Hemp committee cuts through federal red tape

 
Reudi Baumann, left, and Damon Zirnhelt of Zirnhelt Timber Frames recently constructed a test building with hemp panels. Performance information on the drying process was transmitted from embedded electronic sensors to the University of Manitoba.


By Carole Rooney
Source: 100milefreepress.net

The Red Tape Reduction Commission (RTRC) released its final report on Jan. 18, and it included recommendations resulting from suggestions made by a 100 Mile House group.

The report, entitled Cutting Red Tape ... Freeing Business to Grow, involves two sets of hemp-specific recommendations reflecting suggestions submitted by the 100 Mile House Industrial Hemp Pilot Project steering committee. Committee chair Mayor Mitch Campsall says an over-complicated process requires producers to apply for a licence every year. "The whole idea of the red-tape [suggestions] was to get the complications out of it and face reality."

The hemp committee attended a pre-budget meeting in Kamloops with federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty about a year ago, he adds, where one of its members made a presentation of the group's ideas.

"Jack Witty made the presentation; they were only allowing one person [in] at a time." Witty says the specific regulations were counterproductive from a grower’s point of view. "They made the growing considerably more difficult because they were done as a blanket thing to address the whole country. "So, if it works in, say the Sun Belt around Toronto, we're quite a bit further north than that and quite a bit higher up, and so some of our growing needs are different."

The submission also pointed out they were aware of similar problems are seen on the Prairies, Witty adds.

"At the individual farmer’s level, they don't always work, and so we identified those that did not work for our area." Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP Cathy McLeod was at the meeting, and Campsall says she was instrumental in their cause. "I think the federal government really listened to us ... I have to thank Cathy McLeod because she's been right on the ball with us every time [the municipality and the steering committee has] gone to her and talked to her about [red tape] stuff like this. She's been really quick to react."

The mayor calls the strict requirements "guardian-protecting" and says the regulations are "phenomenally bad" because of the similarities to hemp's close relative, cannabis (marijuana). "Even the buying of the seeds was really difficult. The storage of the seeds has to be secure; there's just so much. It's a huge, huge issue." McLeod notified people in the community soon after the report was released, and it's "an important next step," the MP says

"I know it was near and dear to [the 100 Mile] group who were very active in terms of advocating for that."

To review the specific recommendations on hemp, download the report at www.reduceredtape.gc.ca, and go to the Health Canada section in Appendix B.

A Job Creating Opportunity Overlooked

by Curt Kovener 
Source: crothersvilletimes.com

A couple of weeks back I poked fun at the Kentucky and Indiana legislatures. In Indiana for a bill (which went nowhere) to coerce everyone to sing the national Anthem the same way; in Kentucky for a law that was passed allowing the hunting of Sandhill Cranes.

This is not a fun poking dissertation.

The Kentucky legislature is considering a bill to legalize the growing of hemp. And for the majority of the populace, hemp, otherwise known as Cannabis sativa, is one of the world’s oldest crop plants, but it has been outlawed for decades because of its association with marijuana (Cannabis sativa indica), even though hemp has almost none of the chemical that gives users a high.

The relationship is rather like soybeans, which can be used for a mulitude of products, and greenbeans, which are primarily raised for homecanning and the family dining table.

Hemp was grown in the US until the mid-1930’s when it was outlawed because it was in the same family as marijuana. It is rather like corn in the making of ethanol and moonshine: it is the same product and the same process. The end product just gets used in different ways.

Hemp is grown for its fiber which can be used for making cloth, rope, alternative fuels such as ethanol and paper. Newsprint could be made from hemp, an annual crop, rather than cutting down trees.

U.S. Representative and Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul, of Texas, has filed legislation to lift current federal restrictions that keep farmers from sowing the seeds and growing hemp.

Hemp grows in soils and areas which traditional row crops do not. And since it grows like a weed (pun intended), it is a low maintenance farm crop.

It is a good alternative to tobacco and could be planted in some of the reclaimed strip-mining areas in the Bluegrass State, according to Kentucky Ag Commissioner James Comer.

