5:52





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Thursday, January 1, 2009

Nature's Gift to Mankind Has Been Rejected

The Time for Acceptance is NOW

Christmas trees didn't come to the English speaking world until the 19th century. The tradition started in Germany and eastern Europe in the 16th century. There's another "green tree" we might think about today. One that could feed and clothe billions of the world's poor and increase the standard of living for everyone. One problem: It's been made ILLEGAL. Why is the massively valuable and versatile plant called HEMP illegal in the United States? Here are just four reasons.

Making hemp illegal:

1. Provides make-work for a vast army of "law enforcers" who then are available to be used for other social control work.

2. Protects the market share of numerous well organized lobbies: alcohol makers, plastics and chemical manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and cotton growers (still a powerful economic force in America 200 + years after the Civil War.)

3. Gives fascist minded politicians yet another way to control the population.

4. Increases the prison population making millions for private contractors who deal in prison-related products and services.

What are the differences between hemp and marijuana?

There are many. The most important is that Hemp contains no psychoactive compound, Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that Marijuana does. This is why hemp is semi-legal and marijuana is not. The plants are considered ‘distant’ cousins but are distinct separate and different plants.


The Illegal Green Tree




Hemp for Victory -- a U.S. Government Production




Willie Nelson on the Family Farm




Hemp Powered Car Debuts in Washington




Woman in France Builds 300 Homes per Year Using Hemp Instead of Cement




Hemp Paper in Tasmania




Henry Ford's Plastic Car Made of Hemp in 1942




The History of Hemp





A Timeline of Hemp in the United States

1619 Virginia colony makes hemp cultivation mandatory, followed by most other colonies. Europe pays hemp bounties.

1631 Hemp used as money throughout American colonies.

1776 American 'Declaration of Independence' drafted on hemp paper.

1791 President Washington sets duties on hemp to encourage domestic industry; Jefferson calls hemp "a necessity", and urges farmers to grow hemp instead of tobacco.

1801 Certain premiums offered to encourage the cultivation of hemp in Upper and Lower Canada.

1800's Australia survives two prolonged famines by eating virtually nothing but hemp seed for protein and hemp leaves for roughage.

1850's Petrochemical age begins. Toxic sulfite and chlorine processes make paper from trees, steamships replace sails, tropical fibres introduced.

1930's New machines invented to break hemp, process the fibre, and convert pulp or hurds into paper, plastics, etc. - Racist fears of Mexicans, Asians, and African Americans leads to outcry for cannabis to be outlawed.

1935 Compressed agricultural fibreboard invented in Sweden.

1937 Marijuana Tax Act forbids hemp farming in the US. Dupont files patent for nylon.

1938 Canada prohibits production of hemp under Opium And Narcotics Control Act.

1941 Henry Ford makes car fabricated and fueled by hemp.

1943 Hemp For Victory program urges farmers to grow hemp.

1955 Hemp farming again banned.

1961 The Canadian Narcotics Control Act(CNCA) allowed Cannabis to be grown, at the discretion ofthe Health Minister, for research purposes only.

1992 Australia licences hemp farming.

1993 England eases restriction on hemp farming. News media declare hemp clothes and cannabis leaf logo hottest new fashion.

1994 Under the CNCA, one license was granted to a Canadian company, Hempline Inc., to grow hemp experimentally in Canada under the strict supervision of the authorities.

1996 The Canadian federal government passed Bill C8 stating that mature hemp stalks are exemptfrom the list of controlled substances.

1998 The Canadian government legalizes the commercial growth of industrial hemp. see News - February 27, 1998

2009 ........ President Obama???

An economic recovery would receive a huge boost from the legalization of hemp which would open up an entire industry, and the decriminalization of marijuana.  Where does Barack Obama stand on these issues?  This is a video from 2004 in which Barack Obama expresses his support for marijuana decriminalization.








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