Information Station
Find out who is your legislator.
Here's what you can do to help pass the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act:
If
you do something, the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act will likely
pass, so pass this along like you'd pass along the bong.
If every person for the cause knew two people who chip in, there is no doubt this will pass.
After
the Department of Justice memo on investigations and prosecutions in
states which allow medical cannabis (http://blogs.usdoj.gov/blog/archives/192) and Governor Doyle's "Medical marijuana restrictions are senseless" comment (http://www.wkbt.com/global/story.asp?s=11353029)we must tie the coverage to our bill in Wisconsin media outlets and get our message out.
HERE ARE SOME IDEAS:
Call
newspapers, radio stations, TV stations: Ask them to cover the bill.
If you or they need more information contact madison@winorml.org
Write a letter to the editor to a newspaper.
Newspapers:
http://www.winewsline.com/media/
TV stations:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_stations_in_Wisconsin
Radio stations:
http://www.ontheradio.net/states/wisconsin.aspx
Film
a short (less than a minute) clip of why you support the Jacki Rickert
Medical Marijuana Act or write a letter explaining why. Send it to one
of the e-mail addresses above and we will give it to your legislator.
Call your legislators: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/w3asp/waml/waml.aspx
Send a pre-written letter: http://bit.ly/JRMMA
Print fliers and hand them out: http://bit.ly/JRMMAfliers
Tell your friends, neighbors, family in Wisconsin about the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act.
Go lobbying with Gary Storck. It is a regular occurrence. For more info madison@winorml.org.
Go
to the Madison NORML meetings (2nd and 4th Monday's at Wil-Mar center
953 Jenifer St., Madison, WI) or Milwaukee area NORML meetings (2nd and
4th Tuesday's http://www.milwaukeeareanorml.org)
http://www.madisonnorml.org http://www.winorml.org
Seriously, do something. It's the only way the bill will pass.
Medical Facts
*Has been shown to lower blood cholesterol and dissolve plaque in coronary arteries.
*From 1842-1890 a cannabis extract was the second most prescribed drug in the US.
*Cannabis is a non-opiate, non-addictive pain killer
*Cannabis stimulates the appetite for people with AIDS and cancer.
*In 2006, Donald Tashkin, M.D., of the University of California in Los Angeles, presented the results of his study, Marijuana Use and Lung Cancer: Results of a Case-Control Study. Tashkin found that smoking marijuana does not appear to increase the risk of lung cancer or head-and-neck malignancies, even among heavy users.
*Hempseed can be fed to horses to induce estrus.
*THC has been found to reduce tumor growth in common lung cancer by 50 percent and to significantly reduce the ability of the cancer to spread, say researchers at Harvard University,
*Clinical trials provide evidence that THC reduces motor and vocal tics of Tourette’s syndrome and related behavioral problems such as obsessive-compulsive disorders (http://www.doctordeluca.com/Library/WOD/WPS3-MedMj/CannabinoidsMedMetaAnalysis06.pdf)
*Marijuana promotes neuron growth
*There are over 60 chemicals in marijuana which may have medical uses. It is relatively easy to extract these into food or beverage, or into some sort of lotion, using butter, fat, oil, or alcohol.
* In 1988, the DEA's Administrative Law Judge, Francis Young concluded: "In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care.:
*There is no convincing scientific evidence that marijuana causes psychological damage or mental illness in either teenagers or adults. Some marijuana users experience psychological distress following marijuana ingestion, which may include feelings of panic, anxiety, and paranoia. Such experiences can be frightening, but the effects are temporary. With very large doses, marijuana can cause temporary toxic psychosis. This occurs rarely, and almost always when marijuana is eaten rather than smoked. Marijuana does not cause profound changes in people's behavior.
8In 1972, after reviewing the scientific evidence, the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse concluded that while marijuana was not entirely safe, its dangers had been grossly overstated. Since then, researchers have conducted thousands of studies of humans, animals, and cell cultures. None reveal any findings dramatically different from those described by the National Commission in 1972. In 1995, based on thirty years of scientific research editors of the British medical journal Lancet concluded that "the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health."
*For twenty-five years, researchers have searched for a marijuana-induced amotivational syndrome and have failed to find it. People who are intoxicated constantly, regardless of the drug, are unlikely to be productive members of society. There is nothing about marijuana specifically that causes people to lose their drive and ambition. In laboratory studies, subjects given high doses of marijuana for several days or even several weeks exhibit no decrease in work motivation or productivity. Among working adults, marijuana users tend to earn higher wages than non-users. College students who use marijuana have the same grades as nonusers. Among high school students, heavy use is associated with school failure, but school failure usually comes first.
