Hemp and Cannabis

[Gfcollective]

with hemp being allowed to grow in the state of washington under the new farm bill that was recently passed.. where can i find the regulations on growing hemp (thc free) in washington.

also, where is a good source to buy hemp (thc free) seeds?

i live in washington and i am a medical patient. i grow my 15 allowed plants and would love to be able to grow regular hemp plants throughout my house like regular house plants that wouldnt count towards my license. but with all the confusion between hemp and cannabis im not positive if i can grow hemp as well as growing my 15 cannabis plants without taking away from my cannabis plants. ive always been interested in making my own hemp twine to make cloths as well as other products. any info would be great.

thanks all
I&i

 

[420 Motoco]

Hey Comrade,

Here is some info I found (I wanted to learn some knowledge on hemp also) just not the state regs you requested. I think hemp would make an awesome landscape . Hemp clothing I found is extremely durable.

The difference is in its use. Hemp and Marijuana both come from the same plant - Cannabis Sativa L. The term 'Hemp' commonly refers to the industrial/commercial use of the cannabis stalk and seed for textiles, foods, papers, body care products, detergents, plastics and building materials. The term 'marijuana' refers to the medicinal, recreational or spiritual use involving the smoking of cannabis flowers. Industrial hemp contains only about 0.3% - 1.5% THC (Tetrahydrocannabinoids, the intoxicating ingredients that make you high) while marijuana contains about 5% - 10% or more THC. Hemp fibre is the longest, strongest and most durable of all natural fibres. Hemp cultivation requires no chemicals, pesticides or herbicides. Grown in rotation with other crops such as corn and legumes, hemp farming is completely sustainable. Hemp produces four times as much fibre per acre as pine trees. Hemp tree-free paper can be recycled up to seven times, compared with three times for pine-pulp based papers. Hemp is easy to grow, and actually conditions soil where it grows. The seed and seed-oil are high in protein, essential fatty and amino acids, and vitamins. Hemp would be an ideal source of biomass for fuel, and hemp Ethanol burns very cleanly.
Hemp and humanity have been linked for over 10,000 years. Hemp was our first agricultural crop, and remained the planet's largest crop and most important industry until late last century. Most of the non-Western world never stopped growing hemp, and today hemp for commercial use is grown mostly by China, Hungary, England, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Germany, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, India and throughout Asia.

Differences Between Industrial Hemp and Marijuana

Industrial hemp is a variety of cannabis sativa that has a long history of use in the United States.

However, since the 1950s it has been lumped into the same category of marijuana, and thus the extremely versatile crop was doomed in the United States. Industrial hemp is technically from the same species of plant that psychoactive marijuana comes from. However, it is from a different variety, or subspecies that contains many important differences. The main differences between industrial hemp and marijuana will be discussed below.

Industrial hemp has low THC levels compared to marijuana specifically cultivated for personal psychoactive use. Whereas marijuana that can be smoked usually contains between five and ten percent THC, industrial hemp contains about one-tenth of that. In order to get a psychoactive effect, one would need to smoke ten or twelve hemp cigarettes over a very short period of time.
The reason for the low THC content in hemp is that most THC is formed in resin glands on the buds and flowers of the female cannabis plant. Industrial hemp is not cultivated to produce buds, and therefore lacks the primary component that forms the marijuana high. Furthermore, industrial hemp has higher concentrations of a chemical called Cannabidiol (CBD) that has a negative effect on THC and lessens its psychoactive effects when smoked in conjunction.

Compared to cannabis sativa indica, cannabis sativa sativa (industrial hemp variety) has a much stronger fiber. This fiber can be used in anything from rope and blankets to paper. Marijuana fiber has a low tensile strength and will break or shred easily, making it a poor fibrous plant when compared to industrial hemp.

