Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Ah, the cost of doing business.
Just about everyone is struggling these days with the cost of goods, the cost of fuel, the cost of food and the general cost of living.
We don't want to whine, of course, but the Journal, and every other newspaper in the country, is struggling mightily with the cost of newsprint.
Have you noticed that your newspaper -- whether it's the Salina Journal or the New York Times -- has gotten narrower over the decades? You're not imagining it. Newspapers all over the world are going to narrower and narrower widths to save money on newsprint, which is rising rapidly. Believe us, we feel it here at the Journal.
"The Hemp Revolution," a 1995 documentary from producer-director Anthony Clarke, explores the hemp plant's intriguing history and wide-ranging uses. Clarke also delves into the economic and cultural forces that led to its prohibition.
Did you know that George Washington and many other early statesmen grew hemp? Thomas Jefferson encouraged farmers to grow hemp instead of tobacco. Benjamin Franklin started the first American paper mill, and he used hemp exclusively. And the Declaration of Independence was printed on hemp paper.
What happened? In earlier days, before it was criminalized in 1937, it was a profitable crop. They say it grows like a weed.
A Google search of "Dupont" plus "Hearst" plus "hemp" plus "paper" would provide many answers. Suffice it to say that Dupont wanted tree-made paper to succeed, newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst helped a great deal in that effort, and the American people were hoodwinked in the process.
What the propaganda of the '30s and '40s drilled into us was that hemp/cannabis/marijuana is evil. It makes people go insane.
Here's the thing: The industrial type of hemp -- used for paper, fabric, ropes, oils -- contains virtually no THC, the part of the cannabis plant that makes a person "high."
The hemp plant is 77 percent cellulose, ideal for paper-making. The fiber in trees is very short, less than an inch long, while the fibers of cellulose in the hemp plant are feet long. Fewer chemicals are needed, then, in production.
Its long tap roots are good for the soil. It's grown without pesticides or insecticides.
It makes us wonder if hemp wouldn't be a good plant to bring back to our farmlands. We don't know if hemp would be the answer to the newspaper industry's paper crisis, but we'd sure like to have more options.
While we're working toward being more environmentally conscious and careful, hemp is one plant we should seriously give another look.
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Salina.com
Author: Roshana Ariel
Copyright: 2008 Salina Journal
Contact: Salina.com - an online service of The Salina Journal
Website: Salina.com - an online service of The Salina Journal
Just about everyone is struggling these days with the cost of goods, the cost of fuel, the cost of food and the general cost of living.
We don't want to whine, of course, but the Journal, and every other newspaper in the country, is struggling mightily with the cost of newsprint.
Have you noticed that your newspaper -- whether it's the Salina Journal or the New York Times -- has gotten narrower over the decades? You're not imagining it. Newspapers all over the world are going to narrower and narrower widths to save money on newsprint, which is rising rapidly. Believe us, we feel it here at the Journal.
"The Hemp Revolution," a 1995 documentary from producer-director Anthony Clarke, explores the hemp plant's intriguing history and wide-ranging uses. Clarke also delves into the economic and cultural forces that led to its prohibition.
Did you know that George Washington and many other early statesmen grew hemp? Thomas Jefferson encouraged farmers to grow hemp instead of tobacco. Benjamin Franklin started the first American paper mill, and he used hemp exclusively. And the Declaration of Independence was printed on hemp paper.
What happened? In earlier days, before it was criminalized in 1937, it was a profitable crop. They say it grows like a weed.
A Google search of "Dupont" plus "Hearst" plus "hemp" plus "paper" would provide many answers. Suffice it to say that Dupont wanted tree-made paper to succeed, newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst helped a great deal in that effort, and the American people were hoodwinked in the process.
What the propaganda of the '30s and '40s drilled into us was that hemp/cannabis/marijuana is evil. It makes people go insane.
Here's the thing: The industrial type of hemp -- used for paper, fabric, ropes, oils -- contains virtually no THC, the part of the cannabis plant that makes a person "high."
The hemp plant is 77 percent cellulose, ideal for paper-making. The fiber in trees is very short, less than an inch long, while the fibers of cellulose in the hemp plant are feet long. Fewer chemicals are needed, then, in production.
Its long tap roots are good for the soil. It's grown without pesticides or insecticides.
It makes us wonder if hemp wouldn't be a good plant to bring back to our farmlands. We don't know if hemp would be the answer to the newspaper industry's paper crisis, but we'd sure like to have more options.
While we're working toward being more environmentally conscious and careful, hemp is one plant we should seriously give another look.
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Salina.com
Author: Roshana Ariel
Copyright: 2008 Salina Journal
Contact: Salina.com - an online service of The Salina Journal
Website: Salina.com - an online service of The Salina Journal