Marijuana provides relief from:
*Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
*asthma
*emphysema
*anorexia
*migraines
*rheumatism
*arthritis
*insomnia
*the nausea that follows chemotherapy
*wasting syndrome of AIDS
*glaucoma
*Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
*Depression
*Anxiety
*pain
*migrane headaches
*the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA)
*spacticity
*hemorrhoids
*analgesia
*multiple sclerosis (MS)
*Spinal cord injuries
*Gilles dela Tourette's syndrome
*Parkinsons disease
*Alcoholism
*ADD
*GERD
*ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease)
*Collagen-Induced Arthritis (CIA)
*Rheumatoid Arthritis
*Atherosclerosis
*Autism
*Bipolar Disorder
*Childhood Mental Disorders
*Colorectal Cancer
*Depression
*Diabetic Retinopathy
*Dystonia
*Epilepsy
*Gastrointestinal Disorders
*Gliomas
*Hepatitis C
*Huntington's Disease
*Hypertension
*Incontinence
*Leukemi
*Skin Tumors
*Morning Sickness
*MRSA (Drug-Resistant Staph Infections)
*Parkinson's
*Pruritus
*PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
*Sickle Cell Disease
*Sleep Apnea
*Pruritis
*Sclerodoma
-----------------
CHRONIC CONDITIONS TREATED WITH CANNABIS
Encountered Between 1990-2004
“Dr. Tod’s List” - Chronic Conditions Treated With Cannabis
(Additions since this publication are noted)
by Tod H. Mikuriya, M.D. © 2004 Tod H. Mikuriya, M.D.
KEY:
+ Represents citations from pre-1937 medical literature
*From Eugene Schoenfeld, M.D.
**From Dale Gieringer, PhD CA NORML Hotline
***From Robert Wilson, Hayward Hempery
****Barry R. McCaffrey 12-30-96 Press Conference (quote from John Stuart Mill 1867)
*****Emerging Clinical Applications of Cannabis, O’Shaughnessy’s Winter/Spring 2007
1. Un-codeable and thought to be a specious disease submitted by an undercover agent who presented a false physician’s note.
Updated 09-10-2004, 04-01-2008
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes
Alphabetical Listing:
Acquired hypothyroidism
Acute Sinusitis
Acute Gastritis
Addiction*****
ADD w/o hyperactivity
ADD w hyperactivity
ADD other
Adrenal Cortical Cancer
Agoraphobia
AIDS Related Illness
Alcoholism+
Alcohol Abuse+
Alopecia
Alzheimer’s Disease*****
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amphetamine Depend
Amyloidosis
Anaphylactic or Reaction
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia+
Anxiety Disorder+
Ankylosis
Angina pectoris
Arthropathy, gout
Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease
Arthritis, Degenerative
Arthritis, post traumatic+
Arthropathy, Degenerative+
Arthritis, Rheumatoid+
Atrophy Blanche
Asthma, unspecific
Autism/Aspergers
Autoimmune disease
Back Sprain
Bell’s palsy
Bipolar Disorder
Brain malignant tumor
Brain Trauma
Bruxism
Bulemia
Chemotherapy Convalesce
Cancer
Cerebellar Ataxia
Cerebral Palsy+
Cluster Headaches
Compression of Brain
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Charcot-Marie-Tooth
Color Blindness*
Conjunctivitis
Cardiac conduction disorder
*Chronic Pain
*Chronic Sinusitis
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder
Cystic Fibrosis
Colitis, Ulcerative
Colitis+
Colon diverticulitis
Constipation
Cervical Disk Disease
Cervicobrachial Syndrome
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Cough+
Cachexia
Cerebral Aneurism
Cocaine Dependence+
Crohns
Dupuytens Contracture
Diabetes Adult Onset
Diabetes Insulin Depend.
