Hemp is not pot.
This simple botanical fact may soon become painfully clear to some would-be stoners who have been stealing hemp from a farmer's field in Stratford.
There's a crucial difference between hemp and marijuana: smoking pot makes you high, whereas smoking hemp will do nothing at best, or make you violently ill at worst.
Marijuana and hemp: Myths and realities
So Stratford police have issued a two-part warning to anyone planning a hemp heist:
-If you've already stolen hemp, do not attempt to smoke it, because its potential side-effects include splitting headaches and nausea, or just utter disappointment.
-"Don't steal period," says inspector Sam Theocharis. "It's illegal."
The majority of the hemp thefts have occurred at a field just south of the Festival Marketplace Mall on C.H. Meier Blvd, where it is being grown legally.
Police spotted several people lurking behind the mall and carrying empty duffelbags Thursday night. Police alerted the owner of the field, who warned of the potential dangers of smoking hemp.
Hemp growing has been legal in Canada for 11 years, since the crop can be used to make fabrics, textiles, paints, paper and other products.
Confusion arises because hemp and marijuana are both members of the cannabis family and can be easily mistaken for one another.
Legally grown hemp must contain less that 0.3 per cent THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
Stratford police are urging anyone who has mistaken hemp for pot to discard it immediately and not share it with anyone.
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: GuelphMercury.com
Contact: GuelphMercury.com
Copyright: 2009 Metroland Media Group Ltd
Website: Stratford Hemp Heist Leaves Thieves Sober
This simple botanical fact may soon become painfully clear to some would-be stoners who have been stealing hemp from a farmer's field in Stratford.
There's a crucial difference between hemp and marijuana: smoking pot makes you high, whereas smoking hemp will do nothing at best, or make you violently ill at worst.
Marijuana and hemp: Myths and realities
So Stratford police have issued a two-part warning to anyone planning a hemp heist:
-If you've already stolen hemp, do not attempt to smoke it, because its potential side-effects include splitting headaches and nausea, or just utter disappointment.
-"Don't steal period," says inspector Sam Theocharis. "It's illegal."
The majority of the hemp thefts have occurred at a field just south of the Festival Marketplace Mall on C.H. Meier Blvd, where it is being grown legally.
Police spotted several people lurking behind the mall and carrying empty duffelbags Thursday night. Police alerted the owner of the field, who warned of the potential dangers of smoking hemp.
Hemp growing has been legal in Canada for 11 years, since the crop can be used to make fabrics, textiles, paints, paper and other products.
Confusion arises because hemp and marijuana are both members of the cannabis family and can be easily mistaken for one another.
Legally grown hemp must contain less that 0.3 per cent THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
Stratford police are urging anyone who has mistaken hemp for pot to discard it immediately and not share it with anyone.
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: GuelphMercury.com
Contact: GuelphMercury.com
Copyright: 2009 Metroland Media Group Ltd
Website: Stratford Hemp Heist Leaves Thieves Sober
