T
The420Guy
Guest
NORMAL, Illinois – The hemp plant has long been associated with its flora family member – the marijuana plant. Both, however, are very different.
Marijuana is an illegal drug in the United States. The hemp plant feels the same judicial heat. But as a resource, the hemp plant can offer the world alternative sources of food, fuel and clothing. The plant is still illegal to grow in United States, however.
Residents of Bloomington-Normal have taken notice and formed the activist group MASH – Mobilizing Activists and Students for Hemp. According to the group, they are talking about the injustices against the hemp plant, and people seem to be listening.
"Both hemp and marijuana are members of the same species, cannabis sativa, but that does not make them the same plant," Dan Moriarity, MASH coordinator, said.
The differences are visible as well as internal.
"Marijuana is a smaller, bushier crop with high THC levels and is grown [in a] completely different way than hemp is," Moriarity said.
THC, tetrahydroncannabinol, is an active ingredient in marijuana.
The hemp plant is grown in tightly packed rows that resemble corn stalks, Moriarity said.
"Marijuana needs a lot more room to bud and spread out and absorb nutrients," he said.
The hemp plant is also known for its ability to grow quickly under any kind of weather.
"I don't think there is another plant that produces as much biomass as hemp in a year," Gregg Brown, ISU alumnus and MASH activist, explained. "It is as close to an 'instant forest' as this world is capable of producing."
Despite hemp's positive aspects, there is still tension between people of political prominence and the social stigma of the plant.
"I think that there are two sides to the opposition. The first is that people think it is a drug," Moriarity said.
"The other obvious reason I feel, is industry. The main opposition is coming from timber and cotton industries, both of which can be replaced by hemp," Moriarity added.
Hemp could start an entire industry of its own, Brown added.
"Hemp has tens-of-thousands of uses, so it is not like there is no money in this industry, it is just a means of making a commitment," he said.
"There will be a tremendous amount of work involved, and that's a good thing. There will be thousands of jobs for people," Brown added.
There have been some breakthroughs in the exploration of what hemp can do.
Daniel G. Paquin P.E. at the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources is studying phytoremediation.
"We've done a small scale field test using hemp," Paquin said. " The results are to be published in the International Journal of Phytoremediation soon."
Phytoremediation is the act of having plants clean up polluted soil, Paquin explained. Plants remove harmful chemicals from the ground when they take water into their roots.
The process is new and the study has the backing of Hawaiian congresswoman Cynthia Thielan.
Cars burn nonrenewable fuels that cause pollution. Industrial hemp can offer an alternative.
"Hemp fuel, or bio-diesel, can be burned in any unmodified diesel engine and mixed with petrol-diesel in any ratio," Moriarity said. "Bio-diesel is an ecologically sound fuel with drastically fewer emissions than its petroleum counterparts."
The idea of the hemp car is nothing new. MASH pointed out that Henry Ford had a vision of a line of cars that would run on hemp oil as well as the oils of other plants.
"There is really a downside to running our country on resources that we need to extract from other people's countries," he said. "We need the resources of other nations [or] we will inevitably be stepping on other peoples toes.
"If we were powering our society using what grows here, we would not be stepping on other peoples toes," Brown continued. "To me, it is a step towards a more peaceful world."
Canada's government recently took a second look at its current cannabis laws. According to the Associated Press, the Canadian parliamentary committee called for the legalizing of marijuana use among adults.
In the article, Canadian Senator Pierre Nolin of the Progressive Conservative Party said, "There is no good reason to subject the consumers of cannabis to the application of criminal law."
"If changes in Canada do come about, I think that will send shock waves through the world," Brown said.
Currently, marijuana possession is illegal in Canada, though last year medical use of the plant was legalized.
In Illinois, there have been a series of bills concerning the legalization of cannabis as well.
Matt Vanover, assistant press secretary to Governor George Ryan, provided The Daily Vidette with letters written by Ryan and addressed to the Illinois House of Representatives, explaining why Ryan vetoed a series of hemp-legalizing legislation.
Bill 3377 would have authorized the University of Illinois to study the feasibility and desirability of industrial hemp production. Bill 3377 was vetoed for a number of reasons, the first being the infamous tie with marijuana.
"Though I believe the sponsor's sole purpose is to promote this research in an effort to benefit legitimate agricultural producers in Illinois," Ryan wrote, "this legislation nonetheless plays into the national strategy of groups seeking to remove existing criminal penalties for cannabis/marijuana possession and use."
Ryan's letter put forth his own statistics to back up his case. According to the statement:
"A United States Department of Agriculture study concluded that industrial hemp production will be unable to sustain adequate profit margins for a large scale production sector to develop," Ryan wrote. "For every proposed use of industrial hemp, there already exists an available product or raw material that is cheaper to manufacture and provides better market results."
The tug of war – presumably not with a hemp-made rope – will continue.