Diabetes Adult Onset Uncontrolled
Diabetic Renal Disease
Diabetic Ophthalmic Disease
Diabetic Neuropathy
Diabetic Peripheral Vascular Disease
Diabetes Mellitus*****
Delerium Tremens+
Dysthymic Disorder
Dystonia*****
Dyslexic Amblyopia**
Drusen of Optic Nerve
Dentofacial anomaly pain
Dermatomyositis
Darier’s Disease
Diarrhea
Dumping Syndrome Post Surgery
Epilepsy(ies)+
Emphysema
Epididymitis**
Endometriosis**
Eczema
Epidermolysis Bullosa
Erythma Multiforma
Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome
Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
Felty’s Syndrome
Fore Arm/Wrist/Hand
Fibromyagia/Fibrositis
Friedreich’s Ataxia
Genital Herpes
Glioblastoma Multiforme
Graves Disease**
Grand Mal Seizures**
Glaucoma
Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease
Gastrointestinal Disorders*****
Gilomas (tumors in the brain)*****
Gastritis+
Hepatitis-non-viral
Herpetic infection of penis
Hypoglycemia(s)
Hemophilia A
Henoch-Schoelein Purpur
Huntington’s Disease+
Hemiparesis/plegia
Hypertension+
Hyperventilation
Hiccough+
Hip
Harm Reduction for Drug/Alcohol
Impotence, Psychogenic
Ischemic Heart Disease
Insomnia+
Intermittent Explosive Disorder
Intervertebral Disk Disease
IVDD Cerv w Myelopathy
Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Incontinence*****
Jacksonian Epilepsy**
Knee, ankle & foot injury
Lower Back Pain
Lumbosacral Back Disease
Lupus
Limbic Rage Syndrome**
Lipomatosis
Lymphoma & reticular cancer
Lyme Disease
Lymphoma
L-S disk disorder sciatic nerve irritation
Menopausal syndrome
Malignant Melanoma
Myeloid leukemia
Mucopolysaccharoidosis
Mania
Major Depression, Single Episode
Major Depression, Recurring
Multiple Sclerosis
Mononeuritis lower limb
Muscular dystrophies
Musculoskeletal Injuries*****
Macular Degeneration**
Meniere’s Disease
Muscle Spasm
Melorheostosis
Myofacial Pain Syndrome**
Motion Sickness
Multiple joints pain
Migraine(s)+
Migraine, Classical+
Marfan syndrome
Mastocytosis
Nausea+
Nightmares
Non-psychotic Organic Brain Disorder
Neuropathy+
Nail patella syndrome
Nephritis/nephropathy
Nystagmus, Congenital
Neurasthenia
Obesity, exogenous
Obesity, morbid
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Opiate Dependence+
Organic Mental Disorder hd injections
Other CNS demyelization
Other Skin Cancer
Other spinal cord disease
Optic neuritis
Osteogenesis imperfecta
Osteoporosis*****
Osgood-Schlatter
Other arthropod bone disease
Prostatitis
Pelvic Inflammatory Dis
Premenstrual Syndrome+
Pain, Non-Specific
Pain, Vaginal
Peritoneal pain
Pancreatitis
Pain, Ureter
Panic Disorder+
Porphyria
Post W.E. Encephalitis
Post Polio Syndrome
Prostate Cancer
Psychogenic Hyperhidrosi
Psychogenic Pylorospas**
Psychogenic Dysuria
Persistent Insomnia
Psychogenic Pain
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post Concussion Syndrome
Psychogenic PAT
Parkinson’s Disease
Paraplegia(s)
Paralysis, unspecific
Pneumothorax, Spontaneous
Pulmonary Fibrosis
Peptic Ulcer/Dyspepsia
Pylorospasm Reflux
Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriasis
Pruritus, pruritic+
Pemphigus
Patellar chondromalacia
Peripheral enthesopathies
Paroxysmal Atrial Tach**
Post Cardiotomy Syndrome
Polyarteritis Nodosa
Peutz-Jehgers Syndrome**
Quadriplegia(s)
Rosacea
Raynaud’s Disease
Restless legs syndrome
Reflex Sympathy Dystrophy
Radiation Therapy
Reiter’s Syndrome
Senile Dementia+
Stuttering*
Schizophrenia(s)
Schizoaffective Disorder
Spinal mm atrophy II
Syringomyelia
Sedative Dependence+
Shingles (Herpes Zoster)
Strabismus & other bionics
Sturge-Weber Disease
Scleroderma
Spinal Stenosis
Spondylolisthesis**
Scoliosis
Spina Bifida Occulta
Sturge-Weber Eye Syndrome**
Sleep Apnea
Shoulder Injury Unspecified
Tobacco Dependence
Tic disorder unspecific
Tourette’s Syndrome
Tension Headache
Trichotillomania
Tic Doloroux+
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Thyroiditis
Testicular Cancer
Tinnitus
Thromboangiitis Obliteran
Tenosynovitis
Tietze’s Syndrome
Tremor/Involuntary Movements
Trachoria Growths***1
T.M.J Syndrome
Testicular torsion
Uterine cancer
Ureter spasm calculus
Urethritis/Cystitis
Viral B Hepatitis, chronic
Viral C Hepatitis, chronic
Vomiting
Vertebral dislocation unspecific
Writers’ Cramp****
Whiplash
*In spite of the established medical value of marijuana, doctors are presently permitted to prescribe cocaine and morphine - but not marijuana.
