10 facts every Canadian citizen should know about hemp
1. Hemp (cannabis sativa L.) is an annual plant which can be grown in all 10 provinces and can reach heights of 4 metres or more. Today. hemp is best known as the source of marijuana, but hemp has long been grown for thousands of uses worldwide.
2. Every part of the plant can be used commercially: the seeds for oil and food (the seed is an excellent source of protein); the foliage for medicine; the stems for fabric, paper, fuel, paints, construction materials, plastics, etc.
3. Farming only 6% of North America's acreage with hemp for biomass would provide all of our gas and oil energy needs and end dependency on fossil fuels. Also, the gasoline or methanol produced from biomass gives off no sulphur when burned and would go a long way toward solving our acid rain problem.
4. Hemp Pulp Could totally replace wood as a source for pulp in paper production, thus halting the deforestation of our country. One acre of hemp produces 4 times as much pulp for paper as the same acre of trees. Hemp paper can be produced without dioxins and many other pollutants now used in the production of paper.
5. Hemp fibers can be used to produce rope, canvas and cloth. Hemp could effectively replace cotton and, unlike cotton, can be grown in Canada. Hemp discourages the growth of weeds, is insect, disease and drought resistant, and is easy on the soil (thus reducing agricultural reliance on chemical pesticides and fertilizers - half of all pesticides used in the U.S. are for cotton production.)
6. The 2 most complete Studies on cannabis indicate that everything else being equal, an average cannabis smoker will live longer than a non-smoker, with less wrinkles, generally less stress and fewer illnesses.
7. The 2 studies found no relation of cannabis to crime and no impairment of motor skills. Heavy use of cannabis was not found to curtail the motivation to work, there was no evidence of organic brain damage or schizophrenia.
8. For more than 3,500 years (prior to this century), hemp has been one of the most widely used plants for medicines. Omni Magazine (Sept. 82) indicated that if marijuana were legal, it would immediately replace 10-20% of all prescription medicines and when fully researched up to 40 or 50%.
9. Under Canadian law, cannabis has been subject to the same penalties as heroin, and sharing a marijuana cigarette with a friend is equivalent to selling many kilos to a stranger. The noted Canadian criminologist Neil Boyd estimates that Canada spends over 5 billion dollars per year enforcing the laws against cannabis. Amazing considering more than 1/10 of Canadians smoke ganja.
10. In 1969, the Federal Government appointed a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs under the chairmanship of Gerald Le Dain, Dean of Osgoode Hall law school. In 1973, the Commission's final report recommended that possession and cultivation of cannabis for personal use should not be considered a criminal offense. After spending 3.5 million dollars on this Royal Commission, our government has ignored its recommendations.
How Safe is Marijuana?
Used for either medicinal or recreational purposes, cannabis is a remarkably safe drug. It has been used for thousands of years, by billions of people, today, there are some 600 million users worldwide, and at least 3 million in Canada. The incredible fact is that since the dawn of history, there has never been a recorded death that can be attributed to the health effects of smoking cannabis.
According to testimony before the US Congress by Dr. Andrew Weil, "a smoker would have to theoretically consume nearly 1500 Pounds of marijuana within about 15 minutes to induce a lethal response." By comparison, he adds that "eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response," and that aspirin "causes hundreds if not thousands of deaths each year."
Similarly, after hearing testimony from doctors, patients and researchers, US Judge Francis Young ruled in 1988 that marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man." and that "marijuana in its natural form is far safer than many foods we commonly consume."
In 1975, the editors of Consumers Reports investigated a vast number of studies relating to marijuana and concluded that "out of all of these many studies... a general pattern is beginning to emerge. When a research finding can be readily checked - either by repeating the experiment or by devising a better one - an allegation of adverse marijuana effects is relatively short-lived. No damage is found - and after a time the allegation is dropped (often to be replaced by allegations of some other kind of damage...
Five years earlier, Dr. Robert Harris, chief of behavioral pharmacology at the Texas Research Institute of Medical Sciences, predicted that "if we were to run marijuana through the Course of procedures that the Food and Drug Administration requires of a standard drug, we'd probably find it was one of the safest drugs on the market."