Copyright © 2002, The Daily Vidette. All rights reserved.
Marijuana is an illegal drug in the United States. The hemp plant feels the same judicial heat. But as a resource, the hemp plant can offer the world alternative sources of food, fuel and clothing. The plant is still illegal to grow in United States, however.
Residents of Bloomington-Normal have taken notice and formed the activist group MASH – Mobilizing Activists and Students for Hemp. According to the group, they are talking about the injustices against the hemp plant, and people seem to be listening.
"Both hemp and marijuana are members of the same species, cannabis sativa, but that does not make them the same plant," Dan Moriarity, MASH coordinator, said.
The differences are visible as well as internal.
"Marijuana is a smaller, bushier crop with high THC levels and is grown [in a] completely different way than hemp is," Moriarity said.
THC, tetrahydroncannabinol, is an active ingredient in marijuana.
The hemp plant is grown in tightly packed rows that resemble corn stalks, Moriarity said.
"Marijuana needs a lot more room to bud and spread out and absorb nutrients," he said.
The hemp plant is also known for its ability to grow quickly under any kind of weather.
"I don't think there is another plant that produces as much biomass as hemp in a year," Gregg Brown, ISU alumnus and MASH activist, explained. "It is as close to an 'instant forest' as this world is capable of producing."
Despite hemp's positive aspects, there is still tension between people of political prominence and the social stigma of the plant.
"I think that there are two sides to the opposition. The first is that people think it is a drug," Moriarity said.
"The other obvious reason I feel, is industry. The main opposition is coming from timber and cotton industries, both of which can be replaced by hemp," Moriarity added.
Hemp could start an entire industry of its own, Brown added.
"Hemp has tens-of-thousands of uses, so it is not like there is no money in this industry, it is just a means of making a commitment," he said.
"There will be a tremendous amount of work involved, and that's a good thing. There will be thousands of jobs for people," Brown added.
There have been some breakthroughs in the exploration of what hemp can do.
Daniel G. Paquin P.E. at the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources is studying phytoremediation.
"We've done a small scale field test using hemp," Paquin said. " The results are to be published in the International Journal of Phytoremediation soon."
Phytoremediation is the act of having plants clean up polluted soil, Paquin explained. Plants remove harmful chemicals from the ground when they take water into their roots.
The process is new and the study has the backing of Hawaiian congresswoman Cynthia Thielan.
Cars burn nonrenewable fuels that cause pollution. Industrial hemp can offer an alternative.
"Hemp fuel, or bio-diesel, can be burned in any unmodified diesel engine and mixed with petrol-diesel in any ratio," Moriarity said. "Bio-diesel is an ecologically sound fuel with drastically fewer emissions than its petroleum counterparts."
The idea of the hemp car is nothing new. MASH pointed out that Henry Ford had a vision of a line of cars that would run on hemp oil as well as the oils of other plants.
"There is really a downside to running our country on resources that we need to extract from other people's countries," he said. "We need the resources of other nations [or] we will inevitably be stepping on other peoples toes.
"If we were powering our society using what grows here, we would not be stepping on other peoples toes," Brown continued. "To me, it is a step towards a more peaceful world."
Canada's government recently took a second look at its current cannabis laws. According to the Associated Press, the Canadian parliamentary committee called for the legalizing of marijuana use among adults.
In the article, Canadian Senator Pierre Nolin of the Progressive Conservative Party said, "There is no good reason to subject the consumers of cannabis to the application of criminal law."
"If changes in Canada do come about, I think that will send shock waves through the world," Brown said.
Currently, marijuana possession is illegal in Canada, though last year medical use of the plant was legalized.
In Illinois, there have been a series of bills concerning the legalization of cannabis as well.
Matt Vanover, assistant press secretary to Governor George Ryan, provided The Daily Vidette with letters written by Ryan and addressed to the Illinois House of Representatives, explaining why Ryan vetoed a series of hemp-legalizing legislation.
Bill 3377 would have authorized the University of Illinois to study the feasibility and desirability of industrial hemp production. Bill 3377 was vetoed for a number of reasons, the first being the infamous tie with marijuana.
"Though I believe the sponsor's sole purpose is to promote this research in an effort to benefit legitimate agricultural producers in Illinois," Ryan wrote, "this legislation nonetheless plays into the national strategy of groups seeking to remove existing criminal penalties for cannabis/marijuana possession and use."
Ryan's letter put forth his own statistics to back up his case. According to the statement:
"A United States Department of Agriculture study concluded that industrial hemp production will be unable to sustain adequate profit margins for a large scale production sector to develop," Ryan wrote. "For every proposed use of industrial hemp, there already exists an available product or raw material that is cheaper to manufacture and provides better market results."
The tug of war – presumably not with a hemp-made rope – will continue.
Copyright © 2002, The Daily Vidette. All rights reserved.