And if a fiber producing plant is grown then textile producing factories should logically follow providing jobs.
I discussed industrial hemp with an undercover police officer friend and was surprised by his response. “The biggest people against legalizing hemp, other than the religious folks, would be the illegal marijuana growers,” said the scruffy looking law enforcement officer who must remain unnamed. 

He said marijuana growers are only interested in the female plants. The male plants, whose only purpose is for pollination are removed to allow the unpollinated females to produce greater amounts of THC (the part of the marijuana which gives the high).

“The marijuana growers are going to hate it if hemp is legalized because the hemp will cross pollinate with the marijuana decreasing the buzz making chemical,” said the law enforcement officer.

So creating a new farm product market and letting nature fight the illegal marijuana growers would seem to make good sense.


Which is probably why the ultra-conservative Indiana legislature won’t be considering any such law. Even if it does create jobs, is environmentally friendly, and supports Hoosier agriculture.

Excellent Video About Hemp

Uploaded by yellowecotec

This is a 14 minute preview for my remake of my Peak Oil, Economic Collapse are a Fraud documentary. Finishing this small preview of the documentary took a lot of my energy and time. 

Blogger's Note: The hemp related part of this preview video starts around 07:49. 

Watch Antimatter: The Future is Now HD Documentary in Full:http://vimeo.com/30240260

Construction Tech: Hemp As Building Material

Tony Budden's Hemp House in South Africa. 

Henderson pre-files industrial hemp bill

By Afton Fairchild
Source: msadvocate.com


The Advocate last year printed a series of articles exploring the benefits and downfalls of industrialized hemp for the state of Kentucky. During this General Assembly, a newly proposed bill hits close to home as its sponsor is state Rep. Richard Henderson of Jeffersonville.

House Bill 286, which was pre-filed last week, is co-sponsored by 12 other representatives and also has the support of Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer and Sen. Joey Pendleton, who has sponsored similar legislation in Kentucky in the past. The bill would call on the agricultural commissioner to oversee the Kentucky Industrial Hemp Commission, which was formed in 2001, and would initiate a monitored process in which farmers would undergo a background check, pay a fee and be subject to field evaluations, among other stipulations.

Hemp has had a unique history in the state, and its use dates back to the 1700s. In 1850, Kentucky alone produced 40,000 tons of hemp priced at $5,000,000.

Henderson believes the plant still has significant value and could create revenue for the state, as he pinpointed that hemp can be used to create 25,000 different products, ranging from car parts to clothing, and can even be used as an alternative source of energy.

“I’m doing this purely for two reasons,” Henderson said. “No. 1, to diversify our farmers and get us another cash crop, and to also stimulate the economy, and I think we could do that. If properly utilized, and if we allowed our farmers to grow it, I think we would have $2-3 million income for the state itself in taxes at the end of the day, but it’s going to take some time and it is going to take the education process in order for that to come true.”

The education process Henderson is referring to is informing the Legislature and the public about the stark differences between industrial hemp and its plant cousin, marijuana. Hemp plants contain THC (the intoxicating ingredient in marijuana) levels of less than 1 percent, while average marijuana levels range from 3 to 15 percent, according to a study conducted by the University of Kentucky, concluding that it is virtually impossible to experience any type of intoxication from the plant.

“There’s nothing that hemp can do to hinder both the work of our wonderful police officers, or to add to the scourge of drugs,” Henderson said. “Hemp actually would help somewhat eliminate that by reducing the potency of marijuana.”

Henderson referred to studies in which hemp and marijuana were planted side by side. These studies showed that marijuana plants that were planted next to hemp plants actually produced reduced levels of THC due to cross-pollination. 

Ultimately, Henderson said, legalizing the plant’s growth and production within the state would likely have no negative affects. While every citizen would benefit from tax revenue the plant could bring, Henderson said, it could also help bounce back agricultural production, which has been negatively affected by the decline in the tobacco market.