When compared to alcohol or tobacco, marijuana is clearly much safer. Neil Boyd, a Simon Fraser University criminologist, points out in his book High Society that tobacco is probably Canada's most dangerous drug, followed by alcohol. Both are responsible for the deaths of thousands of Canadians every year, and although restrictions apply, both are perfectly legal. Michael Kinsley wrote in Time that "society has decided that the pleasure of drinking is worth the equally genuine cost to society and pain to many individuals of alcoholism, automobile accidents and so on... The world would not be a better place without booze (or marijuana), even if that were possible.
10 Medical Facts About Marijuana
The use of cannabis goes back thousands of years in literature.
1. Asthma - According to Dr. Donald Tashkin, "Taking a hit of marijuana has been known to stop a full blown asthma attack." (UCLA Medical Studies, 1969-90) The American Medical Association estimates that cannabis would benefit 80% of asthmatics.
2. Glaucoma - Harvard University concluded that cannabis is "two to three times as effective as any current medicine for reducing Ocular pressure." In addition, cannabis has no toxic side effects to the liver or kidneys or the sudden death syndromes occasionally associated with the legal pharmaceutical glaucoma drugs. (Harvard: Hepler & Frank, 1971, University of North Carolina School of Medicine. 1975: National Eye Institute)
3. Tumors - Researchers at the Medical College of Virginia discovered that cannabis is an incredibly successful herb for reducing many types of tumors, both benign and malignant (cancerous).
4. Nausea Relief (Aids, chemotherapy, motion sickness, etc.) - According to Dr. Thomas Ungerleider, head of California's Marijuana for Cancer research program ( 1979-84), "Marijuana is the best available agent for control of nausea in cancer chemotherapy." The same active ingredients of marijuana were also proven to be beneficial for anorexia and the relief of migraine headaches (Harvard Medical School, "Mental Health letter," Vol. 4, No. 5, November 1987)
5. Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscle Spasms - Cannabis is beneficial for 60% of all epileptics, reducing the frequency and intensity of seizures. Smoking cannabis has also been proven to be a major source of relief for Multiple Sclerosis, which affects the nervous system and is characterized by muscular weakness, tremors, etc. Cannabis has also been used for centuries as a poultice (herbal pack) for muscle spasms and is second only to morphine as a muscle relaxant. (Cohen & Stillman, "Therapeutic Potential of Marijuana," 1976; Mikuriya, Tod, M.D., "Marijuana Medical Papers")
6. Antibiotics - For virtually any disease or infection that can be treated with Terramycin, cannabis derivatives are more effective. (Roffman, "Marijuana as Medicine," 1982)
7. Herpes - According to Dr. Gerald Lanez, in a study completed at the University of Southern Florida (Tampa) in 1990, the herpes virus is killed when coming in direct contact with THC (an active ingredient of cannabis). The most effective application is a paste made of crushed bud and rubbing alcohol.
8. Expectorant - Cannabis is the best natural agent for the clearing of the lungs of smog, dust and the nastiness associated with tobacco use. Marijuana smoke effectively dilates the bronchi (lung airways), and allows more oxygen into the lungs. (U.C.L.A., Tashkin Studies, 1969-83; U.S. Costa Rican Studies, 1980-82; Jamaican Studies, 1968-74)
9. Sleep/Relaxation - Cannabis lowers blood pressure, dilates the arteries and reduces the body temperature an average of 1/2 degree, thereby relieving stress. It is estimated that cannabis could replace more than 50% of Valium, Librium, Thorazine, Stelazine, and most other sleeping pills. ("Stopping Valium," Public Citizen Health Research Group, Washington D.C.)
10. Saliva Reduction - The "dry mouth" effect widely recognized by marijuana smokers is the best-known non-toxic way to dry the mouth. The Canadian Board of Dentistry, in studies conducted in the 1970s, reported that cannabis could replace the highly toxic Probathine compounds currently used by dentists to reduce saliva. This may also indicate that cannabis could be good for treating peptic ulcers.
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