Hemp Class Project?

Here's a thought on how we could showcase the many uses of hemp as part of my class project. There is a guy named Richard Friar who lives in the Terrey Hills area of New South Wales, Australia (near Sydney) and he has been growing an urban garden of about 600 industrial hemp plants.

Richard Friar

The authorities in Australia are now insisting that he destroy his hemp plants. It seems that initially he did have (or acted on a verbal) approval to grow his urban hemp garden from Australia's Department of Primary Industries but now that his hemp project has attracted international publicity and a lot of media attention, it seems that the Department is pulling back on their authorization.

Per online news reports {[sources say] thanks Rupert Murdoch and FOX for that one}an Industry & Investment NSW spokesman confirmed a license to cultivate industrial hemp in the Terrey Hills area had been revoked because the grower breached its consent conditions. “The breach involved failing to provide adequate information in a register the grower was required to keep, identifying the number of plants and the date of obtaining and planting those plants,” he said.

What a sad and illogical state of affairs. Hemp is just being suppressed and abused. Any other agricultural crop would not have such restrictions.One day (soon) hemp will be free and will be growing everywhere and we will wonder how we ever got along without it. Note that as of January 2011 the country of Australia refuses to allow the importation or sale of any hemp food. Really. You can't go to your health food store and buy a quart of hemp oil? Not even 946.35295 ml.

Mr. Friar's urban hemp garden model should be used to repair the flood damaged areas of NSW so everyone can see the practical benefits of the plant. Community groups could get together to replant his crop to abate erosion once the flood waters abate.

"Hemp. Bringing people together since 8,000 BC."