FOOD FACTS
*Hemp seed provides nearly complete nutrition with all 10 essential amino acids, all 4 essential fatty acids (EFAs) in the ratio recommended by health experts, and over 30% protein in its most easily digestible forms, making hemp the ideal protein, and ideal food for human consumption.
*Hemp seed dissolves plaque in coronary arteries.
*Hemp meal provides all the essential protein that livestock require, yet doesn't require any antibiotics to digest. When cows eat corn they cannot digest it, needing antibiotics to keep from being sick, which makes the antibiotics less effective on the humans that consume the beef. Hemp is also an excellent animal bedding for horses.
*The porridge used in the folk tales was often made from boiled hemp seeds which could be cooked alone or with other grains. Another name for this porridge was gruel.
*Hemp seeds were one of ancient China's major grain crops.
*Hemp seeds have grown in Northern Europe since medieval times.
*Pelletted hempseed meal is an ideal food for catfish
*Hemp seeds can be made into protein powder, oil, flour, hemp milk.
HISTORY FACTS
*Hemp has been grown for at least the last 12,000 years for fiber (textiles and paper) and food. It has been effectively prohibited in the United States since the 1950s.
*George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew hemp. Ben Franklin owned a mill that made hemp paper. Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper.
*When US sources of "Manila hemp" (not true hemp) was cut off by the Japanese in WWII, the US Army and US Department of Agriculture promoted the "Hemp for Victory" campaign to grow hemp in the US.
*Because of its importance for sails (the word "canvass" is rooted in "cannabis") and rope for ships, hemp was a required crop in the American colonies.
*The Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were written on hemp paper
*The first US flag was made out of hemp.
*Hemp is the oldest cultivated fiber plant
*Because of the multitude of uses for hemp, the early Colonial American governments mandated its cultivation.
*Until the 19th Century, over 50% of all foodstuffs and 80% of all fibers worldwide were made from Hemp
*The oldest found paper was made from 100% hemp in a Chinese text dating back to 770 AD.
*Hemp fabrics go all the way back to 8,000 BC in ancient Mesopotamia.
*Christopher Columbus' era ships were fully rigged in hemp, including his fleet.
*In the UK, 800-1800 AD indicates hemp crops were used until their peak around 100 AD before other crops began to be developed.
*In the 16th century, Henry VIII encouraged farmers to plant hemp to help supply the British Navy, not only for sails, but they helped construct battleships.
*Early US governments demanded the cultivation of hemp and you could be jailed if you didn't grow Indian hemp in Virginia, Massachusetts and Connecticut in the 18th century.
*Hemp was money. Early American settlers even used hemp fiber as currency and was used to pay taxes for over 200 years.
*By the 1850's there were almost 8,400 hemp plantations in the US that had at least 2,000 acres of land or more.
*Levi Jeans were originally made from Hemp
*Guttenberg and King James Bibles were printed on hemp paper
*In WWII, George Bush's parachute when he jumped out of the bomber was made from hemp.
*Surviving texts from ancient India confirm that cannabis' psychoactive properties were recognized, and doctors used it for a variety of illnesses and ailments. These included insomnia, headaches, a whole host of gastrointestinal disorders, and pain: cannabis was frequently used to relieve the pain of childbirth.
*"The Ancient Greeks used cannabis not only for human medicine, but also for veterinary medicine. The Greeks used cannabis to dress wounds and sores on their horses. In humans, dried leaves of cannabis were used to treat nose bleeds, and cannabis seeds were used to expel tapeworms. The most frequently described use of cannabis in humans was to steep green seeds of cannabis in either water or wine, later taking the seeds out and using the warm extract to treat inflammation and pain resulting from obstruction of the ear.
