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first off, you are forgetting that hemp is not just a 'drug'
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 Encyclopedia 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; Washington and Jefferson Diaries. Jefferson smuggled hemp seeds from China to France then to America.
* 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 cannabis; 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; State Archives.
* Oldest known records of hemp farming go back 5000 years in China, although hemp industrialization probably goes back to ancient Egypt.
* Rembrants, Gainsboroughs, Van Goghs 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; 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.
* 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.
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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!'
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Hemp cultivation and production do not harm the environment. The USDA Bulletin #404 concluded that hemp produces 4 times as much pulp 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.
Marijuana does NOT pose a threat to the general public. Marijuana is very much a danger to the oil companies, alcohol, tobacco industries and a large number of chemical corporations. Various big businesses, with plenty of dollars and influence, have suppressed the truth from the people.
The truth is if marijuana was utilized for its vast array of commercial products, it would create an industrial atomic bomb! Entrepreneurs have not been educated on the product potential of pot. The super rich have conspired to spread misinformation about an extremely versatile plant that, if used properly, would ruin their companies.
Awesome facts.
Cotton is up 200% in the last 12 months. Look for major inflation coming to everything requiring cotton. Even more reasons to bring some jobs here and start using hemp again.
Oh, I don't doubt that... that's one of the reasons I refuse to try it! And don't get me wrong, I wasn't "blaming" the game or suggesting it should be illegal - I'm totally against censorship in any form, and that would fall under the category of censorship. People just need to take personal responsibility, and stop blaming the "tools" for their respective addictions. We're ALL addicted to something, whether it's drugs, alcohol, tobacco, TV, video games, shopping, or whatever... 'tis human nature, I suppose.
You're wrong there. Despite what Alaska's laws are, federal laws trump them. If the feds have reason to think you've got pot in your house, they can break down your doors, and if they find pot they can haul you off to the slammer.
President Obama already dictated that the DEA "should not" (in other words CAN'T) pursue marijuana cases, in states where it's medically legal or decriminalized. Besides, you wouldn't be arrested for smoking in your home regardless, even in a place like Texas... possession of small amounts for personal use is still just a misdemeanor, with the exception of maybe a few states (if any). Now if you were growing or selling illegally, that could be a different story.
The distrust for and ready corruption of the police is a side effect of the drug war people don't talk about much. How many times do you hear about crooked cops confiscating something from people on the street to resell, planting drugs, and so on? Not cool man.
But... Private prisons have to go before we can make progress.
The distrust for and ready corruption of the police is a side effect of the drug war people don't talk about much. How many times do you hear about crooked cops confiscating something from people on the street to resell, planting drugs, and so on? Not cool man.
But... Private prisons have to go before we can make progress.
No doubt. It's the old "If you build it they wil come" mentality. So long as prison is a multi-billion dollar INDUSTRY there will always be some trivial reason to throw people away...
It's the only one liberals support which is why I do not. If marijuana's so great why is tobacco so awful? Why should I be in favor of legalizing weed when every year their are more restrictions placed on smokers? Those restrictions aren't coming from conservatives.
You shouldn't fight ignorance with more ignorance. That is why we keep ending up getting horrible compromises.
"I want to ban X, but Y should be legal."
"I want to ban Y, but X should be legal."
"Hey, let's find a middle ground. X and Y can both be banned."
Marijuana may be a bit more dangerous than the pro-drug types claim.
They recently arrested a US citizen 14 year old hitman in Mexico who was cutting heads off people he tortured. He's going to go for the innocent plea because he is claiming he was kidnapped and drugged with marijuana to get him to saw off heads.
Do you want me to flood this post with all the horrible things that people I personally knew did to other people while under the influence of alcohol? These are events that occurred just in my rural area alone. Now do you want me to flood this thread with all of the horrible things done by people under the influence of alcohol in America? Now the world?
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And don't get me wrong, I wasn't "blaming" the game or suggesting it should be illegal - I'm totally against censorship in any form, and that would fall under the category of censorship. People just need to take personal responsibility, and stop blaming the "tools" for their respective addictions. We're ALL addicted to something, whether it's drugs, alcohol, tobacco, TV, video games, shopping, or whatever... 'tis human nature, I suppose.