Industrial hemp also grows differently than THC-containing cannabis. Hemp is typically grown up, not out, because the focus is not on producing buds but on producing length of stalk. In this way, hemp is a very similar crop to bamboo. The stalk contains the fiber and hard, woody core material that can be used for a
variety of purposes, even carpentry. Generally, THC-producing marijuana plants are grown to an average of five feet in height. Industrial hemp on the other hand is grown to a height of ten to fifteen feet before harvest. Also, it is fairly difficult to grow concealed marijuana within industrial hemp crops as the DEA
alleges. Since industrial hemp is grown so close together and is generally a very narrow, vertical growth crop, any THC-producing marijuana would stick out like a sore thumb. Its wide growth would require a large amount of space to itself in order to get adequate sunlight from beyond the tops of the competing industrial hemp plants.

The two also differ in the areas that they can be effectively grown. THC-producing Marijuana must be grown in generally warm and humid environments in order to produce the desired quantity and quality of THC-containing buds. However, since industrial hemp does not contain these buds, and the hardy parts of the plant are the more desired, it can be grown in a wider range of areas. Generally, industrial hemp grows best on fields that provide high yields for corn crops, which includes most of the Southwest, Southeast, and Northeast United States. Furthermore, since industrial hemp can use male plants as well as female plants (since the object is not THC production), higher crop yields can result.

Hemp also has little potential to produce high-content THC when pollinated. As long as industrial hemp plants are pollinated by members of their own crop, then the genetics will remain similar with low levels of THC.

One would have to place several marijuana plants in close vicinity in over several generations order to alter the genetics substantially of the offspring.

Since there are so many differences between industrial hemp and high-THC marijuana, it seems to make sense that it would be a fostered, rather than demonized crop. Although technically hemp is not illegal to grow, it requires obtaining a special permit from the DEA. These permits are rarely given out and require that the crop be surrounded by security measures such as fences, razor wire, security guards, or dogs. For a crop that has little-to-no potential to get people high, the current attitude is both irresponsible and draconian.

Industrial hemp could transform the economy of the United States in a positive and beneficial way, and therefore should be exploited to its full potential.

 

[Gfcollective]

very good info, thank you as always motoco. i agree 100% with the hemp being durable, our kids kids can wear them. pretty sure i read a long time ago too that hemp wont mold. just read recently that a guy decided to build his entire house out of hemp bricks because there are 0 chemicals used in the house and his daughter has a rare disease that makes her not able to live in normal houses (with the drywall, paint, carpet, even couches have a flame retardant chemical in them) his house is 100% breathable (cold in summer, warm in winter) never molds, fresh air constantly, self insulating, the list goes on. believe i actually watched it on a film called "Bringing it home". very good film, i recommend any watching it if they haven't yet. i looked online and found some spots you can buy "ton" of hemp seeds for 500-1000$.. lil more seeds then im looking for, found another that had a cup of hemp seeds i believe for 25$ so may look into it a little more before i decide to put a footprint online.

 

[oldchuck]

I'm growing some hemp and I have fooled around a bit with fiber processing. Growing it is no more difficult than growing drug weed or most anything else. Processing - not so much.

@Motoco, I find much in your quotation that is debatable. It would be helpful if you would cite the references you quote.

@Gf, can't help you with Washington law but you can grow hemp around the house with appropriate pollination protection. Cannabis pollen is ubiquitous and can diffuse widely on small breezes. Staggered maturities and careful separation can allow control but you need to pay attention. I'm running a little experiment now on separation distance outdoors, a patch of hemp about a quarter mile from some drug weed with forest separation. We'll see.

There are many hemp varieties that can be divided into two main classifications: seed hemp and fiber hemp. Fiber hemp grows very tall with little branching, strong stems and almost no THC. Seed varieties are not so tall, cultivated differently to promote seed production. You can buy hemp seed on Amazon but it is sterilized (thanks to Uncle) either by boiling or steaming. Useless. I ordered about a pound (500 g) of unsterilized seed from a small herb operation in Finland which managed to make it through the Customs roadblock for less than $10. It's like getting drug weed seed through, a risk but cheaper.

The variety I'm growing is called Finola, a seed variety bred for cold climates and short growing seasons. It is almost like an autoflower. Males show at about 25 days and mature harvest is 90-120 days from sprouting. It's very fast and can tolerate some frost. No doubt some Ruderalis genes. It is a prodigious seed maker, easy to grow.

