Friday, February 3, 2017
Fun Cannabis History Facts That Will Impress People
By Zoe Wilder
Source: merryjane.com
Source: merryjane.com
Wow your buds with your encyclopedic weed knowledge!
If you’ve been reading MERRY JANE every day like a responsible citizen of the cannabis community, then you know that the term “marijuana” is contentious in the U.S., and that the highest THC percentage does not necessarily equal the strongest effect. And maybe you’ve read that microdosing can be a therapeutic avenue, as touted by the founder of LSD, the late Albert Hofman. But, did you know there’s a legendary Taoist Hemp Maiden named Magu? You didn’t, did you? Your mind is now blown? We thought so. And your weed-blowing friends’ minds will be blown as well when you drop these historical cannabis facts on them. Read on, young grasshopper.
Medicine
Cannabis was added to the U.S. pharmacopeia (USP) in 1851, which has been used since the 1820s to identify and standardize prescription and over-the-counter drugs for medical use. Back then, the USP was comprised almost entirely of botanical drugs. From 1850 to 1937, “Extractum Cannabis,” or hemp extract, was used for a wide range of outcomes, including exhilaration, aphrodisia, sleep, increasing appetite, and to relieve pain, spasms, and constipation. It was removed from the book in 1942, but reemerged in later years in fractionated pharmaceutical medications. Modern examples are Marinol and Cesamet. Cannabis sativa is in some of the oldest Chinese pharmacopoeia known circa 100 CE. Other ancient Chinese texts claimed that consuming a combination of hemp seed and ginseng could provoke “a preternatural knowledge of future events.”
Language & Mythology
The Chinese character for hemp (麻 or má) is drawn depicting two plants hanging in a shed, likely for drying. The oldest known instance of the character dates back to roughly 200 BC. “Magu,” the combination of hemp (má) and the chinese character for aunt or maid (gū), literally translating to “Hemp Maiden,” is the name of a legendary Taoist immortal associated with the elixir of life, and a symbolic protector of females in Chinese mythology. Magu is known as the Goddess of Longevity, and by some scholars as the Goddess of Hemp.
Agriculture
Most researchers agree that cannabis came from Central and South Asia and believe humans have utilized the plant for at least 10,000 years, since more primitive forms of agriculture began in the region. It wasn’t until the 20th century that cannabis became widely criminalized.
Business & Legalization
Sixty-eight percent of Americans now live in states with reformed cannabis laws. Over half the states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam have initiated a form of medical or recreational cannabis programs. Sixteen additional states now have cannabis reform laws pending with initiatives in 11 of those states plus D.C. to regulate a retail cannabis market. That’s 44 of 50 states pushing the U.S. cannabis reform movement. Meanwhile, in Alaska, cannabis has been legal to possess in small amounts for personal home use since 1975.
Last year, the United States cannabis market grew at a faster pace than the early 2000 dot-com industry and with Canada moving to legalize recreational cannabis by 2018, the North American cannabis market is expected to exceed $20.2 billion by the year 2020. The New York Stock Exchange recently listed its first cannabis industry IPO, Innovative Industrial Properties, a real estate investment trust investing in medical marijuana properties. And today, over 30 countries have reformed cannabis laws.
Culture & Philosophy
The Rastafari religion developed in Jamaica in the 1930s, although many prefer it known as a spiritual mindset or philosophy. A common misconception is that Rastafari philosophy is based around the excessive consumption of cannabis. This was propelled in the late 1970s and early 1980s by a series of 60 Minutes newscasts about the illegality of cannabis cultivation and use by Rastafari in Jamaica. Rastafari point out that the Tree of Life in the Bible is actually the cannabis plant while several passages in the Bible lay the bedrock for its sacred use, including “The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations,” from Revelation 22:2.
A main facet of Rastafari philosophy is consciousness combined with nature and honoring Africa as a spiritual homeland, especially as a rebuke to slavery and the misappropriation of ancient African history by the spread of European colonialism, or “Babylon.” Rastafari refer to cannabis as “the wisdom weed” and “holy herb” and it’s commonly used in regular communal gatherings known as “reasoning sessions,” often accompanied by African Nyabinghi drumming, prayer, and singing. Rastas believe cannabis is like all other sacred herbs, it grows in the wild and its conscientious use is a natural right.
Kentucky Hemp Highway hopes to provide education about hemp history
By Trey Crumbie
Source: kentucky.com
The Kentucky Hemp Highway, which stretches from Jefferson County to Mason County, includes a series stops that educate Kentucky residents and visitors about the state’s hemp history. This file photo was taken at Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate, which is not a stop on the Hemp Highway. Hemp was growing there in a small research plot in June 2016 as part of a University of Kentucky and United Hemp Industries project. File Photo
Source: kentucky.com
The Kentucky Hemp Highway, which stretches from Jefferson County to Mason County, includes a series stops that educate Kentucky residents and visitors about the state’s hemp history. This file photo was taken at Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate, which is not a stop on the Hemp Highway. Hemp was growing there in a small research plot in June 2016 as part of a University of Kentucky and United Hemp Industries project. File Photo
Hemp lovers might want to blaze a new trail to learn about Kentucky’s rich history with the plant.
