Why the bigotry against Hemp?
Industrial hemp should be an ‘agricultural crop’ not a ‘drug’, says grower
The industrial hemp sector is feeling unified and buoyant by a long-awaited regulatory review that it hopes will see more farmers adopt the crop and unlock its economic, social and environmental potential.
The government announced in late February it would review what Minister for Regulation David Seymour described as “outdated” and “burdensome” regulations around industrial hemp production.
That sparked the NZ Hemp Industries Association, the Aotearoa Hemp Alliance and the NZ Medicinal Cannabis Council to come together and develop strategies and objectives they jointly put to government officials and ministers during a recent field and factory visit in Canterbury.
The Hemp Industry Strategic Proposal for Regulatory Change report said it wanted to ease the regulatory burden for industrial hemp growers and processors, open up its use in animal nutrition, integrate it for carbon sequestration on farms and utilise all parts of the plant.
Industrial hemp was classified as a Class C controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act, and while food legislation changed in 2017 opening up its use, it was limited to only seeds.
Hemp Industries Association chairman Richard Barge said the site visit with officials was a chance to showcase the versatility of industrial hemp, on goals that aligned with government priorities for climate resilience, economic diversification and regional development.
Why the Christ are we actively suppressing Hemp and the industrialised use of it???
Things we need to be investing in:
- Wool plus Industry to refine it and use it.
- Electrification of the entire NZ power grid.
- Hemp.
- Recreational and medicinal cannabis market.
- Data hubs.
- Solar panels.
- Tiny Houses.
- Rare Earth Mineral mining.
- Satellites.
- Drones.
- Tidal generators.
Selling cheap milk powder to the world isn’t a solution anymore.
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Hemp ,wool and flax need to get their shit together and grow a sustainable natural fiber industry .They need to step up and put their money where their mouth is and crack on .The world is waking from the every thing has to be super cheap then throw it in the land fill mentality .Never mind growing dope grow hemp fiber and make clothing from it .Using it to open up the dope growing market would be a negative for the fiber industry .It might be eutopia for a few but I dont fancy sharing my work place or the road with some idiot thats been blazing up all morning then decides to drive to get more weed or a feed .
The ban on hemp was led by Du pont and other mischievous actors under the guise of drug crazed African Americans in the 1930s jive era, ban Marijuana and by extension hemp as it is difficult to tell them apart was the area of attack. Of course it was no coincidence that hemp can be used for over 4500 documented uses. Its a fascinating subject that most are ignorant about by deliberate design. The word canvas comes from cannabis.
Here’s some little know facts. Hemp grows anywhere including deserts and requires little to no water and does not require pesticides with roots that go 12″ deep aerating the soil. it is one of the worlds fastest growing plants and we have been using it for 50,000 years. Receptors in the Human brain for THC is the result of evolution.
Hemp is the worlds second highest source of Omega 3 and 6 second only to soy beans which is a contributing factor in the lower rate of heart disease in Asian country’s.
During WW2 America legalized hemp again to produce bio fuel for the war effort and was re-banned in 1946. Of note after WW2 the use of bio fuels drastically dropped.
There is a Roman era bridge in Europe over 2000 years old still standing built with hemp bricks and hemp clothing can be passed down to your grandchildren because its so durable.
Hemp seeds make excellent bird food leading to healthier birds with increased birthrates and longevity and in parts of Europe they use it as burley with outstanding results.
Did i mention that hemp can also be used to make plastic/bio fuel (Oil industry), paper, (Forestry) paint (Chemical) and insulation (Building)? Imagine a world where hemp is fully legal and the pristine environment. No fracking, no demolishing the Amazon rain forest with increased carbon capture from hemp, no contamination of the worlds water with forever chemicals and insulation that never needs replacing. Nirvana, it is entirely feasible to build a forever house entirely from hemp.
Understand this and you understand why the worlds most beneficial super-food and natural resource is banned due to corporate greed.
Great comment on a timely article:)
https://www.afieldguidetoneedlework.com/blog-2014-2021/linsey-woolsey-shirt-making-progress
Fascinating history. DuPont and others were championing synthetic fibres in the 1920’s – the nasty fossil fuel industry again. But not sure if you have it correct fingrinn in saying hemp cultivation is still banned, at least in the US. In 2018 Trump signed into law The Agriculture Improvement Act – alternatively known as the 2018 Farm Bill – which now legalizes of the cultivation of industrial hemp, a process started in 2014 prior to the Trump office. Industrial hemp and its derived products are now legal on a federal level, and states may choose how to move forward.
Seems to me the bigotry traces back to Nixon’s paranoia on the recreational use of cannabis – and other substances of the 60’s – even before that – reinforced by Regan’s War on Drugs against the wide-spread use of crack cocaine. Cannabis – and by implication industrial hemp – hasn’t been able to shake the monkey off its back.
I didn’t claim it was still banned but merely made the link that hemp was made legal again when it suited the war effort, which clearly indicates the benefits were well known 80 years ago
Bigotry can always be traced. In the minds of many in decision-making positions industrial hemp is little different to recreational cannabis. I’m no chemist but I’ve read on good authority that its not. So what’s the issue? Could it be that cannabis can cross pollinate with hemp and ….?
Whatever the relationship between industrial hemp and recreational cannabis I’m pretty sure the bigotry lies with the perception of recreational cannabis. Not quite up there with amphetamines, psychedelics or opiates but in the minds of many a potentially dangerous substance nevertheless. Dangerous? You’re kidding. Who hasn’t smoked a joint or two, even if quick to add they didn’t inhale! Surely a joint or two doesn’t do any harm; in fact, I’ve heard said if recreational cannabis was more readily available there wouldn’t be a market for the nasty synthetics. Surely that’s a plus in itself.
Yet plenty would need convincing, as the results of the non-binding referendum a few years back indicated, although Wiki tells me it was close, 50.7% of voters in opposition and 48.4% in support. Think what you will of the process and outcome, but stripping away the arguments isn’t recreational cannabis problematic from a public health perspective, from a road safety perspective, from the perspective of dealing with an unregulated black market. Isn’t it just another substance we can do without in a society already troubled by alcohol, tobacco, vaping, sugar, cheap and nasty processed food. Ironic though that decision-makers turn a blind eye those ills.
I’m all for industrial hemp. Why not? And medicinal cannabis too. And the odd joint or a splash of oil on the smashed avocado.