You can use your drug weed stems to fool around with fiber if you like. I have. I have even built some traditional hemp processing tools. Processing is best done at industrial scale with specialized machinery. Post harvest traditional processing steps: retting, breaking, scutching, hackling, spinning, weaving. I won't detail these steps but it ain't easy. You can look it up. Same process for flax fiber. I still haven't gotten retting down properly. Too much weakens the fiber, too little makes it difficult to separate bast fiber from hurds. Properly retted a very tiny diameter bast fiber is very difficult to pull apart. Hemp fiber is strong.

I'm running another little experiment that I didn't quite intend. Finola male managed to hook up with a Satori female (Mandala seeds) and make babies. I'm running a few of those now to see what turns up. High CBD and modest THC is my hope but who knows.

 

[420 Motoco]

Hi oldchuck,

Your correct, I should of posted the data from the site I got the info. I spaced it. I have no doubt some of it is debatable. Fact is, most stuff on line is debateable. Experience of doing things yourself and then looking on-line for intel is the norm for me. I just haven't explored hemp yet. Never realized processing hemp was such an involved process. Informative post. Thank you.

I have to ask though; why do you keep referencing 'drug weed/your drug weed'? Its cannabis. I'm mothering a strain called Harle-Tsu, grown correctly can produce 20% CBD, 1%THC. Won the Emerald Cup last year for the highest yielding CBD to THC ratio.

 

[oldchuck]

Hi oldchuck,

I have to ask though; why do you keep referencing 'drug weed/your drug weed'? Its cannabis. I'm mothering a strain called Harle-Tsu, grown correctly can produce 20% CBD, 1%THC. Won the Emerald Cup last year for the highest yielding CBD to THC ratio.

It almost sounds like you want to get into a discussion of the "Cannabis species problem" which is a very interesting discussion but not sure is on topic for this thread. I'm no expert but it is a fascinating subject. I try to keep my language pragmatic and functional.

I loath and despise the word "marijuana" and will not use it.

I also disdain the common doper distinction between "sativa" and "indica."

Robert Connell Clarke's and others divisions into WLH, NLH, WLD, and NLD are a little awkward for common use but still useful in some contexts.

For my own practical purposes I'll use Cannabis generically, hemp for seed and fiber use, and drug weed for varieties we grow for medicinal and recreational purposes.

But all Cannabis interbreeds and that produces an amazing diversity.

Your Harle-Tsu is most certainly drug weed despite low THC. Sounds interesting. Can you make seeds?

 

[Gfcollective]

im aware of the process of turning hemp into fibers. i have not experienced it myself but i have watched and read enough to know that im not going to grow a plant that produces a shirt on its branch (would be great if it just grew fibers naturally separated) that it will take work. very informative posts that i have taken some notes off of! motoco one of my favorites around here, nice to see you around

i myself refuse to use the term "drug weed" as all "weeds" have a property that could be considered a "drug" also known as "medicine" with that said, Drug is associated to much with illegal hard drugs. very rarely do you even hear people refer to their prescription drugs, as drugs. its like they are embarrassed to say that they have to take a "drug". but with all this said it just seems silly since i myself find healing property's in many herbs and plants that would be considered weeds to most because they are not aware of its property's to call one specific plant a "drug weed" they all are in this case.

I&i

 

[420 Motoco]

No discussion for me. I was simply asking a question. Just unfamiliar with your terminology 'drug weed'. Thanks for your answer, much appreciated.

It almost sounds like you want to get into a discussion of the "Cannabis species problem" which is a very interesting discussion but not sure is on topic for this thread. I'm no expert but it is a fascinating subject. I try to keep my language pragmatic and functional.

I loath and despise the word "marijuana" and will not use it.

I also disdain the common doper distinction between "sativa" and "indica."

Robert Connell Clarke's and others divisions into WLH, NLH, WLD, and NLD are a little awkward for common use but still useful in some contexts.

For my own practical purposes I'll use Cannabis generically, hemp for seed and fiber use, and drug weed for varieties we grow for medicinal and recreational purposes.

But all Cannabis interbreeds and that produces an amazing diversity.

Your Harle-Tsu is most certainly drug weed despite low THC. Sounds interesting. Can you make seeds?