“Our farmers have been hit pretty hard by the recession and by the ethanol use of the corn crop, so if we use hemp for ethanol, we can actually help the farmers by using less corn and therefore the crop would be more stabilized and the feedstock would be less affected,” he said.

While the bill has bipartisan support, it is still sure to face opposition in the General Assembly as the issue is controversial among many. However, if the bill indeed passes, the next hurdle would be receiving a permit from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. 

Currently, marijuana and hemp are classified as the same, therefore they are recognized as schedule one drugs on a federal level. However, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas has been pushing to have the definitions changed, most recently with the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2011.

Henderson said he has faith that the more states press the issue, the more likely the federal government will redefine hemp, allowing it to be grown legally.

“I’m strong enough to help push this bill, and I believe that my people, in my district for instance, are highly educated and a reasonable people that understand the difference between illicit drugs and something that can be beneficial economically speaking,” he said. 

“There are some wonderful things that could come from the hemp plant itself when manufactured,” he added. “If we send this message to Washington, we can have textile mills here, for example, and create new jobs. Kentucky is the prime location to grow hemp, and it has proven through the test of time to be a major cash crop for Kentucky and the nation.”

Farmers slam hemp laws

By BRUCE MOUNSTER
Source: themercury.com.au

FARMERS are frustrated at the failure of politicians and bureaucrats to grasp their argument that industrial hemp crops are harmless.

Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association chief executive Jan Davis said that was despite the fact that industrial hemp, grown around the world for food and fibre, did not contain usable quantities of the cannabis drug.

With state and federal health ministers to soon decide if hemp seed and its oil should be allowed for use in the food industry, Ms Davis said it was recognised in most parts of the world that hemp fibre and seed crops couldn't be used as smoke screens for growing dope.

She said farmers were wondering what it would take to convince the State Government that extreme red tape, such as keeping hemp crops out of sight of public roads and 5km away from public buildings, wasn't needed.

Ms Davis said given that Tasmania's poppy industry had safely grown substances as strong as opium - a painkiller ingredient - next to main roads for the past 30 years, hemp ought to be a no-brainer.

She said the hemp industry had the potential to become a major, green earner for Tasmania.

Ms Davis said the industry faced another brick wall, with the Gillard Government hinting it would continue a Howard Government policy of not allowing hemp products to be used for food and cosmetics in Australia.

"They didn't want to be seen as soft on drugs," she said.

Australia is the only western country that bans the human consumption of non-drug hemp, which has ratio levels of Omegas 3, 6 and 9 in the most digestible form of any vegetable oil.

State Health Minister Michelle O'Byrne said the Government backed moves to remove prohibition on low-THC hemp products for food but, at a state level, a crop licensing system was important.

"Cannabis sativa is a schedule 9 drug in all states and territories, so the only way to allow growing of low-THC crops is to licence them," she said.

Colorado Looks To Fully Decriminalize Marijuana and Industrial Hemp

by Jessica Pieklo
Source: care2.com

Colorado’s medical marijuana proponents are forging ahead in their battle against marijuana prohibition and are seeking full recreational use legalization. And if early reports are any indication, Coloradans support the idea.

The proposal seeks to make the personal use, possession and limited home-growing of marijuana legal for adults aged 21 and older and establishes a system that regulates and taxes marijuana, similar to the sale and monitoring of alcohol today. The act would also allow for the cultivation, processing and sale of industrial hemp.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol says it will turn in almost 160,000 signatures in support of the legalization initiative to the Secretary of State’s Office. That is nearly double the 86,000 signatures required to put the question of pot legalization on the 2012 ballot.

Once the group submits the required number of signatures the state has 30 days to decide whether or not the legalization measure will be on the ballot. If it does, it would be the first measure approved for the 2012 Colorado election.

It’s a politically dicey climate for legalization proponents. Despite large-scale tolerance and in some cases enthusiasm for medical marijuana, the Department of Justice has started targeting dispensaries and growers for crackdown. Full-scale legalization would surely be seen as an invitation, if not a dare, to the federal government. So while there may be enthusiasm to get the matter on the ballot, encouraging a majority of Coloradans to pass it is another issue.