*In the 5th century BCE Herodotus, a Greek historian, described how the Scythians of the Middle East used cannabis in steam baths"The Medical Use of Cannabis Among the Greeks and Romans by James Butrica
*Remains of hempen fibers have been found in the earliest archaeological sites in the cradles of Asiatic civilisation: evidence of fiber in China dating from 4000 B.C. and hempen rope and thread from Turkestan from 3000 B.C.. Stone beaters for pounding hemp fiber and impressions of hempen cord bakery into pottery have been found in ancient sites in Taiwan. Hempen fabrics have been found in Turkish sites of the late eighth century B.C., and there is a questionable specimen of Hemp in an Egyptian tomb dated between three and four thousand years ago.
INDUSTRY FACTS
*Henry Ford experimented with hemp to build car bodies. He wanted to build and fuel cars from farm products. He manufactured the body of an automobile from hemp-based plastic in 1941. The plastic was much lighter than steel and could withstand ten times the impact without denting. The car was even fueled by clean-burning hemp-based ethanol fuel.
*European plants are making auto panels from hemp based composites that are biodegradable, half the weight of, more durable, and safer than fiberglass counterparts.
*BMW is experimenting with hemp materials in automobiles as part of an effort to make cars more recyclable. So is Tesla.
*Much of the bird seed sold in the US has hemp seed (it's sterilized before importation), the hulls of which contain about 25% protein.
*Hemp oil once greased machines. Most paints, resins, shellacs, and varnishes used to be made out of linseed (from flax) and hemp oils.
*Rudolph Diesel designed his engine to run on hemp oil.
*Kimberly Clark (on the Fortune 500) has a mill in France which produces hemp paper preferred for bibles because it lasts a very long time and doesn't yellow.
*Construction products such as medium density fiber board, oriented strand board, and even beams, studs and posts could be made out of hemp. Because of hemp's long fibers, the products will be stronger and/or lighter than those made from wood.
*Because of its length and strength, hemp fiber can be woven into natural advanced composites, which can then be fashioned into anything from fast food containers to skateboard decks to the body of a stealth fighter.
*The products that can be made from hemp number over 25,000.
SCIENTIFIC FACTS
*Industrial hemp and marijuana are both classified by taxonomists as Cannabis sativa, a species with hundreds of varieties. C. sativa is a member of the mulberry family. Industrial hemp is bred to maximize fiber, seed and/or oil, while marijuana varieties seek to maximize THC (delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana).
*While industrial hemp and marijuana may look somewhat alike to an untrained eye, an easily trained eye can easily distinguish the difference.
*Industrial hemp has a THC content of between 0.05 and 1%. Marijuana has a THC content of 3% to 20%. To receive a standard psychoactive dose would require a person to power-smoke 10-12 hemp cigarettes over an extremely short period of time. The large volume and high temperature of vapor, gas and smoke would be almost impossible for a person to withstand.
*If hemp does pollinate any nearby marijuana, genetically, the result will always be lower-THC marijuana, not higher-THC hemp. If hemp is grown outdoors, marijuana will not be grown close by to avoid producing lower-grade marijuana.
*Hemp fibers are longer, stronger, more absorbent and more mildew-resistant than cotton.
*Fabrics made of at least one-half hemp block the sun's UV rays more effectively than other fabrics.
*Many of the varieties of hemp that were grown in North America have been lost. Seed banks weren't maintained. New genetic breeding will be necessary using both foreign and domestic "ditchweed," strains of hemp that went feral after cultivation ended. Various state national guard units often spend their weekends trying to eradicate this hemp, in the mistaken belief they are helping stop drug use.
*A 1938 Popular Mechanics described hemp as a "New Billion Dollar Crop." That's back when a billion was real money.
*Hemp can be made in to a variety of fabrics, including linen quality.
*The hemp plant belongs to the mulberry family, Moraceae
LEGAL FACTS
*Since 1996, thirteen states have legalized medical marijuana use: AK, CA, CO, HI, ME, MI, MT, NV, NM, OR, RI, VT, and WA. Eight of the thirteen did so through the initiative process. Hawaii's law was enacted by the legislature and signed by the governor in 2000, Vermont's was enacted by the legislature and passed into law without the governor's signature in May 2004, Rhode Island's was passed into law over the governor's veto in January 2006, and New Mexico's legislation was signed into law by Governor Bill Richardson on April 2, 2007.