The Hemp Highway of Kentucky, organized by Kentucky Hemp Highway President Daniel Isenstein, is a self-guided, free tour to teach those interested about the state’s hemp industry. Hemp, one of the oldest domesticated crops and a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant, is used to make paper, clothing and biofuel.
Isenstein, who describes himself as a history buff, said he has had an interest in hemp since he was attending graduate school at Bowling Green State University in Ohio in the 1990s.
“When I started looking at the unique history between Kentucky and how much the hemp plant influenced state politics, the growth of the economy, agricultural models, whether or not the state became a slave state ... there was a story to tell,” he said.
The tour, which has stops in Clark, Fayette, Madison, Jessamine, Scott and Woodford counties, also branches out to Jefferson and Mason counties.
The tour is based around history markers which detail some of the county’s history in the hemp industry. For example, Woodford County was one of the top hemp producing counties in Kentucky and had a crop income that reached a high of $125,000 in the 1840s. In addition to the historical markers, the tour incorporates historical attractions such as the Mulberry Orchard in Shelby County which offers seasonal tours of a working hemp farm.
“I’m hoping that people understand that there was a great deal of wealth generated by this industry,” Isenstein said.
Kentucky’s history with hemp ranges from pre-revolutionary war to present time, he said.
Later this year, Isenstein plans to incorporate an audio tour through download and add additional exhibits.
Hemp Highway maps will be available in 70 area hotels between Frankfort and Winchester on the AD-RACK brochure racks by Feb. 1.
Kentucky has recognized the usage of hemp. In 2014, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture launched a hemp pilot project which is intended to create information on production methods, seed varieties, harvesting and processing techniques.
Regional farms and companies have participated in the program. Atalo Holdings, a hemp research and production company in Winchester, recently announced a $2 million payout from the program from its 2016 participation.
Nancy Turner, tourism director of Winchester and Clark County, said she thought the trail was a good idea because it brings people off of the interstate and into the more rural communities.
“Hemp is such a big part of our heritage in Kentucky, but especially Clark County,” she said. “We’ve seen a definite resurgence of hemp here, locally.”
As an example, historic hemp seed cleaning equipment that was used in an old hemp seed warehouse will now be used by Atalo Holdings to clean its hemp seeds, she said.
For those interested in learning about the hemp industry, three meetings hosted by the University of Kentucky, Kentucky Hemp Industries Association and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture are planned.
The meetings will be Jan. 30 in Christian County, Jan. 31 in Clark County and Feb. 9 in Shelby County. The meetings will be at each of the county’s respective County Extension offices. All meetings will start at 10 a.m. local time.
Tom Keene, a hemp extension associate with the University of Kentucky who will be at the meetings, said he has seen an interest in hemp increase in the past few years.
“It continues to be a very, very hot topic, if you will, in the state of Kentucky and other states as well,” he said.
Despite this, Keene warned to temper enthusiasm as hemp research is still in its infancy.
“We’ve only been researching this plant for three years,” he said. “We don’t have all the answers, but we’re going to continue to work until we do.”
The Kentucky Hemp Highway, which stretches from Jefferson County to Mason County, has a series stops that educate Kentucky residents and visitors about the state’s hemp history. Organizers are also selling these hemp bumperstickers.Courtesy of Daniel Isenstein
Henry Ford’s Hemp Plastic Car is 10X Stronger
By Joe Martino
Source: dailybrainfreeze.com
When we think of cars we think of gasoline, steel, pollution, etc.
Source: dailybrainfreeze.com
When we think of cars we think of gasoline, steel, pollution, etc.
Well, maybe you don’t, but that’s what comes to mind for me. Even though we have some innovative and visually pleasing cars on the road today, it is difficult to ignore the sheer environmental impact that modern cars create.
What if cars didn’t have to be the way they are today? If you are a researcher of any kind of alternative information, you already know this to be true -especially given that the technology already exists today to make cars smarter, safer and more eco-friendly (no fossil fuels necessary.)
But did you know that Henry Ford spent more than a decade researching and building his Model-T car which was not only constructed from hemp but was also designed to run off hemp bio-fuel? Whatever happened to this idea?
According to Popular Mechanics, Henry Ford’s first Model-T was built to run on hemp gasoline and the CAR ITSELF WAS CONSTRUCTED 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.
To think that even one of the founders of a major car manufacturer was trying to give the world a vehicle that was safe, strong and clean for the environment, yet his invention was so suppressed that it is somewhat disheartening.
How did we go from such an obvious and intelligent discovery, to using gasoline, steel and other non-harmonious materials? It’s important to remember, not only do we need to look at the pollution factor of a material while in use, but also in the manufacturing and creation of it from raw materials.
Looking at hemp, it complies with every eco-standard that exists today; in fact, it blows them out of the water. The suppression of this technology is largely due to the fact that hemp was outlawed in the US in 1937 due to the potential damaging effect it would have on many powerful industries at the time.
I highly recommend you check out the the full story on how hemp became illegal to get a better understanding.
Here are a video showing the sheer strength of Ford’s hemp vehicle as well as the possibility of hemp based vehicles and fuels. Hemp has a bright future. The prohibition of it certainly won’t last forever given the amount of awareness being raised around the subject.
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