*Every serious scholar and government commission examining the relationship between marijuana use and crime has reached the same conclusion: marijuana does not cause crime. The vast majority of marijuana users do not commit crimes other than the crime of possessing marijuana. Among marijuana users who do commit crimes, marijuana plays no causal role. Almost all human and animal studies show that marijuana decreases rather than increases aggression.
*The US Drug Enforcement Agency classifies all C. sativa varieties as "marijuana." While it is theoretically possible to get permission from the government to grow hemp, DEA would require that the field be secured by fence, razor wire, dogs, guards, and lights, making it cost-prohibitive.
*The US State Department must certify each year that a foreign nation is cooperating in the war on drugs. The European Union subsidizes its farmers to grow industrial hemp. Those nations are not on this list, because the State Department can tell the difference between hemp and marijuana.
*Hemp was grown commercially (with increasing governmental interference) in the United States until the 1950s. It was doomed by the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which placed an extremely high tax on marijuana and made it effectively impossible to grow industrial hemp. While Congress expressly expected the continued production of industrial hemp, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics lumped industrial hemp with marijuana, as it's successor the US Drug Enforcement Administration, does to this day.
*Over 30 industrialized democracies do distinguish hemp from marijuana. International treaties regarding marijuana make an exception for industrial hemp.
*Canada now again allows the growing of hemp.
ECOLOGY FACTS
* Hemp growers can not hide marijuana plants in their fields. Marijuana is grown widely spaced to maximize leaves. Hemp is grown in tightly-spaced rows to maximize stalk and is usually harvested before it goes to seed.
*Hemp can be made into fine quality paper. The long fibers in hemp allow such paper to be recycled several times more than wood-based paper.
*Because of its low lignin content, hemp can be pulped using less chemicals than with wood. Its natural brightness can obviate the need to use chlorine bleach, which means no extremely toxic dioxin being dumped into streams. A kinder and gentler chemistry using hydrogen peroxide rather than chlorine dixoide is possible with hemp fibers.
*Hemp grows well in a variety of climates and soil types. It is naturally resistant to most pests, precluding the need for pesticides. It grows tightly spaced, out-competing any weeds, so herbicides are not necessary. It also leaves a weed-free field for a following crop.
*Hemp can displace cotton which is usually grown with massive amounts of chemicals harmful to people and the environment. 50% of all the world's pesticides are sprayed on cotton.
*Hemp can displace wood fiber and save forests for watershed, wildlife habitat, recreation and oxygen production, carbon sequestration (reduces global warming), and other values.
*Hemp can yield 3-8 dry tons of fiber per acre. This is four times what an average forest can yield.
HEALTH FACTS
*If one tried to ingest enough industrial hemp to get 'a buzz', it would be the equivalent of taking 2-3 doses of a high-fiber laxative.
*At a volume level of 81%, hemp oil is the richest known source of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids (the "good" fats). It's quite high in some essential amino acids, including gamma linoleic acid (GLA), a very rare nutrient also found in mother's milk.
*While the original "gruel" was made of hemp seed meal, hemp oil and seed can be made into tasty and nutritional products.
MISC
*Hemp cultivated for the production of fiber, cut before the seeds are formed and retted on the land where it has been grown, tends to improve rather than injure the soil. It improves its physical condition, destroys weeds, and does not exhaust its fertility.
*Hempcrete homes, a mixture of hemp and lime, are fire, water, and rodent proof, with excellent elasticity, strength and breathability, which cuts energy costs. Washington State Univ. found hemp board to be three times stronger than plywood.
*Hemp produces all-purpose, all-vegetable, liquid soap that can be used for bathing, dishes, laundry and more.
Products
*cement
*fiberboard
*flooring
*insulation
*paneling
*particleboard plaster
*plywood reinforced concrete
*roofing
*rope
*fine laces
*Fish nets
*bow strings
*canvas
*strong rope
*overalls
*damask tablecloths
*fine linen
*towels
*bed linen
*parachute
*sails
*standing rigging
*heaving lines for ships
*heavy lines for packing
Other Resources
Follow MadisonNORML on Twitter
alt.hemp cannabis/marijuana FAQ
Some of this info came from the North American Industrial Hemp Council, Drugpolicy.org. and other sources around the world.